UBC Theses and Dissertations

UBC Theses Logo

UBC Theses and Dissertations

Counsellors and spirituality : autobiographical accounts of how counsellors integrate their experiences with spirituality with their counselling practice Roth, Kim

Abstract

This study explored how counsellors' experiences with spirituality affect their counselling practice. The study determined how spirituality can be important to the counselling field and exemplified ways in which counsellors can include this dimension within their practice. An autobiographical method was employed where participants wrote stories of their experiences with spirituality and described how they incorporate spirituality into counselling. Narrative analysis was used to review the data. Interpretation of the findings revealed that examining their personal spiritual development is a crucial process for counsellors as their counselling style and practice is influenced by spiritual beliefs. All participants consider spirituality to be important in making meaning for clients and for themselves. The narratives further illustrate that spiritual questioning and/or openness to spirituality tends to occur as a result of traumatic or life-changing events. This study illuminates the uniqueness of spirituality, inspires counsellors to examine their own spiritual development, and reminds the field of psychology how imperative the inclusion of spirituality is to the healing process.

Item Media

Item Citations and Data

Rights

For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.