A constructivist approach to promoting spiritual competence in counselor trainees: a pilot study. Issue 1 (2nd January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bowser, Devon; Joseph, Matthew; Crothers, Laura M.; Kolbert, Jered B.; Holmes, Imac S.
• Is Part Of: Journal of spirituality in mental health. Volume 24:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 35
• Page End: 52
• Publication Date: 2022-01-02
• Subjects: Spirituality -- religious -- constructivism -- counselor preparation; Spiritual healing -- Periodicals; Psychotherapy -- Religious aspects -- Christianity -- Periodicals; Pastoral care -- Periodicals; Pastoral counseling -- Periodicals; 253.505
• DOI: 10.1080/19349637.2020.1844607
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1934-9637

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a two-and-half hour constructivist-oriented training session upon the spirituality and religious competency of 15 master's level counseling students. The results revealed that the master's-lever counselors in training demonstrated a significant overall increase in spiritual and religious competency. Although the intervention resulted in a significant increase in the spiritual and religious competency scores, the participants' scores at posttest remained below the minimum cutoff score, echoing a consistent finding in the literature that counselor preparation programs are not adequately training students to incorporate spirituality and religion in their work. Students who scored higher on a Personal Spiritual and Religious Practices scale demonstrated greater increases in their spiritual competency.