| Abstrakt: |
On the surface Australian culture may be considered secular, though this is not the full picture. The prevalence of religious beliefs in Australia, 84% acknowledge having a religious belief (Trewin, 2002), is similar to the rest of the world, 84.5% (Calhoun, 1998). However, according to Passmore (2003) Australian psychologists are 'dragging the chain' with regard to incorporation of spiritual or religious beliefs into the therapy process. Also, in the area of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy there is a reductionist attitude to spiritual matters (Simmonds, 2004). However, the important question is: Is this what clients or patients want? Studies discussed indicate that clients and patients want their religious or spiritual beliefs incorporated into the therapeutic process (Finlayson Smith & Simmonds, 2006) because it is related to their personality, behaviour and world view (Rose, Westefeld & Anstey, 2001). It is concluded that psychological counselling strategies that appropriately incorporate spiritual and religious beliefs, as well as other factors, are considered best practice in line with holistic assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
