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christian counseling today
Vol. 21 no. 2
More and more research is showing a connection between
religious beliefs and practices and better mental health (i.e.,
greater well-being, less alcohol or drug abuse, less depres-
sion, and less suicide).
1,2
Researchers are now utilizing this
research gathered from observational studies to design and test
religiously-integrated interventions for depression, anxiety,
and post-traumatic stress disorder. I will briefly review some
of that research here, then discuss the role that religious faith
plays in the prevention of suicide, and finally describe a case
that illustrates the complex interaction between faith and
suicide.
First, how is faith utilized in the delivery of care and does
it make a difference? There continues to be a deep divide
between the attitudes of mental health professionals and those
of patients regarding to the utilization of religious resources
in therapy.
2
While 55-74% of psychotherapy clients express a
desire to discuss religious/spiritual issues during therapy,
4,5
resistance to doing so remains high among conventional
therapists. Although there are many spiritually-integrated
interventions now being proposed that utilize broad, non-
specific approaches often based on Eastern philosophies and
meditation techniques, only a few distinctively religious
psychotherapies have been introduced into clinical prac-
tice. By religious psychotherapy, I mean therapy that utilizes
a person’s religious faith (beliefs, practices, rituals, Holy
Scriptures, and faith community involvement) in the treat-
ment of a mental disorder.
Religiously-integrated cognitive behavioral therapy
(RCBT) for depression appeared on the scene for the first
time in 1992 with the work of Rebecca Propst and colleagues
who compared religious vs. conventional CBT for depressed
religious adults, a study that was published in the American
Psychological Association’s flagship periodical,
Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
6
They found that 18 weekly
The Role of Faith in
Treating Mental Illness
and Preventing Suicide
Harold G. Koen i g
To Believe
or Not to
Believe