Psychology, Religion, and Psychotherapeutic Implications

The interface of psychology and religion opens a conceptual space for a paradigmatic shift in counseling theory and psychotherapeutic practice. Unfortunately, this is an area of scholarship that has been given limited attention in the literature.

To understand the scarcity of attention given to psychology and religion in relation to psychotherapy, it is important to appreciate the historical tensions which existed in debates on the role and place of religion within the discipline of psychology and the field of psychotherapy. Fortunately, today these historical tensions show signs of abating and moving toward a converging rather than a diverging dialogue. This amelioration is resulting in a forging of a better understanding of the critical role that psychology and religion play in the psychotherapeutic context. This essay begins with a brief outline of the historical tensions that existed between religion and psychology. These tensions, then, will be illustrated through the works of key...