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Psychotherapy with rural religious fundamentalist clients
Author(s) -
Aten Jamie D.,
Mangis Michael W.,
Campbell Clark
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20677
Subject(s) - psychology , psychotherapist , addiction , session (web analytics) , social psychology , psychiatry , world wide web , computer science
Successful psychotherapy with rural fundamentalist Christians requires psychologists to understand the clients' culture and worldview. They often rely heavily on religious authorities, interpret Scriptures literally, adhere to strict moral codes of behavior, and believe that they should evangelize those around them. Common therapeutic challenges include: spiritualizing problems, relational conflicts related to gender role expectations, addiction problems, and the religious agendas of family and clergy. We recommend that psychotherapists evaluate their own attitudes, collaborate with community gatekeepers, sensitively address clients' rigid beliefs, address religious differences, and take a holistic approach to treatment. A case example illustrates this approach. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 66:1–11, 2010.