Attitudes toward spirituality/religion among members of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

Abstract

Attitudes toward spirituality and religion (S/R) have not been systematically surveyed among practitioners of cognitive– behavior therapy. We therefore administered a brief survey about S/R ton n = 262 members of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). Approximately half the sample reported a strong sense of spirituality (54%) however, religious affiliation, belief in God, religious practice, and intrinsic religiosity were substantially lower than that of the general population in the United States. Further, 36% of respondents reported some discomfort in addressing S/R issues with clients, 19% reported never/rarely inquiring about S/R, and 71% reported little-to-no previous clinical training in this area. Higher levels of personal S/R involvement predicted greater perception that S/R is relevant to mental health and greater comfort/frequency of addressing S/R in treatment, however this interacted with previous training, suggesting that training can promote the provision of spiritually competent care regardless of practitioners’ levels of personal S/R involvement.