Spirituality within the secular space : exploring the integration of spirituality within professional psychological practice in New Zealand.

Type of content
Theses / Dissertations
Publisher's DOI/URI
Thesis discipline
Psychology
Degree name
Master of Arts
Publisher
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
English
Date
2024
Authors
Elliott, Meg
Abstract

Research demonstrates that individual spirituality can have a positive impact on wellbeing, and decrease negative psychological symptoms. Despite this research, and the relevance of spirituality in the lives of many New Zealanders, only one existing study has examined how client spirituality is integrated or addressed in clinical psychological practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. The current study aimed to expand upon this research by exploring 13 registered psychologists’ experiences of integrating spirituality within clinical practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to explore (1) how psychologists in Aotearoa New Zealand conceptualise spirituality; and (2) experiences of psychologists in integrating spirituality in their clinical practice, including as part of bicultural practice. Semi-structured interviews held either via Zoom or in person at the University of Canterbury, alongside a brief survey, were used to collect participant data. Thematic analysis revealed one main theme, Meaning of Spirituality and three subthemes relating to how psychologists conceptualise spirituality. Five main themes and nineteen subthemes were identified describing the experiences of psychologists in integrating spirituality in their clinical practice, including as part of bicultural practice: Spirituality as beneficial in a therapeutic setting, Integration of spirituality within practice, Spirituality and bicultural practice, Challenges or concerns integrating spirituality in practice and Psychological training in spirituality in practice. The findings of the current study emphasise clinician perspectives of the link between spirituality and wellbeing, and the importance for psychologists to consider and address spirituality in assessment and therapy. The results also suggest a need for further specialist training on client spirituality in psychology training programmes, and highlight the importance of ongoing clinical professional development in this area.

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Citation
Keywords
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
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All Rights Reserved