1 - (SYM 138) Teaching Spiritual Competencies in Mental Health Graduate Education: Introduction to Symposium

Spirituality and religion (S/R) are core areas of diversity and functioning can be immensely powerful in shaping human experience and behavior. On the one hand, S/R can support well-being, healthy coping, and self-transcendence in times of stress and suffering. However, these same beliefs, practices, relationships, and other aspects of S/R can also engender or worsen struggles that interfere with resilience and recovery. Despite significant progress in scientific research illumining the clinical and cultural relevance of S/R, as well as widespread consensus across mental health professions about the importance of S/R, these developments are not translating into graduate education. Because most faculty, students, and clinicians do not receive standardized training in this area, they might not appreciate the cultural and clinical relevance of S/R, feel unsure how to address their clients’ S/R, and even perpetuate bias against S/R. In this symposium, we will provide an overview for why the practice of mental health care would be strengthened by including training in spiritual and religious competencies during graduate education. We will then describe findings from a multi-site study in which empirically-validated hybrid curriculum materials on spiritual competency training were integrated into 20 graduate courses. Next, two of our instructors from the study will share their experience of integrating the spiritual competency curriculum into their courses.