Religious and Spiritual Struggles in Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of Filipino Secular Psychotherapists in the Philippines

Abstract

Little is known about how Filipino secular psychotherapists understand and address the religious/spiritual struggles of their clients. The current study employed a qualitative approach in exploring the experiences of secular psychotherapists in addressing religious/spiritual struggles in secular psychotherapy. The authors interviewed six secular psychotherapists who identified as Catholics but practiced from a secular lens. Data were examined using interpretative phenomenological analysis and were independently audited by an external auditor to establish rigor and trustworthiness. Three superordinate themes emerged from the findings: (1) the objects; (2) the lenses; and (3) the approaches to the objects. These main themes each reflected three subordinate themes, derived by clustering the content accordingly. For the participants, addressing religious/spiritual struggles in secular therapy can be likened to a field of view wherein they are looking through a secular lens, which influences how they view and address the religious/spiritual struggles of their clients. The secular psychotherapists’ understanding and approach to religious/spiritual struggles are heavily influenced by their theoretical orientation. However, they acknowledge the impact of their values and beliefs in their practice of psychotherapy. The findings of the study have implications for the practice of psychotherapy as well as the training of future psychotherapists in the Philippines.