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What is Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy?

Spiritually integrative psychotherapy (SIP) is therapy in which the therapist and client work collaboratively to invite in and include the client’s spirituality, beliefs, religious and spiritual practices into mental health treatment. It is based in traditional talk therapy and is a technique that aids psychotherapy by intentionally inviting in a client’s whole life and value system.

Historically, many mental health professionals have left client spirituality out of therapy. Very few mental health graduate training programs include guidance on how to fully include a client’s spirituality in therapy. Some mental health professionals may even be hostile toward a client’s beliefs, spirituality, or religious practices. A few clinicians may even openly scoff at or devalue the role and importance of spirituality in a client’s life. This approach can lead to unfortunate distress in the client and poor outcomes to therapy.

However, the importance of welcoming in and including spirituality and/or religious beliefs into mental health treatment is shown to improve recovery and resilience. The effectiveness of this important area of mental health care is well documented through over four decades of research and literature by scholars such as Kenneth I. Pargament, Margreet R. de Vries-Schot, Harold G. Koenig, and others.

Basically, spiritually integrated psychotherapy is the practice of purposefully exploring clients’ spiritual and/or religious belief systems, practices, experiences, and worldviews in the context of therapy. This practice enables the therapist to learn the client’s core values and integrate effective, spiritually sensitive interventions for that person. It allows the client to openly discuss and include their own system of values, beliefs, and meaning-making practices into their own therapy process. Spiritually integrated therapy can support a more holistic approach to restoration of health and creating well-being through inviting people to integrate their values, beliefs, and practices fully into their work to build wellbeing in their lives.

The therapist trained in SIP can help notice and integrate a client’s values and discover the meaning that arises in relation to a person’s experiences in life and how these interact with religion and spirituality in their personal lives, their past, and within the larger culture or society. Sometimes these experiences involve being hurt by organized religious groups, religious or spiritual leaders, or by learned or espoused belief systems. Sometimes these experiences involve being supported by life-sustaining communities of belonging. Sometimes these experiences are a confusing mixture of both these things and more.

Including and exploring experiences of spirituality and any connection to a person’s core values and beliefs about their life, their purpose, and how they interpret events in their lives is important to adequately support self-exploration and change ineffective patterns of behavior and distortions that may challenge self-agency and healing.