How do I find a spiritual therapist?

Hello Roisin,

I am glad you have reached out to find out more about how you achieve your needs on your spiritual journey.  I can see that your spiritual path is a high priority in your life.

Spiritual therapy is a form of counseling that attempts to treat a person's soul as well as mind and body by retrieving individual belief systems and using that faith in a higher power to discover areas of conflict in life.

It’s becoming clear to mental health practitioners that spiritual well-being is a central need for so many people. As a result, more and more licensed therapists are integrating spirituality and/or religious principles with their clinical practice.  BetterHelp also recognizes this need for so many of its members.

At BetterHelp we offer this service for our members.  When you sign up for your services you will be offered a brief questionnaire to complete.  At this time you will be given the option to request a therapist who specializes in this field.  You will be able to share what details of your spiritual belief you are comfortable with and be matched based on your requests.  Once you are matched and assigned to your therapist you will have the opportunity to read their bio and profile to determine if they are indeed the right match for you.  You can also be matched by gender, age range of preferred therapist as well as culture and other preferences such as experience in field and specialties of therapeutic interventions.

This matching process allows you to ask for the ‘right matched therapist for you’.  Your therapist will be a licensed professional in the state/country you are residing.

Often, when people have concerns concerning their spirituality, religion, higher power, etc., they seek counsel from their religious leaders. Yet, some people (for a wide variety of reasons) do not, and thus do not know where to seek support. A spirituality therapist provides services like many religious leaders, but with a weightier focus on getting to know the client and creating a therapeutic relationship (through trust and empathetic listening). Spirituality therapists lean towards to be holistic in practice, focusing not only on spirituality but also the mind and body. They can assist in helping a client find balance in life and rejoin with their higher power (whether that be God, the Universe, nature, etc.). Another common motive people seek the support of a spirituality therapist is if they are struggling with some level of hesitation about their connection to a higher power, spirituality, and/or religion. For many people, this often happens after the loss of a loved one and the resulting grief.

Aside from spiritual/religious concerns, people sometimes reach out to a spirituality therapist to better develop their personal ethical code.

Spiritual wellness is a significant part of overall mental health and quality of life. Although for some spirituality is connected to religion, spirituality can look many different ways. In general, spirituality is a sense of connection to something greater than oneself. And while spirituality is not often thought about in conjunction with therapy, in recent years, the gap between the two things has closed more and more. This is likely because therapists have begun to appreciate the value of spiritual happenings on mental health and in making an individual whole. Thus, it is no surprise spirituality therapy was developed.

There is no typical procedure for a spiritual counseling session: it will play out in different ways for different people. What determines how a spiritual counseling session is conducted? This will be most likely be informed by your therapist’s training and beliefs. In other words, due to differences in the many religious beliefs and principles, therapeutic modality preferences and character and personality styles, different counselors are probable to work in diverse ways. The way that therapy proceeds will also depend on your detailed and specific needs for your progression with a consideration of your spirituality and religious background and circumstance.

Spiritual counseling goes beyond traditional forms of psychotherapy by tapping into the importance of religion or spirituality within a person’s life. Its purpose is to integrate typical therapy practices with religious/spiritual techniques and wisdom. Classically, spiritual counseling is practiced by a licensed health care professionals – a psychologist, social worker or other mental health practitioner– who has followed supplementary training. Many spiritual counselors also have a background in theology.

At BetterHelp each member is seen as an individual in the sessions are most often non-prescriptive and individually tailored. The counselor is thus active and creative, responding to the immediate issues brought by the client. The assumption is that human beings are characteristically driven towards attaining their highest potential of mindfulness and fulfillment; the counsellor's role is to support this and trust the client’s process.

I wish you much luck with your journey in seeking the right spiritual therapist you are searching for.  I am sure you will have your spiritual priorities met in a favorable way with BetterHelp, should you determine this as your chosen option.

Have a blessed day.

Kind Regards,

Gaynor