Spirituality and religion in therapy: a holistic approach

How I work with spirituality and religion as a counsellor and therapist: incorporating spiritual and psycho-spiritual aspects into counselling and psychotherapy

Spiritual and psycho-spiritual counselling can be a stand alone type of therapy and while that’s not specifically my approach, as someone whose spirituality is deeply important to me I do incorporate working with spiritual and religious beliefs into my therapy practice when it’s relevant for my clients. So how can spirituality or religion be integrated into the counselling and psychotherapy journey?

If you’re new here I’m Laura, a counsellor, nature therapist, somatic therapist and space holder. I’m also a Pagan Priestess, although I work with people from all different religious and spiritual backgrounds as well as those who don’t have any religious or spiritual beliefs. My offerings are all about supporting you to connect with yourself and the world around you.

It feels important to say that the first and most important consideration is whether a spiritual or religious perspective is relevant. Many of my clients don’t hold any spiritual or religious beliefs so this aspect doesn’t come into our work. For others, though, their religion or spiritual believes are a huge part of their experience.

Working with counselling clients to identify the resources that they can access to can bring meaning and support into their lives.

A big part of the work I do with almost all of my my counselling and therapy clients is working with them to identify the resources that they can access to can bring meaning and support into their lives. Resources can be things like support networks, hobbies and interests or strategies for responding to stress, depression and anxiety. There can also be more existential factors like the support that can be gained from a belief in something bigger that us.

From my own perspective, my spirituality has been a hugely supportive part of my life. From my belief system, which is rooted in Celtic-Paganism and influenced by teachings from Buddhism and yoga philosophy, to the community that I have connected with through shared perspectives and values. I take the view that our existence is a complex mystery and there are some things we can’t know. By acknowledging and accepting this we can loosen the need to control, which is often a huge contributes to psychological distress.

Spiritual and psycho-spiritual counselling, in alignment with this perspective, considers the soul, rather than just the mind. My counselling practice goes a step further as I believe that healing needs to be rooted in body, mind and soul, as well as considering the impact of oppressive systems and structures.

I believe that healing should be rooted in body, mind and soul, as well as considering the impact of oppressive systems and structures.

The spiritual and psycho-spiritual aspect of my work with clients might include exploration of metaphysical experience, connection to divinity, energy work, connection to the higher-self, spiritual practice and spiritual and religious frameworks. Again, this is client dependant. I always work from the client’s frame of reference, rather than bringing in my own beliefs. Spiritual and psycho-spiritual aspects are integrated with modern counselling psychology approaches, including psychodynamic therapy, gestalt therapy, somatic approaches and neuroscience.

Integrating a client’s spiritual or religious beliefs into the therapeutic process can support clients to explore their struggles from a heart centred place, while considering their place in the interconnected web of life. It can help us to zoom out and connect with something bigger as a resource while we explore our struggles. It can also be hugely comforting. I know that my own spiritual life brings me a lot of comfort and my spiritual experiences help me to connect with meaning, to nourish myself and to look at the bigger picture, especially in times of struggle.

It can also be an integral part of the work in terms of examining the religious or spiritual beliefs that have been handed down to us and our relationship with them. As well as working with clients who are exploring the affirming aspects of their beliefs, I have worked with clients who have experienced religious trauma or who have grown up in a religious or spiritual setting that no longer aligns with their belief system. This might sound complicated given that I hold spiritual beliefs that are important to me, however the client’s experience and their perspective is always the guiding factor, whether we’re exploring struggles connected to spirituality or something completely unrelated.

What are some issues that clients might wish to explore through a spiritual or psycho-spiritual therapy lens?

In Gestalt therapy, one of the modalities I work with, we often talk about the idea of the ‘field’. The ‘field’ refers to the whole environment that we exist within; an interconnected web that includes our relationships, cultural influences, spiritual or religious background, social conditions and the personal circumstances that shape our lives in each moment. In Gestalt thinking, nothing exists in isolation; every part of our experience is influenced by, and in turn influences, the wider field.

This means that even if you come to therapy wanting to explore something that seems unrelated to spirituality, like depression, anxiety, trauma, or difficulties in relationships, your spiritual or religious beliefs (or your absence of them) are still part of the wider field you inhabit. They inform how you make sense of your experiences, how you cope, and how you see yourself in the world. On the other hand, you might come to therapy with issues that are more explicitly psycho-spiritual, like questions about meaning and purpose, existential fears like a fear of death, a crisis of faith, or feelings of guilt and shame rooted in spiritual upbringing. You may also wish to explore your relationship with a higher power, or find ways of making sense of and integrating experiences that feel mystical, sacred or beyond rational explanation.

Whether your spirituality or religion is at the heart of what brings you to therapy, or more of a background part of your wider field, it can be useful to include it in the therapy process. Our work together can make space for your unique worldview, without judgement, so that all parts of you have a voice.

How can exploring spirituality or religion in the therapy room help me?

That really depends on you, on what you bring, what feels important to you and what you’d like to explore in counselling and therapy. Every person’s experience of spirituality or religion is unique, even if there are shared traditions or practices. Your beliefs and experiences are shaped by your life story, your community and your own inner world so our work together will be tailored to your individual needs.

In therapy, sometimes spirituality or religion is at the very centre of the process, for example, when you’re navigating a crisis of faith, questioning beliefs you were raised with or deepening your connection to a path that nourishes you. At other times your spirituality may sit more in the background, providing a context or framework that influences how you see yourself, how you understand suffering or how you make meaning of your life. Even if we’re not explicitly focusing on it, your beliefs are part of your ‘field’, shaping how you approach the challenges you’re facing.

My role as a therapist is not to tell you what to believe or to impose any particular worldview, but to create a safe, respectful space where you can explore your own process. This might mean looking at how your faith supports you, exploring difficult feelings such as guilt, shame, or fear that arise in relation to spirituality, or finding ways to integrate experiences that feel sacred.

What can feel different in psycho-spiritual work is that we make room for mystery; the things in life that can’t always be explained or neatly categorised. Together we can honour the role of faith, however you define it, as a source of resilience, healing and meaning. For some people, that faith is in a higher power or a spiritual path; for others, it might be a sense of deep connection to nature, community or life itself. Ultimately, therapy that includes spirituality or religion offers a chance to bring all of who you are into the room; your struggles, your doubts, your hopes, and your beliefs, so that you can be met and meet yourself with compassion.

I am here to honour and embrace your own understanding and experience of your spirituality or religion

I am here to honour and embrace your own understanding and experience of your spirituality or religion, and the role that it plays in your life. Your beliefs, practices, and spiritual experiences are deeply personal, and therapy can be a space where these are fully acknowledged and explored without judgement.

For clients who share my Celtic-Pagan frame of reference, this might mean engaging in nature-based counselling, connecting with the cycles of the seasons, the elements or sacred places in the natural world. For clients interested in yogic philosophy, we might explore aspects of energy systems, mindfulness, or other practices that support your awareness and integration of mind, body, and spirit.

If your religious or spiritual beliefs sit outside of my own experience, that is completely welcomed. We can explore ways to integrate your unique beliefs into our work, using them as a source of insight, strength and meaning. Whether your faith is structured or fluid, traditional or unconventional, I am here to hold space for it. My focus is always on supporting your experience, helping you understand the role your spirituality or religion plays in your life and exploring how it can inform your growth, healing and sense of purposes.

If you would like to explore your spirituality or religious beliefs in therapy, I’d love to hear from you. You can get in touch here.

Other resources you might want to explore include:
Honouring Nature's Rhythms: the Wheel of the Year
Simple Rituals for Grounding and Growth in Daily Life
Nature and eco therapy combined with counselling