Although a growing number of Americans are turning to spirituality to
help explain and supplement their lives, and a vast majority identify as
religious, psychotherapy has long been reluctant to work alongside
clients' sense of "something bigger." But what kind of resources might a
spiritual sensibility offer from a mental health standpoint? How can
therapists helpfully and respectfully integrate spiritual feelings into
their work with clients?
Bestselling author Bill O'Hanlon tackles these questions and others in
this pioneering foray into the uses and pitfalls of spiritualities--both
secular and religious--in a therapeutic setting. Here, spirituality is
defined by its three integral components: a feeling of connection to
something beyond oneself, a capacity for compassion or "feeling with,"
and a sense of responsibility to make a contribution to others and to
the world.
Each of these "3 Cs" comes with illustrative anecdotes, case vignettes,
and specific techniques for unlocking clients' own spiritual resources.
Solution-Oriented Spirituality is O'Hanlon at his best: erudite,
conversational, and committed to mining any resource that might help
clients get "unstuck" from constrictive behavioral and thought patterns.