How Faith-Based Counseling Supports Healing in Mental Health Treatment

In mental health treatment, the right therapist will encourage the integration of your religious or spiritual themes in your sessions at your request and discuss your beliefs, values, and traditions to understand your mental health struggles and promote healthy recovery. Our faith is often a big part of who we are and influences our lifestyle, behaviors, and decision-making. Practicing your spirituality is also a great way to engage in self-care, which will help you heal and improve your overall mental wellness.

How We Integrate Faith and Spirituality into Mental Health Care

When you come to one of our mental health communities, whether it be our inpatient hospital, Ramapo Ridge Behavioral Health, or our outpatient counseling center, LiveWell Counseling, you will be asked if you have any religious or spiritual affiliation and whether you would like to integrate your faith or any spiritual practices into your mental health treatment.

During your initial mental health assessment, you may offer information about any spiritual resources that you use in your daily life or wish to incorporate into your treatment, such as prayer, meditation, chanting, or scripture reading. If it is determined that you will benefit from one-on-one counseling in your treatment plan, your religious or spiritual beliefs can be integrated into your therapy.

Even if you do not have any prior religious affiliation or do not wish to continue practicing your previous traditions, you can still opt to incorporate spirituality into your treatment. “We assess your openness to and interest in spirituality, regardless of your religious affiliation and spiritual involvement,” said Reverend Tim Dunn, LCADC, LCSW, Chaplain at Christian Health. “Then we can determine if there are resources you can utilize to help you with your recovery process or mental health issues, such as meditation or prayer.”

Spiritual pamphlets or handouts that include prayers, uplifting poems, or devotionals may be provided to help you reflect, heal, and find inspiration. Your therapist may also recommend that you read specific scriptures related to your faith or suggest certain relevant prayers to help you cope with what you are experiencing.

Other ways faith and spirituality are blended with mental health treatment include:

• Group therapy sessions that are focused on spirituality and mindfulness
• Pastoral care visits with a chaplain for patients who feel they are struggling with a crisis of their faith
• In inpatient care, facilitation of contact and/or visits with a clergyperson from the patient’s congregation
• Nondenominational worship services in inpatient treatment

Faiths of all backgrounds can be explored or integrated into treatment, from Christianity to Judaism to Islam to Buddhism. “We meet the patients where they’re at,” said Reverend Tim. “Even if they are an atheist, I will still ask if they have any spiritual practices, such as meditation or yoga, so that we can focus on how that can be helpful to recovery.”

“The spiritual domain can run the gamut of being atheistic to being God-centered,” said June Auger, LPC, Therapist at LiveWell Counseling. “We accept and support every client’s beliefs in a way that’s person-centered and holistic.”

How Spirituality Enhances Mental Health Treatment

Applying spirituality to mental health treatment is beneficial because it is often a significant part of who we are. “People’s beliefs and convictions are interconnected with their mental health and social lives,” said June. “If a person’s beliefs are incongruent with the way they’re behaving, we try to help the person heal by addressing that.”

Some of the most important ways spirituality enhances mental health treatment include the following.

• It provides a sense of purpose. Having a strong sense of purpose is often linked with better mental health and overall well-being. Faith can help you focus on the bigger picture and alleviate stress, improve symptoms of depression, and increase confidence. “I have the honor to watch people grow in their faith and get a sense of belonging, purpose, and meaning,” said June. “That convinces me that it’s very valuable.”
• It gives you hope. Many people who are struggling with their mental health experience a sense of hopelessness about their lives and the future. Faith is a concept that can often help us actively work toward our goals for mental wellness. “Faith is what keeps you keeping on in the journey of life, especially when the road gets rocky,” said Reverend Tim.
• It helps you feel peace: If you have anxiety, depression, or another mental health issue, you may struggle with low moods, anger, intense worry, and many other life-disrupting symptoms. Faith-incorporated mental health treatment encourages you to take time for self-care and focus on spiritual activities that reduce stress and promote relaxation. “I see people finding more peace and having more confidence,” said June. “I feel very honored to be walking with them in their journey and seeing their improvement in their own personal spirituality.”
• It encourages community. Being a part of something larger than you are can help you find a sense of community where you are supported during times of crisis.People with depression or anxiety may lose connection with their faith community, and they may want to reembrace it or even connect with something new. Faith integration in mental health treatment can introduce or reintroduce you to the community of spirituality and provide comfort and security for healing.
• It offers effective coping methods. Praying, meditating, or reading religious or spiritual literature can help reduce symptoms of your mental health issues by offering relief from stress and worry, helping you deal with your triggers, and boosting your mood. “We can incorporate various coping methods that support your faith,” said June. “Anything people in your faith like to do to relax or feel peaceful – whether it be read, meditate, chant, or spend time in nature – can be integrated into treatment. Anything that feeds the transcendent part of a person – let’s see how we can work that into your recovery plan.”

Faith-Based Treatment at LiveWell Counseling

If you are looking for compassionate mental health counseling that actively supports and integrates your faith or spirituality, LiveWell Counseling can help. Our knowledgeable and caring therapists provide healing talk therapy services that can incorporate any faith. To learn more, please call (201) 848-5800 or visit ChristianHealthNJ.info/LiveWellCounseling.