What are counsellors’ understandings and experiences of working with the compatibilities and dilemmas of holding Christian beliefs whilst working with psychological theories?

There is an increasing recognition of the importance of spirituality within counselling, particularly regarding therapists’ awareness and acknowledgement of their faith or spirituality within the therapeutic relationship. However, there is sparse research concerning therapists, their expression of faith and how this informs or impacts their practice. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of counsellors who align with a Christian faith, and examine potential influences on their counselling practice. It also considered how counsellors manage compatibilities or dilemmas between psychological theory, counselling practice, and their faith. Furthermore, it considered factors that influence or facilitate this, and explored the extent to which counsellors integrate their Christian faith within their counselling practice. The qualitative approach of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used as it combines theories from phenomenology and hermeneutics. It is a method that is both descriptive and interpretative and an approach that is compatible with spirituality, faith, and counselling, as they are all concerned with meaning-making. Subsequently, this approach offered an opportunity for a detailed analysis and insight into counsellors’ experience. The findings demonstrated the significance of the sustaining faith of counsellors and the role it played in their work. The faith of the counsellors was pivotal in how they worked with psychological theories and how they navigated practice, to find a balance in managing dilemmas and challenges. Most participants considered being a counsellor as a ‘calling’ or Christian prerogative, and an opportunity to demonstrate acceptance and therapeutic relationships. The lack of awareness and acknowledgement of the significance of spirituality within counselling was identified as a key issue highlighting the deficit of spirituality in training provision, counsellors' awareness and the availability of appropriate continuous professional development (CPD). The results indicated a need for spirituality to be included in the training curriculum. This significant gap in trainee education, and CPD highlights a need for future research in this area.

Citation

Mckelvie, S. (2026). What are counsellors’ understandings and experiences of working with the compatibilities and dilemmas of holding Christian beliefs whilst working with psychological theories? [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. University of Chester.

Publisher

University of Chester

URI

https://chesterrep.openrepository.com/handle/10034/629969

Type

Thesis or dissertation