⚡ Quick Summary
This article explores the integration of spiritual, existential, religious, and theological (SERT) themes into clinical training, addressing a significant skills gap in multicultural training for clinicians. It proposes three practical approaches to enhance competencies in these areas, including curriculum development, peer consultation, and continuing education.
🔍 Key Details
- 📚 Focus: Enhancing SERT competencies in clinical training
- 🧩 Framework: Multicultural orientation framework (D. E. Davis et al., 2018)
- ⚙️ Approaches proposed: Course curriculum, peer consultation, continuing education
- 📽️ Tools: Video case studies for engaging discussions
- 🤝 Model: Eight-step peer consultation model emphasizing cultural humility
- 📜 Ethics: Integration with ethics training in light of APA revisions
🔑 Key Takeaways
- 🌱 Multicultural training is crucial for clinicians to address spiritual and existential themes.
- 📖 Video case studies can enhance student engagement and promote critical thinking.
- 🤝 Peer consultation fosters trust and cultural comfort among clinicians.
- 📜 Ethics training will be updated to emphasize social justice and cultural sensitivity.
- 🤖 Future innovations may include AI to identify therapeutic markers.
- 💡 Cultural humility is essential for effective clinical judgment.
- 🔄 Continuous education is necessary for integrating these competencies throughout a clinician’s career.
📚 Background
The need for enhanced training in spiritual, existential, religious, and theological (SERT) competencies has become increasingly evident in clinical practice. Many clinicians report feeling inadequately prepared to address these themes, which are vital for holistic patient care. The multicultural orientation framework provides a structured approach to bridge this gap, ensuring that clinicians can effectively engage with clients’ values and beliefs.
🗒️ Study
The authors propose three practical approaches to integrate SERT themes into clinical training. The first approach involves developing a comprehensive course curriculum that incorporates video case studies, allowing students to engage in meaningful discussions. The second approach outlines an eight-step peer consultation model that emphasizes cultural humility, fostering a supportive environment for clinicians. Lastly, the integration of these approaches with continuing education and ethics training is suggested to align with the American Psychological Association’s forthcoming revisions.
📈 Results
By implementing these approaches, clinicians can expect to see improved cultural competencies and enhanced sensitivity in clinical judgment. The emphasis on peer consultation and ethics training will likely lead to a more inclusive and understanding therapeutic environment, ultimately benefiting clients from diverse backgrounds.
🌍 Impact and Implications
The proposed strategies have the potential to significantly impact the field of psychotherapy by equipping clinicians with the necessary skills to address SERT themes effectively. As the landscape of mental health care evolves, integrating these competencies will not only improve client outcomes but also promote a more inclusive and culturally sensitive practice. The incorporation of AI technologies in future training could further enhance the identification of therapeutic markers, paving the way for innovative approaches in mental health care.
🔮 Conclusion
This article highlights the importance of addressing spiritual and existential themes in clinical training. By adopting the proposed approaches, clinicians can enhance their competencies and provide more holistic care to their clients. The future of psychotherapy looks promising as we embrace these innovations and strive for a more culturally competent practice.
💬 Your comments
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Cultural opportunities involving spiritual, existential, religious, or theological (SERT) themes: Three practical approaches.
Abstract
This article applies the multicultural orientation framework (D. E. Davis et al., 2018) to enhance religious/spiritual competencies. The skills gap in multicultural training is especially pronounced in the area of spiritual, existential, religious, and theological competencies; many clinicians report minimal and insufficient training (Vieten & Lukoff, 2022). We frame orienting to clients’ values and visions as a cultural opportunity. To integrate multicultural orientation skills into routine clinical training throughout the career, we propose three approaches: (a) course curriculum, (b) peer consultation, and (c) continuing education. First, we provide instruction on incorporating video case studies into any course to engage students in discussions that promote perspective-taking, dialectical thinking, and wisdom. Second, we outline an eight-step model of peer consultation that focuses on cultural humility to promote trust and cultural comfort and increase sensitivity in clinical judgment. Third, given the American Psychological Association’s forthcoming revisions to their ethics code emphasizing social justice (Campbell et al., 2024), we propose integrating the previous two approaches with routine ethics training for continuing education. With an eye toward future innovations in training, we also discuss how these structures align with projects that employ artificial intelligence to identify markers in therapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
Author: [‘Lee Y’, ‘Hunter E’, ‘McLaughlin AT’, ‘Coleman J’, ‘DeBlaere C’, ‘Owen J’, ‘Tarziers K’, ‘Davis DE’]
Journal: Psychotherapy (Chic)
Citation: Lee Y, et al. Cultural opportunities involving spiritual, existential, religious, or theological (SERT) themes: Three practical approaches. Cultural opportunities involving spiritual, existential, religious, or theological (SERT) themes: Three practical approaches. 2025; (unknown volume):(unknown pages). doi: 10.1037/pst0000599