A phenomenological analysis of the spiritual development of psychotherapists who work with sexual violence survivors
Religion and spirituality play a large role in the lives of many counselors who work with survivors of sexual violence. Indeed, engagement in this clinical work may play a role in the counselor's spiritual development. In this phenomenological study, we examined the faith development experience...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546444/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849405587111018496 |
|---|---|
| author | J. Mitchell Waters Abigail Holland Conley |
| author_facet | J. Mitchell Waters Abigail Holland Conley |
| author_sort | J. Mitchell Waters |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Religion and spirituality play a large role in the lives of many counselors who work with survivors of sexual violence. Indeed, engagement in this clinical work may play a role in the counselor's spiritual development. In this phenomenological study, we examined the faith development experiences of religiously and spiritually diverse counselors and psychotherapists who work with survivors of sexual trauma. Through semi-structured interviews with eleven participants, the researchers identified two main themes: (1) transformative faith experiences and (2) religion as a barrier. The findings of this study highlight the intricate relationship between spirituality and faith development that counselors navigate when engaged in the challenging work of supporting survivors of sexual violence over extended periods. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2d038af5641d4520b7ed79e4725bedb0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-2d038af5641d4520b7ed79e4725bedb02025-08-20T03:36:38ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-08-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15464441546444A phenomenological analysis of the spiritual development of psychotherapists who work with sexual violence survivorsJ. Mitchell Waters0Abigail Holland Conley1School of Mental Health Counseling, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, United StatesDepartment of Counseling and Special Education, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United StatesReligion and spirituality play a large role in the lives of many counselors who work with survivors of sexual violence. Indeed, engagement in this clinical work may play a role in the counselor's spiritual development. In this phenomenological study, we examined the faith development experiences of religiously and spiritually diverse counselors and psychotherapists who work with survivors of sexual trauma. Through semi-structured interviews with eleven participants, the researchers identified two main themes: (1) transformative faith experiences and (2) religion as a barrier. The findings of this study highlight the intricate relationship between spirituality and faith development that counselors navigate when engaged in the challenging work of supporting survivors of sexual violence over extended periods.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546444/fullcounselingfaith developmentqualitativephenomenologytraumareligion |
| spellingShingle | J. Mitchell Waters Abigail Holland Conley A phenomenological analysis of the spiritual development of psychotherapists who work with sexual violence survivors Frontiers in Psychology counseling faith development qualitative phenomenology trauma religion |
| title | A phenomenological analysis of the spiritual development of psychotherapists who work with sexual violence survivors |
| title_full | A phenomenological analysis of the spiritual development of psychotherapists who work with sexual violence survivors |
| title_fullStr | A phenomenological analysis of the spiritual development of psychotherapists who work with sexual violence survivors |
| title_full_unstemmed | A phenomenological analysis of the spiritual development of psychotherapists who work with sexual violence survivors |
| title_short | A phenomenological analysis of the spiritual development of psychotherapists who work with sexual violence survivors |
| title_sort | phenomenological analysis of the spiritual development of psychotherapists who work with sexual violence survivors |
| topic | counseling faith development qualitative phenomenology trauma religion |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546444/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jmitchellwaters aphenomenologicalanalysisofthespiritualdevelopmentofpsychotherapistswhoworkwithsexualviolencesurvivors AT abigailhollandconley aphenomenologicalanalysisofthespiritualdevelopmentofpsychotherapistswhoworkwithsexualviolencesurvivors AT jmitchellwaters phenomenologicalanalysisofthespiritualdevelopmentofpsychotherapistswhoworkwithsexualviolencesurvivors AT abigailhollandconley phenomenologicalanalysisofthespiritualdevelopmentofpsychotherapistswhoworkwithsexualviolencesurvivors |