Donald F. Walker

Use of religious and spiritual interventions by trainees in APA-accredited Christian clinical psychology programs

Little is known about the effectiveness of Christian clinical programs accredited by the American Psychological Association in training students to use religious and spiritual interventions in therapy. We surveyed 162 student therapists from three such programs regarding their training experiences and use of religious and spiritual interventions. Self-reported competency and use of religious and spiritual interventions correlated with a number of training components. However, none of the training components predicted unique variance in regression equations above and beyond that of general professional training, personal religiousness, and intervention-specific training. Suggestions are offered regarding intervention-specific training in both Christian and secular programs, the role of personal therapy in training, and the development of guidelines for competency in using religious and spiritual interventions.

Future Directions for the Study and Application of Religion, Spirituality, and Trauma Research

A year ago at the international meeting of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, I (Walker) stood in a symposium being chaired by Aten and asked if the church was really ready to respond to issues of child abuse, domestic violence, and in supporting survivors of wars or disasters. A year later, not much has changed with respect to the current state of research, training, and practice in religion, spirituality, and trauma among Christian practitioners. However, seeing the work that has been done in this special issue gives us cause for hope. In concluding the special issue, we topically review the issues that were raised by authors throughout this volume, and present our reflections on the state of research and practice in each area, with some suggestions for future research, training, and practice. In doing so, we will discuss child abuse prevention and treatment, intimate partner violence, responding to survivors of natural disasters, and integrative approaches to trauma treatment. Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment In presenting their call for more effective prevention and treatment of child abuse in the church, Vieth and his colleagues highlight several important issues for the Christian community to consider. First, Vieth provided a number of practical suggestions for preventing child abuse in churches and Christian organizations. We appreciate the thoughtfulness and practical nature of these policies, but question the degree to which they are currently being implemented in churches around the country. As practitioners who have treated courageous survivors of child abuse, we cannot emphasize enough the urgency with which we undertake the call to help churches prevent the abuse of children in their care. Collaboration with churches in implementing the protection policies that Vieth recommends is sorely needed. Along with that, as Vieth suggested in his article, training for clergy in responding to survivors of abuse is also needed. We are encouraged by Vieths development of the When Faith Hurts Curriculum, and look forward to seeing its dissemination among clergy. As psychotherapists, we also highlight the need for Christian counseling and psychotherapy training programs to comprehensively consider child abuse treatment in their training, both in the curriculum and in providing opportunities to receive clinical supervision of treatment with survivors. One of us (Walker) directs the Child Trauma Institute in the PsyD program at Regent University. The Child Trauma Institute (CTI) aims to become an exemplar for research, training, and practice in this area. Students in the PsyD program at Regent have an opportunity to take a course entitled the Psychology of Trauma and Crisis, during which they receive training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT; Cohen, Mannarino, & Deblinger, 2006) as well as Spiritually Oriented Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (SO-TF-CBT; Walker, Reese, Hughes, & Troskie, 2010). As part of the course, students are also taught to assess and comprehensively treat complex trauma among children and adults using evidence based, best practice assessment and treatment methods (e.g., Courtois & Ford, 2009). In addition to learning other treatments for adults, students are also taught Eliana Gils play therapy methods for treating abuse (Gil, 2006). A primary emphasis in the course is on reading, then seeing therapeutic models of the various approaches, followed by opportunities for practice in the form of role-plays. Students participating in the Child Trauma Institute also have the chance to participate in clinical trials of SO-TF-CBT and, as a result, to receive clinical supervision of child abuse cases. To date, no research has been conducted on the comprehensiveness of training for child abuse and other forms of trauma among Christian counseling and psychology programs. However, we suspect that training may he lagging behind our secular counterparts in this area among most programs. …

Spiritually oriented psychotherapy for trauma.

Recent years have brought broader awareness and openness to talking about traumatic life events. Survivors of these events often experience spiritual struggles in the course of healing. Likewise, in helping clients process trauma, therapists too may struggle with spiritual questions such as why people suffer. In this book, readers will learn how to apply spiritually oriented practices within their own setting, approach to therapy, and client populations. They will also learn how to work with the ethical challenges trauma treatment can pose to their own competence and world view. This book describes empirical research and provides case studies showing its application to sexual abuse, partner violence, and trauma resulting from war and natural disasters. 2015. Hardcover. 312 Pages.

Child Abuse and the Church: A Call for Prevention, Treatment, and Training

Child abuse is both a sin and a crime. In this article, we present a call to the global Christian church to prevent and treat child abuse, and to train professionals across disciplines to do so. Vieth discusses effective child protection policies in churches. Among other recommendations, he encourages consultation with child protection experts, thorough screening of child workers, and accountable supervision of children in church. Tchvidjian examines cultural aspects of missions organizations that contribute to the abuse of children in the mission field. He suggests that missions organizations who have failed to protect abused children in the past placed their reputation above child protection, failed to treasure children, and believed in God-sanctioned power and control of missions workers. Knodel reviews the efforts of Christian organizations to prevent the trafficking of children worldwide. She finds effective advocacy occurring across the globe but among Christian organizations that are rarely tied to any specific denominational support. Next, Walker reviews evidence-based treatment recommendations for children and adolescents. Trauma-focused CBT is a leading empirically supported treatment for child abuse. Recently, efforts have been made to sensitively integrate faith into TF-CBT. Vieth then discusses effective church responses to allegations of abuse. He suggests suspending the activities of a church worker when allegations are made against him or her in addition to informing the police. Tchivdjian concludes by discussing the mission and vision of the GRACE foundation—a multidisciplinary Christian nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting children from child abuse and treating children who have been abused.

Addressing Intimate Partner Violence in White Evangelical and Fundamentalist Churches

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common but often overlooked aspect of life within Evangelical and Fundamentalist families and congregations. Within this chapter, the distinct characteristics of both Evangelical and Fundamentalist traditions are outlined, along with descriptions of key leaders and influences. The values of the group are identified, especially as they relate to relational health. The interaction of religious beliefs with IPV perpetration is discussed, including beliefs regarding submission, the sanctity of marriage, and the “happy” nature of Christian marriages. Spiritual coping and resources are identified as helpful for IPV survivors, especially having a personal relationship with God, utilizing positive coping methods, processing feelings of guilt, and reinterpreting certain religious beliefs. Finally, the role of churches in providing IPV awareness and education is discussed, and areas for future research and clinical work are identified.

Addressing Intimate Partner Violence in Rural Church Communities

Responding to intimate partner violence (IPV) is particularly challenging in rural communities due to many complicating factors. In this chapter, we consider cultural values that are unique to rural communities. Men and women in rural areas value self-sufficiency and often stigmatize mental health treatment. Furthermore, living in rural communities presents special challenges to receiving help when IPV is committed. Resources for help are often scarce or distantly located. Transportation is often an issue, and complicated by weather when traveling great distances. Religion is a core value in rural areas. Survivors of IPV can often receive strength and comfort from their personal relationship with God after abuse. We conclude the chapter by discussing best-practice recommendations for treatment in rural areas.

Applied Clinical Integration in Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents: A Look Ahead

In this article, I briefly review the integration movement beginning with the early 1970s. Early integration efforts focused on interdisciplinary integration. Beginning in the mid 1990s, integrative scholarship has moved increasingly from interdisciplinary integration to applied clinical integration. Applied clinical integration with children and adolescents is an area of clinical practice in its infancy. I discuss the future of applied clinical integration with children and teens. In doing so, I advocate for the development of developmentally sensitive measures of religion and spirituality with children and teens. I then discuss promising spiritually oriented interventions with children and suggest areas for research in trauma focused therapy with children. I also suggest areas of research and practice related to training Christian therapists.