Siang-Yang Tan

Secular versus Christian Inpatient Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Programs: Impact on Depression and Spiritual Well-Being

Holistic conceptions of healthy personality and functioning theorize that spiritual and psychological well-being and wholeness are interconnected. In an inpatient group of clinically depressed Christian adults, this study compared the effectiveness of Christian cognitive-behavior therapy (CCBT; n = 18) to that of traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (n = 11). There was a significant correlation between a reduction in depression and an improvement in spiritual well-being (SWB; p < .0005). Both groups demonstrated significant reductions in levels of depression (p < .0005) and improvements in SWB (p < .0005). Furthermore, there were significantly higher overall SWB scores for those in the CCBT program (p. < .01). This provides encouragement for the use of therapy that matches and utilizes religious values.

Integrating Spiritual Direction into Psychotherapy: Ethical Issues and Guidelines

Integrating spirituality and religion into clinical practice or psychotherapy has become a significant area of interest in the mental health field today. The present article focuses more specifically on integrating spiritual direction into psychotherapy, discusses ethical issues involved, and provides ethical guidelines for the appropriate and helpful use of spiritual direction in the context of psychotherapy and counseling

Ethical Considerations in Religious Psychotherapy: Potential Pitfalls and Unique Resources

Religious psychotherapy which works with religious issues and utilizes spiritual resources (e.g., prayer, Scriptures, referral to religious support groups, etc.) explicitly, has become an important part of contemporary approaches to psychotherapy. Religion is now recognized as a significant dimension of human diversity that needs to be respected and dealt with appropriately in psychotherapy. However, ethical considerations and controversial issues related to the practice of religious psychotherapy remain. They are discussed in this article both in terms of potential pitfalls or dangers, as well as unique resources or positive contributions of religious psychotherapy, which should be practiced in a clinically sensitive, ethically responsible, and professionally competent way.

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy: A Biblical Approach and Critique

Cognitive-behavior therapy has gained prominence as a school of psychotherapy or counseling in recent years among secular as well as Christian therapists. This article describes some recent developments and contemporary issues in cognitive-behavior therapy and delineates several limitations and criticisms of cognitive-behavior therapy from both psychological and biblical perspectives. It concludes with some suggestions for a biblical approach to therapy and counseling that is mainly cognitive-behavioral in orientation and practice, but more comprehensive and broad-based than secular cognitive-behavior therapy.

Acute pain in a clinical setting: Effects of cognitive-behavioural skills training

Abstract The present study evaluated the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural skills training, patterned after stress-inoculation training, as a preventive intervention for the attenuation of acute clinical pain during a noxious X-ray procedure—the knee arthrogram. Thirty-six adult male outpatients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Skills Training. Attention-Placebo, and No-Treatment Control. An experimental pain test was administered before and after the interventions, as a generalization measure. Arthrogram pain was assessed by three dependent measures: patients ratings, radiologists ratings and videotape ratings completed by two‘blind’ raters. The results failed to support the efficacy of skills training for the attenuation of acute clinical pain, or its generalization to the experimental pain test. Although Skills Training subjects reported using significantly more coping strategies during the arthrogram. many subjects in the two control groups also reported using their own spontaneous strategies. Equivocal data were obtained on the role of ‘self-efficacy’ expectancies in mediating pain behaviour and experience. Experimental pain threshold but not pain tolerance was significantly related to acute clinical pain experienced during the arthrogram.

Psychopathology, Guilt, Perfectionism, and Family of Origin Functioning among Protestant Clergy

Levels of psychopathology, guilt, perfectionism, and family of origin functioning among a sample of male, Protestant clergy (N = 168) were compared with those of male teachers from public high schools (N = 43) and Christian high schools (N = 51). Data were collected via self-report instruments. Results revealed no significant differences between groups on psychopathology or perfectionism. However, clergy and Christian teachers had significantly higher guilt scores than public high school teachers, but higher guilt was associated with only the Norm Violation subscale. Clergy perceived their family of origin as significantly less healthy than the comparison groups. Some support was found for the “mother dominant/father absent” theory of vocational choice among pastors. Scriptural literalism among pastors was not significantly related to psychopathology, guilt, perfectionism, or family of origin functioning. Implications of the present findings are discussed.

Changing Resistant Assumptions in Christian Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Drawing upon a large secular literature, Christian approaches to cognitive-behavioral therapy have emphasized the importance of helping clients to change false assumptions about themselves, their faith, and the world. A common clinical challenge, however, is that clients indicate that they know the truth in an academic sense, but are not able to relate to and incorporate the truth in such a way that it transforms their lives. They know the truth, but it does not set them free. This article describes a number of approaches to assess core assumptions accurately, to help clients to take different perspectives about changing resistant assumptions, and to utilize behavioral strategies, social support, imagery and prayer as vehicles for experiencing and incorporating Gods truth in a deeper way.

Psychosocial factors in chronic fatigue syndrome among Chinese Americans: A longitudinal community-based study

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a relatively new condition of unknown etiology. Research suggests that psychosocial factors such as perceived social support, life stress, and acculturation may significantly influence individuals who are prone to CFS. For 57 Chinese American individuals initially diagnosed with CFS, those who recovered after one year reported lower levels of life stress than those who did not recover. Effects of changes in perceived social support also appeared to be mediated by life stress.

Theoretical Issues in the Relationship between Psychology and Religion: Some Comments on Reber, Nelson, Slife and Whoolery, and Richardson

The article briefly responds to and comments on the four major articles by Reber, Nelson, Slife and Whoolery, and Richardson in this special issue of the Journal of Psychology and Theology. While a substantial case has been made for how secularized and reductionistic psychology is, and how psychology is still greatly influenced by logical positivism and scientism, there is a danger of overstating this case and thus throwing out the baby with thebathwater. A healthy respect for good science in psychology is still valid and possible without succumbing to scientism and logical positivism. Ultimately we need to depend on the Holy Spirit, and the community of the church and its historic traditions, to more fully appropriate truth, including biblical psychospiritual truth.

Principled, Professional, and Personal Integration and Beyond: Further Reflections on the Past and Future

This article contains the authors further reflections on integration and beyond (Tan, 2001), covering both the past and future, in celebration of 40 years of publication of the Journal of Psychology and Theology. Much has been accomplished in the integration of psychology and Christian faith in the past 40 years, but much remains to be done in the next 40 years. Several directions for the future of integration in the principled (theoretical-conceptual and research), professional (clinical or practice), and personal (intrapersonal, including spirituality) areas are briefly mentioned, with an emphasis on the need to remain Christ-centered, biblically-based, and Spirit-filled.