Title

Dealing with Religious Resistances in Psychotherapy

School/Department

Rosemead School of Psychology

Publication Date

12-1-1994

Abstract

Managing resistance to insight and change is one of the central tasks in psychotherapy. When working with religious patients, therapists face the added task of dealing with resistances which may be supported by the patient's religious belief system. When this happens, therapists may be tempted to either avoid confronting the resistances for fear of undermining (or being accused of undermining) the patient's faith or to interpret the resistances in ways that do either undermine the patient's faith, or at least imply that faith is irrelevant to the patient's emotional health. This article deals with the management of resistances with Christian patients who are using their religious faith to reinforce their defensive structure in the psychotherapeutic process.

Publication Title

Journal of Psychology and Theology

Volume

22

Issue

4

First Page

249

Last Page

258

DOI of Published Version

10.1177/009164719402200402

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