Working with Spiritual Struggles in Psychotherapy

Kenneth I. Pargament, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Bowling Green State University. He has pioneered studies on the vital role of religion and spirituality in coping with stress and trauma. A clinical psychologist, Dr. Pargament has been a leading figure in the effort to integrate research on religion and spirituality into clinical practice. He has received the William James Award from Division 36 (Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality) of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Oskar Pfister Award from the American Psychiatric Association, and the Outstanding Contributor to the Applied Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Award from APA Division 36, of which he was the inaugural recipient. Julie J. Exline, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. Her primary research interests focus on spiritual struggles and supernatural attributions. Dr. Exline is a clinical psychologist and was certified as a spiritual director through the Ignatian Spirituality Institute at John Carroll University. She is a past president of the Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (Division 36 of the American Psychological Association) and is a recipient of the Society's Margaret Gorman Early Career Award, Virginia Sexton Mentoring Award, and William James Award, in recognition of her research in the psychology of religion and spirituality.

I. Understanding Spiritual Struggles
1. Introducing Spiritual Struggles
2. A Conceptual Model of Spiritual Struggles
3. Where Do Spiritual Struggles Come From?
4. Do Spiritual Struggles Lead to Decline?: The Painful Side
5. Do Spiritual Struggles Lead to Growth?: The Brighter Side
6. What Shapes the Outcomes of Spiritual Struggles?
II. Clinical Challenges of Spiritual Struggles
7. How to Address Spiritual Struggles in Clinical Practice
8. Divine Struggles
9. Struggles of Ultimate Meaning
10. Struggles with Doubt
11. Moral Struggles
12. Demonic Struggles
13. Interpersonal Struggles
14. Concluding Thoughts
References
Author Index
Subject Index