ACT for Clergy and Pastoral Counselors: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Bridge Psychological and Spiritual Care

by Jason A. Nieuwsma (Editor), Robyn D. Walser (Editor), Steven C. Hayes (Editor), Siang-Yang Tan (Foreword by)

Overview

For the first time ever, three pioneers in the field of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) present an edited volume that outlines how the core ACT processes can be applied to religious and spiritual care approaches.

If you are a clergy leader or pastoral counselor, people struggling with difficult situations or life traumas frequently turn to you for guidance. And while you’re passionate about helping, you may be unprepared for counseling people with certain mental health challenges. On the other hand, if you are a psychotherapist, you may need guidance in supporting your client’s religious belief system in therapy. In either case, this book presents a powerful road map to help you provide the best care.

In this book, you’ll find a complete overview of ACT, as well as strategies for integrating ACT and issues related to spirituality. You’ll also learn how the core processes of ACT—such as commitment to change and values-based living—can be seamlessly tied into spiritual and religious counseling, no matter your faith or therapeutic background.

By teaching you how to fuse conceptual psychological and spiritual principles, this book will provide you with the tools needed to enhance your counseling skill set.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626253230
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	07/01/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Jason A. Nieuwsma, PhD, is associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University, and serves as associate director of the Mental Health and Chaplaincy program at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Nieuwsma has led multiple projects, authored numerous articles focused on improving the integration of mental health and spiritual care services, and trained hundreds of chaplains and mental health professionals in the application of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

Robyn D. Walser, PhD, is associate director of the National Center for PTSD Dissemination and Training Division and associate clinical professor in the department of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting, and therapy practice. Walser is developing innovative ways to translate science into practice, and is responsible for the dissemination of state-of-the-art knowledge and treatment interventions. Walser has coauthored three books, including Learning ACT, The Mindful Couple, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems.

Steven C. Hayes, PhD, is Nevada Foundation Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of forty-one books and nearly 600 scientific articles, his career has focused on analysis of the nature of human language and cognition, and its application to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering and promotion of human prosperity. Among other associations, Hayes has been president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. His work has received several awards, including the Impact of Science on Application Award from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy.

Foreword writer Siang-Yang Tan, PhD, is professor of psychology at the graduate school of psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA, and senior pastor of First Evangelical Church Glendale in Glendale, CA. He has authored or coauthored numerous articles and books, including Lay Counseling, Disciplines of the Holy Spirit, Rest, Coping with Depression, Full Service, and a major textbook, Counseling and Psychotherapy. He is a licensed psychologist, ordained pastor, and Fellow of the American Psychological Association.
Robyn D. Walser, PhD, is director of TL Consultation Services, and codirector of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Center. She works at the National Center for PTSD developing and disseminating innovative ways to translate science into practice, and serves as assistant clinical professor in the department of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting, and therapy practice. Walser has coauthored four books: Learning ACT, The Mindful Couple, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems, and ACT for Clergy and Pastoral Counselors.
Steven C. Hayes, PhD, is Nevada Foundation Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. An author of forty-one books and more than 575 scientific articles, he has shown in his research how language and thought leads to human suffering. He is codeveloper of ACT, a powerful therapy method that is useful in a wide variety of areas.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Foreword: Integrating Religion and Spirituality with ACT xi

Preface: Bridging Spiritual Care and Evidence-Based Psychotherapy xv

Part 1 Foundations for Integrating ACT and Spirituality

1 Empirical Foundations for Integrating Religious and Spiritual Practices with Psychotherapy Jason A. Nieuwsma 3

2 A Theological Lens for Integrating ACT with Conceptions of Health, Healing, and Human Flourishing Joshua J. Knabb Keith G. Meador 19

3 Bridging ACT and Spiritual Care Robyn D, Walser Steven C. Hayes Jason A. Nieuwsma 41

Part 2 Linking ACT Core Processes and Spiritual Practices

4 Developing Awareness: Being Present and Self-as-Context Robyn D. Walser 63

5 Opening Up: Acceptance & Defusion Hank Robb 85

6 Enhancing Religious and Spiritual Values Through Committed Action Jacob K. Farnsworth 109

Part 3 ACT Across Different Religious Landscapes

7 ACT and Buddhism Hiroaki Kumano Phrayuki Naradevo 129

8 ACT and Islam K. Fatih Yavuz 139

9 ACT and Judaism: Suffering and the Commitment to Valued Action Barbara S. Kohlenberg 149

10 ACT and Christianity Ingrid Ord 163

11 ACT and the Religiously Unaffiliated Steven C. Hayes Jason A. Nieuwsma Robyn D. Walser 173

Part 4 Applying ACT in Different Spiritual Roles

12 ACT and Clergy Kent D. Drescher Daniel M. Saperstein 185

13 ACT Core Processes in Faith-Based Counseling Mark R. McMinn Brian C. Goff Clinton J. Smith 203

14 Using ACT in the Context of Health Care Chaplaincy Jason A. Nieuwsma Joe McMahan 219

15 ACT for Military Chaplains William C. Cantrell Jason A. Nieuwsma 245

16 ACT for Clergy and Pastoral Counselors: Addressing Spiritual Self-Care Sky Kershner Jacob K. Farnsworth 263

Index 281

Interviews

Nieuwsma resides in Chapel Hill, NC; Walser resides in Richmond, CA; Hayes resides in Reno, NV.

Editorial Reviews

“Physical and emotional suffering bring to light the spiritual in most persons, whether overtly expressed or not. Frontline care of the spiritual needs of the suffering usually falls to spiritual care providers, such as clergy and pastoral counselors, yet does not escape the responsibility of the ‘secular’ therapist.  When spiritual care providers meet the patient, the encounter can vary widely across the same faith tradition, not to mention different traditions. In addition, persons suffering are both vulnerable to ill-advised comments by these care providers, and resistant to anyone viewed as tampering with their faith. Nieuwsma, Walser, and Hayes provide a guide into and through this most important yet tenuous relationship—the application of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The central tenants of ACT—openness, centeredness in the present, and engagement through commitment—clarify this confusing experience for those suffering through informed and empathic intervention by the spiritual care provider. ‘If I am suffering, what am I to do with my faith?’ Recognize who you are, recognize where you are at this critical stage in your life, and recognize and engage your core values. This approach is inclusive yet does not devolve into a watered down generic spirituality. Rather it calls upon the inner values and strengths that each faith tradition brings to the healing of the body and the emotions.”
—Dan Blazer MD, MPH, PhD, J.P. Gibbons Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, NC

“This superb volume is practically the ‘bible’ on how to integrate religion and spirituality into ACT.  It is the first and last word on ACT in religious contexts and for professional pastoral settings.  Highly recommended.”
—Jeff Levin, PhD, MPH, professor of epidemiology and population health, and director of the religion and population health program at Baylor University

“ACT’s flexibility is marvelously on display in this adaptation for religious persons and contexts.”
—Timothy A. Sisemore, PhD, director of research, and professor of psychology and counseling at Richmont Graduate University, and author of The Clinician’s Guide to Exposure Therapies for Anxiety Spectrum Disorders

“Nieuwsma, Walser, and Hayes have provided valuable guidance to spiritual care providers—congregational clergy, laypersons, chaplains, and pastoral counselors—on how to integrate the principles of ACT into their practice. Without trying to turn spiritual care providers into therapists, they nonetheless show how ACT is consistent with some current practices, and can be used to extend spiritual interventions even further. Spiritual care providers benefit from having an evidence-based therapeutic model to draw on. The authors and editors have held ACT like a jewel to the light, and shown how ACT can be utilized across major faith traditions and in the full diversity of settings in which spiritual care is provided.”
—Daniel H. Grossoehme, DMin, MS, BCC, associate professor of pediatrics who focuses his research on ways in which faith influences health behaviors in pediatric chronic diseases, and Staff Chaplain III serving the cystic fibrosis team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

“Evidence is mounting seemingly by the day supporting the relationship between meeting spiritual and religious needs and positive health outcomes in both the psychological and physical domains. However, there is a major shortage of tested interventions positioned to help deliver these outcomes effectively and efficiently. This problem is compounded by the long-standing barriers to partnering ‘spiritual’ and ‘psychological’ interventions to the benefit of the whole human person. This book makes a major contribution to filling this gap and overcoming these barriers. In doing so, it gives both spiritual care and mental health professions a powerful new tool to help reduce suffering. Bravo!”
—The Rev. George Handzo, BCC, CSSBB, director of Health Services Research and Quality at the HealthCare Chaplaincy Network

“ACT for Clergy and Pastoral Counselors is the perfect resource for clergy, pastoral educators, and mental health providers dedicated to continuing the legacy of Rev. Anton Boisen and Richard C. Cabot of bridging mental health and spiritual care. The book is excellent for clinical pastoral education (CPE) supervisors who want to introduce students to an established, evidence-based practice that is patient centered, flexible, and values based. Clinical staff chaplains will find it provides practical tools to help them work more effectively as a member of mental health interdisciplinary teams. It’s an outstanding text for any professional healthcare provider!”
—A. Keith Ethridge, MDiv, BCC, ACPE CPE Supervisor, former director of the VA Chaplain Service, and associate director of Mental Health Integration for Chaplain Service at the VA National Chaplain Center in Hampton, VA

“This is a timely and important book, making ACT accessible to spiritually sensitive providers, not only as an evidence- and philosophically-based practice, but one capable of informing a range of theological perspectives to human suffering, in demonstrably practical ways. Both clinicians and spiritual care providers will find it a valuable resource.”
—John Raymond Peteet, MD, psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

From the Publisher