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“Throughout twenty engaging chapters, the authors explore a wide range of spiritual and religious viewpoints towards aspects of family life, including loss, resilience, and the idea of healing. Following this they consider implications for therapeutic practice, with many contributors sharing extensive and highly practical aspects of their individual approaches....Throughout the book, Walsh and her contributors share their thoughts and practices in a way that suggests real depth in exploring spiritual resources, stemming from many years of reflecting on their practice and developing creative but well-thought-out therapeutic positions and approaches....Walsh's language and approach to spirituality is creative and at times poetic, harnessing the fleeting essence of spirituality with imagination. Her courage to express her compassionate and open attitude to life and human behavior is what makes this book enriching and engaging well beyond its educative potential. This volume offers those readers with a limited knowledge of religious diversity a good grounding in attitudes towards life's challenges and resilience from a vast amount of different faith perspectives.”

—Journal of Family Therapy


“Adds to the discussion of the positive influences of faith beliefs and practices on healing, well-being, longevity, physical, emotional, and interpersonal problems. This sourcebook fills a crucial void in the literature by validating and normalizing for practitioners the importance of providing psychological and emotional space for the experience of spirituality to occur within ourselves and the families we work with.”

—Family Journal


“I have used this book in a graduate family therapy class, beginning with its earlier edition, and it continually draws very favorable discussion and response. The chapters demonstrate an ecumenical, interfaith sensitivity and together call the reader to do their ‘own spiritual-religious work’….This is an engaging, thought-provoking text that is well-suited for the secular and pastoral clinician. It is an excellent accompaniment to standard family therapy texts in the classroom context.”

—Journal for the Study of Marriage and Spirituality


“The rewards of this volume are multifaceted: inspiration for the clinician's own personal and spiritual pilgrimage; awareness of the many facets, expressions, and nuances of spirituality; and guidance on how spirituality can be acknowledged and mobilized as a resource for marital and family growth and healing. It is a key required text for my course on spirituality and clinical praxis, and has richly contributed to my own practice, my teaching, and the personal and professional development of my students.”

—Rand Michael, DMin, Graduate Department of Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy Program, George Fox University


“Distinguished practitioner Froma Walsh and her contributing authors affirm the fundamental place of spirituality in individual, couple, and family therapy. Topics include therapeutic applications related to grieving, forgiveness, and meditation, as well as approaches to working with special populations, such as immigrants and refugees. The book assists therapists to recognize, assess, and appreciate their own and their clients’ spirituality so that spirituality can become a constructive aspect of therapy. Theoretically grounded yet practical, this is essential reading for students and established professionals alike.”

—Martin W. Rovers, PhD, Faculty of Human Sciences, St. Paul University, Ottawa, Canada


“This volume documents a remarkable transformation in family therapists’ regard for spirituality. It urges clinicians to follow streams of spiritual experience through family belief systems, rituals, and communities, in order to appreciate the rich therapeutic possibilities that spirituality provides. Capturing the diversity of contemporary families, the contributors provide an array of approaches for helping people cope assertively with losses, injustices, and adversities in their lives.”

—James L. Griffith, MD, Department of Psychiatry, The George Washington University Medical Center


“Featuring brand-new and updated material, this superb revision of Walsh’s groundbreaking text gives voice to the powerful and often ignored spiritual dimension of human experience. The volume offers a rich, multilayered exploration of spirituality and relational well-being. Highly accessible and beautifully written, it is filled with case examples, author reflections, and information that therapists need to develop greater spiritual self-awareness and professional effectiveness. A 'must read' for social workers and psychotherapists, and for graduate students in mental health, family studies, and pastoral counseling.”

—Marsha Pravder Mirkin, PhD, Department of Psychology, Lasell College; Women’s Studies Research Center, Brandeis University


“A vital contribution to the growing literature on spirituality and psychotherapy. This excellent volume reminds us that spirituality is, at its heart, all about relationships. The contributors skillfully demonstrate how practitioners from every discipline can weave a sensitivity to the spiritual dimension into their work with families from diverse religious backgrounds who are facing life’s most profound problems. Through moving personal accounts, the volume also invites therapists to examine the place of spirituality in their own lives. I highly recommend this updated second edition.”

—Kenneth I. Pargament, PhD, Department of Psychology (Emeritus), Bowling Green State University

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Table of Contents

I. Overview

1. Religion, Spirituality, and the Family: Multifaith Perspectives, Froma Walsh

2. Integrating Spirituality in Family Therapy:

Wellsprings for Health, Healing, and Resilience, Froma Walsh

II. Spiritual Resources in Families: Tapping the Wellsprings

3. Spirituality, Suffering, and Beliefs: The Soul of Healing with Families, Lorraine M. Wright

4. Spiritual Resources in Family Adaptation to Death and Loss, Froma Walsh

5. Religious Perspectives on Resilience: Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam, Steven J. Wolin, with Wayne Muller, Fred Taylor, Sybil Wolin, Shanthi Ranganathan, Dyaa Saymah, and Hasan Zeyada

6. The Stresses of Poverty and the Comfort of Spirituality, Harry J. Aponte

7. Spirituality and Religion: Implications for Psychotherapy with African American Clients and Families, Nancy Boyd-Franklin and Tonya Walker Lockwood

8. Religion and Spiritual Traditions in Immigrant Families: Significance for Latino Health and Mental Health, Celia Jaes Falicov

9. “Honor Your Father and Your Mother”: Intergenerational Values and Jewish Tradition, Mona DeKoven Fishbane

10. A Spirituality for Family Living, Herbert Anderson

III. Spirituality in Therapeutic Practice

11. Morality and Spirituality in Therapy, William J. Doherty

12. Rituals and Spirituality in Family Therapy, Evan Imber-Black

13. Meditation and Relational Connectedness: Practices for Couples and Families, Jerry Gale

14. Healing from Relational Trauma: The Quest for Spirituality, Mary Jo Barrett

15. Healing from Refugee Trauma: The Significance of Spiritual Beliefs, Faith Community, and Faith-Based Services, Hugo Kamya

16. Forgiveness and Spirituality: Elements of Healing in Relationships, Terry D. Hargrave, Janet Froeschle, and Yvette Castillo

17. Opening Therapy to Conversations with a Personal God, Melissa Elliott

18. Stretching to Meet What’s Given: Opportunities for a Spiritual Practice, Kaethe Weingarten

19. Heart and Soul: Experiential Exercises for Therapists and Clients, Janine Roberts

20. The Therapeutic Benefits of a Justice-Seeking Spirituality: Empowerment, Healing, and Hope, Alice de V. Perry and John S. Rolland

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About the Editor

Froma Walsh, MSW, PhD, is the Mose and Sylvia Firestone Professor Emerita in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and the Department of Psychiatry, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago. She is also Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Chicago Center for Family Health. Dr. Walsh is an internationally respected clinical scholar and a foremost authority on family resilience. Integrating developmental, relational, sociocultural, and spiritual perspectives, her resilience-oriented systemic approach with individuals, couples, and families fosters healing and positive adaptation. She is past editor of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy and past president of the American Family Therapy Academy. Dr. Walsh is the recipient of many honors for distinguished contributions to theory, research, and practice, including the Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association and awards from the American Family Therapy Academy, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Orthopsychiatric Association, and the Society for Pastoral Counseling Research. She is a frequent speaker and consultant internationally, and her books have been translated into many languages.

• Author's website
• All titles by Froma Walsh

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Contributors

Herbert Anderson, PhD, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, California

Harry J. Aponte, LCSW, LMFT, Programs in Couple and Family Therapy, Drexel University, and private practice, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mary Jo Barrett, MSW, Center for Contextual Change and School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Nancy Boyd-Franklin, PhD, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey.

Yvette Castillo, PhD, Department of Education, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas

William J. Doherty, PhD, Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota

Melissa Elliott, MSN, LMFT, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia

Celia Jaes Falicov, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of California-San Diego, San Diego, California

Mona DeKoven Fishbane, PhD, Chicago Center for Family Health, Chicago, Illinois

Janet Froeschle, PhD, Department of Education, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas

Jerry Gale, PhD, Department of Child and Family Development, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Terry D. Hargrave, PhD, Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California

Evan Imber-Black, PhD, Ackerman Institute for the Family and Department of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York

Hugo Kamya, MDiv, MSW, PhD, Simmons College School of Social Work, Boston, Massachusetts

Tonya Walker Lockwood, PsyD, private practice, Washington, DC

Wayne Muller, DDiv, Bread for the Journey, Mill Valley, California

Alice de V. Perry, MDiv, DMin, Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut; Andover Newton Theological School, Newton, Massachusetts; and Milford Pastoral Counseling Center, Milford, Connecticut

Shanthi Ranganathan, PhD, T T Raganathan Clinical Research Foundation, TTK Hospital, Chennai, India

Janine Roberts, EdD, Professor Emerita, School of Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts

John S. Rolland, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, and Chicago Center for Family Health, Chicago, Illinois

Dyaa Saymah, MA, Mental Health National Program, World Health Organization, Gaza, Palestinian Territories, Israel

Fred Taylor, DDiv, formerly of For Love of Children, Washington, DC

Froma Walsh, MSW, PhD, Professor Emerita, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago; Chicago Center for Family Health, Chicago, Illinois

Kaethe Weingarten, PhD, Department of Psychology, Harvard Medical School and Program in Family, Trauma, and Resilience, The Family Institute of Cambridge, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Steven J. Wolin, MD, George Washington University and Project Resilience, Washington, DC

Sybil Wolin, PhD, Project Resilience, Washington, DC

Lorraine M. Wright, RN, PhD, Professor Emerita, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Hasan Zeyada, MA, Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, Gaza, Palestinian Territories, Israel

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Audience

Couple and family therapists, clinical psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, and pastoral counselors; instructors and students in these fields.

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Course Use

Serves as a text in courses in couple and family therapy, social work practice with families, and spirituality in psychotherapy.

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Previous editions published by Guilford:

First Edition, © 2000
ISBN: 9781572309197

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New to this edition:

• Coverage of death and loss, healing from refugee trauma, meditation practices for couples, use of rituals, and forgiveness.
• Chapter on resilience now includes Hindu and Muslim perspectives in addition to Jewish, Christian, and Buddhist views.