Spirituality, Religion, and Multicultural Counseling - Paper Example

Discussion Thread Reply Raola

The understanding of what makes spirituality and religion different or similar is paramount since it enables us to understand an individual's faith and believe. The interaction and integration of individuals from different parts around the world have led to the exchange of cultural values. This interaction has redefined people's faith and believes thus changing their definitions of both spirituality and religion through time. According to Paloutzian and Park (2014, p. 26), religion is the recognition, worship, and belief in a supernatural being while spirituality is the individual relationship that people have with their gods.

It is true that spirituality is an individualistic feeling while religion can be characterized as a doctrine since it defines the universal beliefs of a particular group of people. According to Hays and Erford (2018, p. 504), spirituality is the connection humans individually create with the universe while religions are spiritual groups formed by people who share believes, practices, and faith. The numerous similarities concerning spirituality and religion indicate that the two topics closely related to each other. Spirituality provides a guide to the various aspects of cultural identity hence promoting the growth of individual's optimal mental functioning (Hays and Erford, 2018, p. 504). This has enabled individuals with shared faith and believes in forming religions based on their spirituality.

The relationship between religion and spirituality indicate that the two are interrelated thus it is not right to view religion as bad or inferior and view spirituality as good or superior since they are integrated. This fact explains why most people experience harmony between their spirituality and religiousness. However, it is essential for us to note that the spirituality act as a guide to religion since it enables us to know what is right or wrong. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14, states a person without the Spirit does not accept things that come from the Lord, he considers them to be foolish since he does not understand them because they are only found through the spirit.'

Reference

Hays, D. G., & Erford, B. T. (2018). Developing multicultural counseling competence: a systems approach. NY, NY: Pearson.

Paloutzian, R. F., & Park, C. L. (2014). Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality. Guilford Publications.Discussion Thread Reply RoneshaCounseling is the act of offering advisory help to people who need it. According to Dryden and Mytton (2016, p. 4) the main aim of counseling is to provide individuals who need help an opportunity to work towards ensuring they live a more satisfactory and resourceful life. It is paramount for counselors to be open minded while they are counseling individuals. This because by being open-minded they would get to have a better understanding of the problem their patients are facing. Romans chapter 14 verse 10 states, why do you judge your brother or sister? And why do you treat them with contempt? We will all individually stand before God's judgment seat.

Counselors who analyze their clients' needs by examining various aspects of their lives get to have a better understanding of the problem their patients face as compared to those who solely focus on aspects such as religion. This is because the different lifestyle of their clients led them to face different issues. A diverse view of clients' needs also makes the patients gain confidence in their counselors which enables them to be more cooperative and expressive. According to Hays and Erford (2018, p. 3), the increase in population diversity caused by demographic changes through time has led to the incorporation of multiculturalism and social advocacy to the counseling theory and practice forces. This has thus allowed counselors to be capable of offering help to more patients.

References

Dryden, W., & Mytton, J. (2016). Four approaches to counselling and psychotherapy. Routledge.Hays, D. G., & Erford, B. T. (2018). Developing multicultural counseling competence: a systems approach. NY, NY: Pearson.