ABSTRACT
When I was a graduate student 40 years ago, we were advised that if a client raised a “religious” question, we were not to address it but refer the client to the clergy instead. Since clients commonly brought such problems to the latter, it did not create too many problems for the therapist. However, since the clergy at that time were largely psychologically untrained, it is questionable whether the clients received the help they sought. Over the years, both clergy and those in the secular helping professions have had to meet these problems in increasing numbers (Mosak & Dreikurs, 1967). For me, the first break in the dam came with reading an article by Savitz (1955) in which a psychiatrist discussed various interventions with religious patients.
