ABSTRACT
Given that best practices in the delivery of psychological treatment includes attentiveness to varied aspects of patients’ social identities, including their spiritual identity, the question is not whether, but how to engage in spiritually informed care, and spiritually informed group therapy, in particular. “Religion” generally refers to specific doctrinal and institutional features, whereas “spirituality” is often defined as one’s subjective experiences in an effort to understand life’s ultimate questions and find meaning/purpose. For many, strong convictions may foster argumentative and intensely conflictual interactions; this poses a potential challenge in groups, but attentiveness to the group frame and conflict management in particular ways offers the potential for a more constructive outcome. In order to effectively draw on spirituality as a resource in group, leaders must first be vigilant and understand how the emergence of spiritual content and process may contribute to polarization and scapegoating.
