ABSTRACT
Central to the concepts of spirituality and religion are questions of meaning and purpose, loss, death and the afterlife. These questions align with the philosophies of existential therapies, which are effective for addressing struggles related to death and dying, but very often those of other significant life events. The process by which an individual injects meaning into these experiences is highly personal and impacts his/her sense of resiliency. A client’s spirituality and religion, based on individual experiences, can represent unique resources or impediments in the meaning-making process. Counselors must understand the impact of these factors on the experience of grief, coping, adjustment, and overall mental health and wellness. The authors focus on understanding the existential experience that is fundamentally spiritual in nature and on assessing the role of spirituality and religion within the individual client. We explore practical interventions and strategies through case example integration.
