Spiritual Resources in Families and Family Therapy An Introduction

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Spiritual Resources in Familiesand Family
TherapyAn Introduction

• Froma Walsh, PhD

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Program Overview

• An Introduction
• Spirituality Intertwined Professional
  Personal Journey
• Core Principles in Practice with Couples and
  Families
• From Spiritual Diversity to Spiritual Pluralism
• Morning - Part 1 Spiritual Resources in Families
  and Family Therapy
• Morning - Part 2 Tapping Spiritual Resources in
  Suffering, Healing, and Resilience
• Afternoon - Part 3 Spiritual Resources in
  Recovery from Traumatic Loss Video and
  Discussion

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Professional Influences

• Mental Health Field --Clinical Training
• Don't Ask / Don't tell
• University Of Chicago -- Family Therapy Teaching
• Cluster Theological Schools - Joint Degree
• Chicago Theological Seminary, Meadville-Lombard
• Resilience Research - Two key influences
• Relationships
• Religion / Spirituality

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• Peace Corps
• Morocco
• International
• Training
• Consultation
• Mental Health
• Services

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Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual BeingsHolistic
Orientation to Practice

• Spirituality
• Involves streams of experience that
• flow through all aspects of life
• --- family and cultural heritage
• -- personal / shared belief systems practices
• -- ongoing couple / family transactions
• -- dynamic processes over family life cycle
• Influences beliefs about suffering and
• pathways in healing and resilience
• Can nourish and heal can be harmful

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Organized, institutionalized belief system ?
Shared moral values, codes for living ?
Contemplative Practices (e.g. Prayer,
meditation) ? Rituals, sacred texts, music ?
Faith Community, Clergy ? Belief in God, Higher
Power, Universal Spirit ? Belief in Afterlife -
Spiritual passage
Religion

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Spirituality

• Transcendent, personal beliefs and practices
• Active investment in daily life and
  relationships
• Fosters meaning, wholeness, harmony
• Deep Connection with all others, nature,
  universe
• Most experience within organized religion
• The heart and soul of religion (Pargament)
• Religious or not, can find spiritual
  nourishment
• Humanistic Values
• Contemplative Practices, Rituals
• Communion with Nature
• Creative / Expressive Arts
• Service to others Social Activism
• Intimate Bonds, Kinship, Community

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Spirituality is Inherently Relational

• Deep connection within the self and with all
  others
• Intimate bonds and kinship network
• Human community, all life, the universe
• Interrelatedness of mind, body, spirit, and
  community
• In counseling
• For optimal mental health, relational wellbeing,
  and positive growth

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• Multigenerational Family Life Cycle
• Spirituality involves dynamic processes
• that ebb and flow, and for many, change course
• Between partners in couple relationship
• over the life cycle and across the generations
• Continuity and Change

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• Importance of Multi-Faith Perspective
• In Practice with Couples and Families
• Growing Spiritual Diversity, Complexity
• Selecting, Combining elements within / across
• faith denominations, spiritual approaches
• ? Non-Christian Faiths / in Euro-Christian
  society
• Eastern, Indigenous spiritual beliefs / healing
  practice
• often alongside Christianity
• Secular Humanism "Spiritual but not Religious"
• Interfaith couples Multifaith families
• "Spiritual Linguini"

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Intertwining of Culture and Faith
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From Spiritual Diversity to Spiritual Pluralism