Spirituality in Therapy

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Handouts

Faculty

Sarah Segal McCaslin, MS, MDiv, LCSW Related seminars and products

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Sarah Segal McCaslin, MS, MDiv, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker, ordained pastor, and executive director of the Psychotherapy & Spirituality Institute. With a career dedicated to fostering resilience, growth, and meaning making, she brings a unique integration of psychotherapy and spiritual care to her work.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Sarah McCaslin has employment relationships with Psychotherapy & Spirituality Institute and the Union Theological Seminary. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Sarah McCaslin has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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Objectives

• Identify core spiritual and religious competencies grounded in current clinical research
• Examine common therapist blind spots, ethical tensions, and countertransference issues
• Learn how to apply a spiritually integrative lens to case formulation and treatment planning
• Explore strategies for working across religious differences and interfaith tensions
• Engage with real-world scenarios to build confidence in spiritual conversations

Outline

• Your clients probably do want to explore faith, meaning, and belonging—even if they don’t say it
• Tapping into spiritual or existential struggles can open doors to healing they didn’t know existed
• Ignoring these deeper questions can leave clients feeling seen—but not fully understood

• Gentle ways to invite clients into sharing their spiritual stories or questions
• How to weave meaning, values, and beliefs into your case formulation and treatment plan
• Spotting when a spiritual crisis is not a symptom—and when it might be
• Working with spiritual practices (prayer, ritual, meditation) in ways that respect client autonomy

• The subtle things that trip us up: discomfort, assumptions, or trying to "fix" belief
• Quick ways to get clearer about your own spiritual lens—and how it shows up in sessions
• Handling ethical dilemmas when your values differ from your client’s
• Staying grounded: reflection, peer support, supervision, self-care

• Handling real-world challenges: different belief systems, interfaith tensions, spiritual trauma
• Interactive case exercises to practice and build confidence
• Being transparent about limits: when spirituality isn’t a clinical “fix”—and how it might backfire
• Naming risks: spiritual bypass, boundary issues, and the importance of ongoing competence

• Real, usable tools for opening spiritual conversation with care and confidence
• A grounded perspective on ethics, self-reflection, and client-centered practice
• Ways to bring together mind, body, and spirit in everyday therapy sessions
• A toolkit for helping clients explore deep questions in a way that feels safe, respectful, and meaningful

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Psychotherapists
• Therapists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Addiction Counselors
• Case Managers
• Physicians
• Nurses
• Other Mental Health Professionals

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