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ForwardPsychology Workshop: Understanding Religious Diversity: A Workshop for Psychologists and Other Mental Health Clinicians
Psychology and religion have never had an easy relationship. Once the superficial level of an individual's psychological problems is passed, complex and urgent existential, ontological, epistemological, and ethical concerns present themselves: What does life mean? What is really true? How do I know? How should I choose? Questions empirical psychology attempts to answer only with hubris.
When psychologists ignore their client's religious issues and spiritual concerns - with the disclaimer that these are outside their expertise and training -important experience are excised from the treatment and important dimensions of personal exploration foreclosed.
Complicated personal problems entwined with religious convictions need to be identified, challenged and resolved. How do we help the young Mormon man struggling with homosexual longings proscribed by his religious community? Or the guilt- ridden Asian scientist impelled to give excessive money for prayers for her dead mother? Or the orthodox Jewish couple locked in decades of torturous conflict and emotional abuse but cannot consider divorce?
Psychologists have little difficulty with the 'spiritual but not religious' type of religion. Indeed that's a persuasion many therapists share. But clients that have religious commitments that are definite, defining, and demanding bewilder therapists. Most psychotherapists fail to grasp the nature of this quandary or appreciate the depth of its significance and complexity. Tolerance without real understanding is not sufficient. This collision of totalizing narratives needs to be analyzed and understood.
Psychologists trained to have a value-free stance towards their clients are often unaware of the unexamined modernist/post-modernist values they actually hold and implicitly privilege. We will work to make these unarticulated assumptions more explicit.
Target Audience
The target audience for this event are psychologists, social workers, and counselors.
Learning Objectives
Describe the assumptions of modernist and postmodernist thinking that interfere with clinicians’ understanding their religious clients.
Identify the difference between standard orthodox religions and toxic belief systems.
Distinguish between religious beliefs and psychopathology that is masked by religious ideas.
Dr. Hayes is a psychologist on the staff of the Retreat at Sheppard Pratt. He also holds degrees in theology and is a priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland and serves part-time at a parish in west Baltimore. He teaches pastoral care and spirituality at the Ecumenical Institute, St. Mary’s Seminary and University.
Sheppard Pratt holds the standard that its continuing medical education programs should be free of commercial bias and conflict of interest. In accord with Sheppard Pratt's Disclosure Policy, as well as standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the American Medical Association (AMA), all planners, reviewers and speakers have been asked to disclose any relationship he /she has with any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 12 months. All planners, reviewers and speakers have also been asked to disclose any payments accepted for this lecture from any entity besides Sheppard Pratt Health System, and if there will be discussion of any products, services or off-label uses of product(s) during this presentation.
John M. Hayes, Ph.D., ABPP reports having no financial relationships with any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients. He will not discuss off-label uses in this presentation.
Event Planners/Reviewers Disclosures: The following event planners and/or reviewers are reported as having no financial interest, arrangement or affiliation with any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 12 months.: Ellen Mongan, M.D., Caroline Cahn, LCSW-C, Tom Flis, LCPC, Faith Dickerson, Ph.D., Robert Roca, M.D., Drew Pate, M.D., Briana Riemer, M.D. Jennifer Tornabene, and Bonnie Katz.
Psychologist Statement: Sheppard Pratt Health System is authorized by the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists as a sponsor of continuing education. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity. Sheppard Pratt Health System designates this educational activity for a maximum of 3.0 CEU hours for Psychologists. Psychologists should claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Social Work Statement: Sheppard Pratt Health System is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners of Maryland to offer continuing education for Social Workers. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity. This activity is approved for 3.0 CEU contact hours in Category 1 credits for Social Workers.
Counseling Statement: Sheppard Pratt Health System has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5098. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Sheppard Pratt Health System is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. This activity is available for 3.0 NBCC clock hours.
Available Credit
- 3.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
- 3.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
- 3.00 Psychologists
- 30.00 Participation