Religion and Spirituality Research Group

Religion and Spirituality Research Group

Chair: Dr. Jane Hunt

Members: TBC

 

Description

Research in the area of religion and spirituality has grown considerably over the last few decades and is becoming an increasingly important area for therapeutic practitioners to pay attention to in their clinical work. It has been well documented that religion and spirituality can be positive indicators of mental health, as well as triggers for mental distress (King 2013; Dein et al. 2013). This research group therefore provides a space to foster and support research in this area, including a forum to share research ideas, methodologies, and papers as well as supporting researchers to develop confidence and competence in this field.

This group is open to research active staff and students who are engaged in theoretical or empirical research in the area of religion and spirituality as it relates to counselling and psychotherapy.

 

Current Projects

 

• Religion and Spirituality in the therapeutic space: exploring how trainee and newly qualified counsellors and psychotherapists, who identify as religious or spiritual, experience undertaking therapeutic training in the UK.   Researcher: Dr. Jane Hunt

 

Building upon my previous small scale qualitative research study (Hunt 2018), this project will use a national survey to explore how trainee or newly qualified counsellors/psychotherapists, who identify as religious or spiritual, experience undertaking therapeutic training in the UK.

 

Recent Research Outputs

 

Publications

 

Hunt, J.  (2017) Psychological perspectives on the Garden of Eden and the Fall in light of the

work of Melanie Klein and Eric Fromm. Pastoral Psychology, 67 (1) pp. 33-41

 

Hunt, J.  (2018) An exploration of how trainee counsellors who are practising believers of a world religion or faith tradition experience undertaking counsellor training. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling,  Published online: 19 Feb 2018.

Hunt, J. (2019) Reflections on the Spirituality and  Psychiatry special interest group of the

Royal College of Psychiatrists annual conference, Thresholds,  July 2019.

 

Hunt, J. (2020) Spiritual, but not religious? Researching religion, spirituality and mental

health. Thresholds, January 2020.     

 

 

Recent conferences papers

2021 Co-Chair of the BACP Spirituality Research Forum. BACP Research Conference May 2021 – title of talk to be confirmed.
2018 Of/As/And? How to relate psychology and religion in the therapeutic space. Keynote address at the 12th Keele Counselling (Research and Practice) Conference: Spirituality, faith, and religion in the therapeutic space (April 2018).
2017: An exploration of how trainee counsellors who are practising believers of a world religion experience undertaking counsellor training. British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy Research Conference May 2017.
2017: Religion in the Psychotherapy Space: the New Taboo. UKAPI Conference 4th February 2017.

 

Research grants:

2019    Southlands Methodist Trust £3,500

 

Research group participants:

 

Dr. Jane Hunt      https://www.metanoia.ac.uk/about/our-staff/faculty-1-psychotherapy-counselling/jane-hunt/