Integrative therapy, for me, is about making room for the full complexity of human experience, not just our cognitive and behavioural health, but also meaning, identity, and the deeper questions people carry.
I often come back to Jungian depth psychology that addressed these questions of the “soul”. I also come back to the roots of the word psychology, from the Greek psyche (soul) and logos (study). At its origins, psychology was truly about the study of the human soul (!) in the broadest sense. Over time, modern Western psychology has narrowed this into something more focused on thoughts, emotions, and behaviour, which is a beautiful thing but I notice how often spirituality and the sacred end up treated as outside the scope of therapy even though it’s very much within our scope. In fact, the Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) officially states that “the therapeutic process applies ‘recognized cognitive, affective, expressive, somatic, spiritual, developmental, behavioural, learning and systemic principles’ to facilitate human change.”
As a Registered Counselling Therapist, I offer spiritually-informed psychotherapy (in addition to my Master’s in Counselling Psychology from McGill and countless hours of professional development, I am recently trained with the Psychotherapy & Spirituality Institute in New York), and I want to be clear that this is not about providing spiritual guidance or promoting any belief system. It is a framework that recognizes spirituality, the sacred and the search for meaning as part of psychological life.
Neutrality = Rupture
Therapists are taught to be “neutral” as psychology is generally deemed as secular social science and the cultural norm within the field is to be “tolerant” of people’s spiritual beliefs without bringing it up in session, unless one absolutely has to. I understand the fear of “saying the wrong thing” but neutrality can land as disconnection, and at times even contribute to rupture within the therapeutic relationship. When something central to a person’s identity is met with silence or simple tolerance, it can leave them feeling unseen, not because the therapist disagrees, but because an important part of their inner world never fully enters the room.
Clients deserve a space where they can bring their full selves, including questions of meaning, faith, doubt, belonging, and purpose. For me, that is what makes therapy feel more whole. This is why I hold a monthly support and discussion group for spiritual and intuitive therapists, where we share resources, ask questions, and talk about the ethics around providing the best care.