Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity © 2014 American Psychological Association

2014, Vol. 1, No. 2, 106 –108 2329-0382/14/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000039

Psychology Education Can Foster Exploration and Knowledge of Religion,

Spirituality, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Diversity
Terri M. Davis
University of Denver

Hancock (2014) recently examined how graduate students’ religious values can conflict with providing
clinical services to potential and actual lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. Students’ beliefs, when opposed
to multicultural training and provision of culturally competent clinical services, are being argued in the
American judicial system. The author agrees that there is a need for academic training programs to
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

address both the graduate students’ and clients’ religious and/or spiritual beliefs and practices, sexual
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

orientation, and gender diversity. Suggestions for curriculum and course content additions are provided.

Keywords: gender diversity, psychology graduate training, religion, sexual orientation, spirituality

Hancock (2014) made a compelling point: “The function of
professions is to provide a knowledge base, to educate its mem-
bers, and to serve the public interest. Professions and the institu-
tions that educate and train professionals cannot afford to fashion
their ethics and curriculum around the individual personal beliefs
of professionals or students in the profession” (p. 8).
The American Psychological Association (APA) has clearly
indicated commitment to ethical, cultural, and clinical competence
of student therapists, researchers, and psychotherapists who work
with people identifying, questioning, or exploring their identity as
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or gender-nonconforming
(LGBT; APA, 2002, 2003, 2012). These same guidelines uphold
religious and spiritual diversity that can inform student cultural
and clinical knowledge, research, and clinical practice and com-
petence with clients. “The need for psychology to include the
spiritual and religious diversity so important to many clients and to
a full understanding of humanness is apparent” (Gonsiorek, Rich-
ards, Pargament, & McMinn, 2009, p. 387).
Graduate psychology students may decide to act on their per-
sonal religious beliefs and refer LGBT potential and actual clients
to other clinicians. These students may also decide they need to
leave their academic program or be asked to leave. These decisions
do impact the student, the student’s classmates, the faculty, the
field placement supervisor, and the field placement, along with the
client. Before these actions and the resulting ripple effects take
place, academic programs can take action. Psychology programs
can provide students with the time, courses, resources, and mod-
eling needed to understand, expand, and challenge students’ reli-
gious beliefs regarding LGBT individuals, who may become cli-
ents/patients.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Terri M.
Davis, Doctor of Psychology Program, Graduate School of Professioal
Psychology, 213 Ammi Hyde Building, 2450 South Vine Street, University
of Denver, Denver, CO 80208. E-mail: terri.m.davis@du.edu
Address These Aspects of Multiculturalism
Religion and spirituality are essential aspects of human diversity
that psychologist-in-training will encounter with patients/clients.
Directors of 98 APA-accredited clinical training programs were
surveyed about how topics on religion and spirituality were incor-
porated into their curriculum (Brawer, Handal, Fabricatore, Rob-
erts, & Johnston, 2002). Some directors (17%) reported that spir-
ituality and religion was systematically covered in three domains:
course work offered, supervision provided to students, and re-
search conduced by faculty. Another group of directors (16%)
reported that their programs did not address issues of religion or
spirituality at all. Most of the directors (53%) reported that these
issues were addressed in two out of the three domains. Eight years
later, this study was replicated with a survey of 89 directors
(Schafer, Handal, Brawer, & Ubinger, 2011). The directors in this
study (15%) also reported that spirituality and religion were sys-
tematically covered in their training programs. Only 2% of the
directors reported that their programs did not address spirituality or
religion. Faculty cannot only rely on field placement supervisors to
address these issues with student therapists. Supervisors may not
be adequately trained or be in placements where client–therapist
discussions of religion and spirituality are avoided or minimized.
Students will not have equal clinical opportunities across field
placements.
Sexual orientation and gender diversity are equally essential
aspects of human diversity that all therapists will encounter with
client/patients. Biaggio and her colleagues created guidelines for
academic institutions to consciously create and maintain learning
environments that affirm the lives of lesbian, gay, and bisexual
individuals (Biaggio, Orchard, Larson, Petrino, & Mihara, 2003).
Guidelines for working with transgender and gender variant indi-
viduals are being developed.
Crook-Lyon and colleagues (2012) described problems and con-
flicts that academic program directors can anticipate when figuring
out how to incorporate more content into the curriculum. Aca-
demic program faculty can discuss ethical considerations outlined
by Gonsiorek et al. (2009). Motivations to provide this coursework
may be based on a program or academic institution’s affiliation

106
 EXPLORE STUDENT BELIEFS AND DEEPEN KNOWLEDGE
with a specific faith community, faculty research, and/or clinical
areas of interest, commitment to APA ethical guidelines and mul-
ticulturalism, clinical supervisors in the field requesting students
be better prepared, or the students themselves. Graduate students
in clinical and counseling doctoral psychology programs (N ⫽
543) confirmed that more training on ways to address spirituality
and religion would be helpful to prepare them for working with
clients (Saunders, Petrik, & Miller, 2014). These researchers sug-
gested such training be required for all students (p. 6).
Explore Psychology Students’ Religious Beliefs
One of the hallmarks of clinical training is to deepen students’
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
capacity for self-reflection and use of self in clinical practice.
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.
Bartoli and Gillem (2008) encouraged therapists to know enough
about their own religious beliefs to decrease conflicts and enhance
empathy with clients’ questions and choices regarding religious
and spiritual beliefs and sexual orientation. Clinicians who do not
consider themselves either religious or spiritual (Delaney, Miller,
& Bisonó, 2007) need to know about spiritual, religious, and faith
traditions that can provide both positive support and conflicts for
any client. The welfare of the client is of upmost importance.
Psychologists-in-training can provide better care when they have
knowledge and greater self-awareness that has been facilitated in
safe learning environments by faculty and supervisors (Daniel,
Roysircar, Abeles, & Boyd, 2004). Religion and spirituality are
topics that many have been socialized to not discuss. Graduate
students need to be provided time and space to articulate their
values, perhaps publically for the first time, and to practice hearing
and talking about spirituality and religion with peers, faculty, and
others.
I teach a required GLBT issues course for all second-year
students in a doctoral clinical psychology program. Religion
and/or spirituality can have a powerful positive and/or negative
impact on the development and expression of one’s sexual orien-
tation and/or gender identity. To facilitate a discussion about
religion, spirituality, sexual orientation, and gender diversity, this
instructor invited two professionals who are not psychologists. The
individuals were the university chaplain and a dean of diversity
from a nearby school of theology. Both presenters shared how
social relationships with gay men and lesbians had shaped their
lives and theology. The presenters received four typed pages of
questions posed by the students before the class. During the class,
their engaging manner revealed similar and different answers,
along with demonstrating how they approached questions, de-
bated, challenged, and supported undergraduate and graduate stu-
dents’ religious beliefs. They modeled ways in which they were
clearly allies for LGBT individuals, while making space, time, and
using language that encourage exploration of student and client
values, conflicts, and questions. After the discussion, students
were able to process reactions in small groups and again in the full
class setting. Students in this class also had to write a paper
discussing their own faith practices and views taught or perceived
about GLBT individuals within their religion and/or spirituality.
Students with no religious affiliation or spiritual practice were not
penalized and were encouraged to write about other influences on
their values/beliefs regarding GLBT individuals. Every hour that
can be added to a course(s) addressing these issues does matter.
107
Deepen Knowledge
Academic program directors wanting and planning to increase
course offerings or expand current courses do not have to figure
this out themselves. There is enough written to get one started.
1. Instructors can use articles (Balkin, Watts, & Ali, 2014;
Hancock, 2014; Hendricks & Testa, 2012) to foster writ-
ing assignments and class discussions about scope of
competence versus discriminatory clinical decisions
against LGBT clients.
2. Brawer et al. (2002) provided multiple resources (i.e.,
books and journals) and various modalities (i.e., trained
instructors, guest lecturers and mentors). Schafer et al.
(2011) highlighted using the forum of continuing educa-
tion workshops for both graduate students and licensed
psychotherapists (p. 238).
3. Bowland, Foster, and Vosler (2013) conducted a quali-
tative study of lesbian and gay Christians. The research-
ers provide specific written and online resources that
therapists can use to educate and support clients.
4. Frazier and Hansen (2009) gathered 29 ways that psy-
chotherapists could assess, explore, and intervene when
addressing the religious and/or spiritual beliefs and prac-
tices of clients.
Bartoli and Gillem (2008, p. 207) suggested “the therapist’s
alliance with the individual’s well-being, rather than with an
ideology, might allow him or her to keep the focus on the client’s
needs rather than on a hoped-for outcome.” Once students are able
to be conscious about their values and beliefs and gain more
knowledge about faith practices of others, perhaps this process will
provide the openness and permission to uphold or expand their
beliefs. This use of self may then provide the emotional, cognitive,
behavioral, and professional maturity that is essential to maintain-
ing client welfare.
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 108 DAVIS

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Received April 30, 2014
Accepted May 1, 2014 䡲

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