Research Information System
Ankara Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi, vol.64, no.1, pp.63-92, 2024 (Scopus)
This article aims to reveal the causes and manifestations of the resistance that spiritual counsellors encounter in the counselling process, how the counsellors show the ability to manage with it, and how effectively they carry the issue they discuss into the spiritual field. In this qualitative research designed as a case study, the study group has been formed using snowball and chain sampling method. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with 10 people, 6 females and 4 males, aged between 30-55 years (average age 38), who currently work as a spiritual counsellor in hospitals in Istanbul and have been in this position for an average of 4 years most of them holding postgraduate degrees. Descriptive analysis is conducted on thematic areas related to (a) the definition of spiritual counseling, (b) the competencies of spiritual counselors in the face of client resistance, (c) manifestations and reasons for resistance, and (d) methods used to overcome resistance. In dealing with resistance encountered from clients, spiritual counselors are found to cope by instilling trust (i), creating a sincere atmosphere (ii), and effectively guiding the conversation (iii). Notably, spiritual counselors guide clients through questioning (i), utilize counseling skills (ii), progress according to the client’s beliefs (iii), instill confidence in the client (iv), and encourage the client to address their spiritual concerns (v), highlighting the progression of counseling into the spiritual domain.