Abstract

The important and engaging book encourages counsellors, psychotherapists, pastoral care workers and others involved in the helping professions to consider the significance of spirituality and spiritual experiences both for their clients and for the practice of therapy.

Drawing on the author's wide experience of researching, teaching and practicing therapy and spirituality within therapeutic, healing, religious and educational settings, it addresses:
- the challenge of being present to our clients' spirituality and spiritual issues
- making sense of psychospiritual therapeutic practice
- cross-cultural work including learning from traditional healing
- how to research therapy and spirituality
- the implications of this emerging way of working with clients which the author refers to as 'soul attending'

Students and practitioners will find this book both thought-provoking and inspiring, but ultimately highly practical and as such an essential practice companion.
WILLIAM WEST is a Senior Lecturer in Counselling Studies and Director of Counselling Courses at the University of Manchester. He is a Fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and has written extensively on therapy and spirituality, qualitative research, supervision, humanistic therapy and culture.
'..a welcome addition to this field. As an academic, with a longstanding interest in this area, he [William West] brings considerable expertise.' - Pamela Griffiths, Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal

'...an important, pivotal text and a marker for a future research agenda.' - Colin Feltham, Counselling and Psychotherapy Research

'...thought-provoking, engaging and inspiring...' - Fevronia Christodoulidi, Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal