Effectiveness of religiously tailored interventions in Christian therapy

Abstract

Christian therapy is sought by many clients, yet the existing research examining its effectiveness is sparse. Clients (n=220) and their therapists (n=51) in 6 Christian agencies and 1 secular agency across the United States participated in a study of Christian therapy. Clients and therapists in Christian therapy generally believed that religiously tailored interventions were appropriate. Clients in Christian therapy and secular therapy reported feeling equally close to their therapists and equal (and appreciable) improvements in their presenting problems over time. Compared with therapists in the secular agency, those in Christian agencies used secular interventions as frequently and religious interventions more frequently. Across all agencies, clients with high religious commitment reported greater closeness with their therapists and greater improvement in their presenting concerns when receiving religious interventions than did clients with low religious commitment.