Efficacy of religious integrated counselling in fostering hospitality and religious harmony in Nigeria: counsellors’ perspective

Afolasade Airat Sulaiman

doi:10.24036/0202093110077-0-00

Abstract

This study surveyed counsellor’s opinion on the efficacy of religious integrated counselling in fostering hospitality and religious harmony in Nigeria. The sample for the study was 120, Counselling for Hospitality and Religious Harmony Questionnaire (CHRHQ) was used for data collection Content Validity Index of CHRHQ was 0.85 and 0.87 reliability. Majority agreed that integrated religious counselling could foster hospitality and encourage religious harmony through competent and appropriate use of different skills and techniques. Also, majority had integrated religion into counselling. No sex difference was found on counsellors’ perception of ways to foster hospitality and religious harmony through counselling, but sex difference exists in the integration of religion into counselling. It was therefore recommended that learning about different religions should become part of counsellors’ training; every mainstream counsellor must take a course in the two major religions – Christianity and Islam, and massive enlightenment programmes through the media are required.

Highlights

Religious based therapies are confirmed to be more effective with clients that are highly religious than with those who are not
It was recommended that learning about different religions should become part of counsellors’ training; every mainstream counsellor must take a course in the two major religions – Christianity and Islam, and massive enlightenment programmes through the media are required
There was, no sex difference in counsellors’ perception of the efficacy of counselling, t (118) = 1.90; p 0.06 > 0.05, indicating that both males and females believe in the efficacy of religious integrative counselling

Summary

Introduction

Religious based therapies are confirmed to be more effective with clients that are highly religious than with those who are not. Clients who involved in religious practices tend to have better health, and fewer mental and physical disorders. Dailey et al (2011) assert that clients who are involved in religious practices tend to have better health, and fewer mental and physical disorders. Shah et al (2011), in their study, found religion to be an important positive factor in employing adaptive coping strategies with residual schizophrenia clients. Spiritual mindfulness techniques, such as acceptance and commitment therapy, were found to be effective in treating clients with substance abuse as well as clients with internalised stigma and shame (Behrens & Terrill, 2011)

Methods

Results

Conclusion