Religion and Spirituality (R/S) is now well-established as an important area of competency for mental health professionals (MHPs). Current R/S research and training is based on a wide range of psychometric tools and standardized interviews to measure religious commitments. Yet, these initiatives lack inclusive design and a rigorous engagement with the psycho-social aspects and lived experiences of R/S involvement and efficacy.
Our project addresses these gaps by developing a novel, global R/S competency program based on ethnographic methods (Ethnos-MH), piloted at three leading MH training institutions in the US, UK, and India. Ethnos-MH is a tradition-agnostic program that is globally relevant and locally adaptable for a wide range of MHPs. It is envisioned in two steps, first as a knowledge-based program (Ethnos-MH-Basic), and second, as a competitively funded skill-based field research program (Ethnos-MH-Advanced), which will enable MHPs to undertake ethnographic work on religion and wellbeing.
The program addresses four key lacunae in current R/S initiatives: 1) Religiosity gap: between MH practitioners and patients; 2) Research gap: the mechanisms through which R/S involvement leads to better outcomes; 3) Psycho-social gap: bracketing of patient’s familial and social networks in assessing their R/S trajectories, and 4) Diversity gap: the narrow western context within which most initiatives have been designed. Such perspectives will be imperative as R/S competency training seeks to globalize beyond Euro-American contexts, and better address diversity within western contexts.
Created with the guidance of an international team to enhance its cross-cultural scope, clinical relevance and curricular integration with existing R/S competency and MH training programs, Ethnos-MH will help bridge gaps across socio-economic, religious, and cultural divides between patients and MHPs in different parts of the world.
