Counseling Commons^™

Beneficial Roles The Sacred Can Play In Mental Illness, Katelyn Harper

Capstone Showcase

Religion and Spirituality are prevalent in and essential to one’s identity. This thesis seeks to answer the question what beneficial roles can the sacred play in mental illness? Believing in the sacred can provide additional support to those with a mental illness through a process called sacred coping. One’s sacred beliefs can be incorporated into previously established interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), to provide a more tailored treatment option. In some cases, these interventions are more beneficial than traditional interventions. Barriers to the topic of acknowledging the sacred in relation to one’s mental illness include the decline in having …