Getting Serious About Spirituality: Preparing Tomorrow's Counselor for Post-Conventional Faith

This article offers the tools needed for counselor educators to prepare future counselors for clients who express a post-conventional faith identity. Post- conventional faith is defined as an emerging and/or blended religious and spiritual identity that defies the classically neat categorization of contemporary religious and spiritual identity labels. Data on the landscape of religious and spiritual identity is presented to give a picture of the diversification of religion and spirituality in the United States. A case example of an institution which promotes post-conventional faith development in its members is explored. Two theoretical models are presented which can aid counselor educators in helping their students understand the development of post-conventional faith identities. Lastly, in-class training recommendations are provided which can promote students’ achievement of comfort and competence in working with clients who express post-conventional faith identities.