The Significance of Spirituality for Individuals with Chronic Illness: Implications for Mental Health Counseling

Abstract

Understanding the significance of spirituality for individuals with chronic illness is advantageous to mental health counselors because it combines knowledge from multiple disciplines to find approaches useful to help individuals create meaning and purpose in their lives. Chronic illness is defined by not only the physical but also the mental and spiritual effects of the disease. This review of the literature addresses ways spirituality can help people with chronic illness and what it means to individuals undergoing physical and emotional challenges as a result of their illness. Recommendations are provided for how mental health counselors can help clients with chronic illness explore spirituality.