Workshop Overview:

This one-day workshop is designed for mental health practitioners in Malaysia to develop knowledge, self-awareness, and skills in addressing clients' religious and spiritual backgrounds during counseling. Through interactive forums featuring speakers from Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, and Hindu traditions, participants will explore strategies for fostering effective working alliances with clients while respecting their faith traditions. 

Each forum will include speakers sharing personal experiences with the challenges and successes of broaching and navigating religious and spiritual topics in counseling, highlighting how they use their own self—through self-reflection, authenticity, and cultural humility—to build trust and effective therapeutic relationships. The workshop emphasizes cultural competence, self-examination, and the integration of spirituality in counseling without imposing personal beliefs.

This workshop is designed for students, practitioners, supervisors, and educators in counseling and applied psychology disciplines.