KEY SELLING POINTS:

• 42% of Americans have seen a counselor at some point, and out of those that do not, almost just as much percentage is open to therapy—more Millennials and GenXers than Boomers and elders.

• One in three non-Christians acknowledges seeking treatment for mental illness, more than twice the percentage of practicing Christians who have gone to counseling for this purpose.

• In the US, there are still more people who identify as Christian than any other country, but a decline among mainline Protestants and Catholics and a slight rise in Evangelicals and non-Christian faiths, especially among Muslims and Hindus.

• The book's topic is timely, addressing mental health issues and different ways of treating them.

• Many of the US’s 46 million unaffiliated adults are religious or spiritual in some way. Two-thirds say they believe in God and over half say they often feel a deep connection with nature and the earth. More than a third classify themselves as “spiritual” but not “religious."

• When it comes to working with a therapist, people with strong spiritual or religious beliefs prefer to work with someone who will integrate their beliefs and values in therapy (Gallup poll).

• Only 13% of a representative sample of graduate programs in the US include coursework addressing religion and psychology.

• A study of clinical social workers suggests that although the majority of clinicians believe that discussing clients’ religious and spiritual views would be valuable to the therapeutic process, only a minority of clinicians end up doing so in practice.

AUDIENCE:

• Counselor training programs

• Counselors and psychotherapists in practice

• Spiritual directors

• Well-educated laypeople who are interested in the topic of psychology and spirituality