Protestant - Chapter 9: Summary and Conclusions

Protestant and Catholic beliefs/values are very similar and (in general) positively related to mental health, which has been documented by a large and growing research literature. However, there are also distinct differences between Catholics and Protestants. The particular Protestant beliefs will depend on where persons fall along a spectrum from fundamentalist to conservative to mainline to liberal/progressive in their theology. Since there are 30,000+ Protestant denominations worldwide, only a careful spiritual history can determine where the patient falls on this spectrum. When religion is only marginally important, many Protestants will do fine with standard secular therapy. For those in whom religion is important, the mental health professional’s goal will be to provide psychotherapy that is respectful and supportive of the patient’s particular Protestant beliefs. In some cases, a religiously-integrated form of therapy may be considered if the patient is religious, a candidate for religiously-integrated therapy, and prefers this approach. In cases where Protestant beliefs are intertwined with or even responsible for psychopathology, the therapist should follow a sensitive, gradual, informed, and strategic approach as described briefly above.