Sağlık Çalışanlarının Manevi Danışmanlık ve Rehberliğe Yönelik Görüşlerinin İncelenmesi
Examining Healthcare Professionals' Views on Spiritual Counseling and Guidance
Yazar: Toprak, Yasin; Sami, Said; Gökmen, Ayşe
Dergi: Dinbilimleri Akademik Araştırma Dergisi, Vol. 26 No. 1, 2025
Anahtar kelimeler: Religious Studies (Other) ; Dini Araştırmalar (Diğer) ; Psychology of Religion,Presidency of Religious Affairs,Spiritual Counseling and Guidance,Healthcare Workers,Hospital ; Din Psikolojisi,Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı,Manevi Danışmanlık ve Rehberlik,Sağlık Çalışanları,Hastane

Manevi Danışmanlık ve Rehberlik, Türkiye’de yakın dönemde uygulanmaya başlayan yeni bir hizmet alanıdır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, sağlık çalışanlarının hastanelerde sunulan Manevi Danışmanlık ve Rehberlik hizmetlerine ilişkin görüşlerini incelemektir. Çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması kullanılmıştır. Veriler araştırmacıların hazırladığı ve çalışmanın amacıyla bağlantılı sorular kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Sorular, manevi danışmanlığın tanımı, faydaları ve eleştirilecek yönlerini değerlendirmeye yönelik olarak tasarlanmıştır. Araştırma soruları kolayda ve kartopu örneklem yöntemiyle Google Form üzerinden katılımcılara iletilmiştir. Toplanan veriler, içerik analizi yöntemiyle incelenmiş ve manevi danışmanlığa ilişkin önemli bulgular elde edilmiştir. Bulgular, sağlık çalışanlarının manevi danışmanlığı, din ve psikolojiyi bütünleştiren; olumsuzluklarla başa çıkmayı destekleyen ve pozitif sonuçları artırmaya yönelik bir hizmet olarak gördüklerini ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, alana dair bazı kaygı ve eleştirilerin de mevcut olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bu çerçevede, manevi danışmanlığın ona ihtiyaç duyan bireyler için önemli bir hizmet alanı olduğu, bu hizmeti sunacak uzmanların din ve psikolojiyi bütünleştirecek yeterlilikler kazanmasının kritik olduğu ve uzmanlık alanının gelişimi için kapsamlı ve bütüncül eğitimlerin sağlanması gerektiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Spiritual counseling is a process, within the framework of collaboration between psychology and religion, that provides guidance, support, and improvement services to individuals in a manner consistent with professional counseling principles. There are notable challenges in the field of spiritual counseling, a relatively new institution in our country. At this point, it is important to identify what health professionals—those who most commonly deliver spiritual counseling services—think about spiritual counseling and guidance to shape current perceptions accurately. This study aims to determine whether health professionals are aware of MDR services, how they define MDR, and what they think about its benefits, harms, boundaries, and necessity. This study employed a qualitative research method. Health professionals working in hospitals—the settings where MDR is most frequently applied—constituted the study sample. Convenience and snowball sampling methods were used to select participants. The average age of participants was 34.76 years, with an age range of 25 to 54. Data were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive techniques.Findings indicate that health professionals positively identify spiritual counseling, viewing it not merely as a supplementary element but as a value that guides patients through life struggles, fosters healing, and strengthens psychological balance. Additionally, spiritual counseling stands out as a domain that contributes to holistic well-being by integrating religious and psychological dimensions. According to healthcare professionals, many issues need to be focused on in the field of spiritual counseling. The findings suggest that spiritual counseling is a multidimensional field that addresses not only individual problems and life crises but also social, relational, and professional dimensions. Topics ranging from meaning-making to health issues, family relationships, and disadvantaged groups indicate that counseling holistically supports individuals' psychological, social, and mental health needs. Furthermore, the approach emphasizes functions such as guidance, motivation, peace, and balance. At the same time, professional integrity is reinforced within the bounds and ethical principles, underscoring the need for a systematic and reliable framework.Regarding the necessity of spiritual counseling, the vast majority of health professionals view it as a crucial element in a holistic healing process that supports an individual’s psychological, social, and spiritual needs, helps resolve existential concerns, and enables coping with difficulties. Participants’ statements indicate that spiritual counseling contributes to meaning-making in life and enhances inner awareness, thereby strengthening coping abilities. Nevertheless, some participants regard this service as unnecessary or remain undecided, suggesting differing perspectives on the program's necessity. At this point, a minority of participants find the program ineffective due to perceived system inadequacies and concerns about counselors' competency levels. In conclusion, spiritual counseling and guidance could contribute to the well-being and coping processes of individuals in disadvantaged groups in our country, provided that: (i) adequate training is provided (psychology courses for individuals with theology degrees, theology education for individuals with psychology degrees, etc.), (ii) task definitions and boundaries are clearly delineated, and (iii) Providing the service in an integrated and efficient collaboration with the fields of psychology and medicine. Under these conditions, such an interdisciplinary field could be beneficial for individuals’ well-being and coping strategies.