Results of the Rech Conference Survey on Religious Faith and Professional Psychology

Abstract

The results of an extensive survey of the alumni of three doctoral- and four master's-level Christian graduate training programs in professional psychology are reported. The purpose of the survey was to assess how programs have done in training students in the integration of psychology and Christian faith. A total of 1,548 surveys were mailed out; a return rate of 41.3% limited the conclusiveness of the findings. The sample was found to be morally and religiously conservative; master's alumni were typically more conservative than were doctoral alumni. Alumni overwhelmingly identified themselves as evangelicals and reported a fairly high frequency of defined “religious behaviors.” Graduate training experiences had a moderately positive impact upon personal faith. Satisfaction with training in the task of integration was quite modest. Various measures indicated substantial commitment to the integration of Christian faith and the practice of professional psychology. Practitioners are most frequently eclectic, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, or family systems in orientation. Frequency of use of specifically “religious” intervention techniques was low.