The Counseling Psychologist

The thesis of this article is that psychologists can benefit in assessment and counseling of clients and in research by understanding the religious development of many of their religious clients throughout the life span. Theories of religious development are reviewed in the initial section of the article. Generally, the early life of the religious person is well described by using a variety of stage theories; however, at adolescence and beyond, prediction is enhanced by using life-event or transition theory perspectives. In the second section, research is reviewed on a variety of issues involving religion over the life span. In the final section, the implications of theory and research on religious involvement in therapy are investigated, and number of important questions for assessment, treatment, and research are identified

This study examined female counseling psychology doctoral students' perceptions of the type and extent of training they had received concerning lesbian and gay people. Participants, 213 female students from at least 31 counseling psychology programs, completed a 33-item survey designed to examine their perceptions of the frequency and manner in which lesbian and gay issues were addressed in their training. Results of the analyses indicated that female students receive little exposure to lesbian- or gay-related issues or to lesbian or gay clients and thus are not trained to work with these clients. Further results and implications are presented and discussed