Fostering Spirituality and Well-Being in Clinical Practice

Mental health professionals and their patients are increasingly aware of the basic need of all human beings for a source of meaning that is greater than one’s self. This growth in awareness is driven by the professional’s practical goal of reducing disability from mental disorders and by the heartfelt wishes of the suffering for their therapists to recognize of the need for self-transcendence. As a result, mental health professionals and the general public are growing in awareness of the need to foster spirituality and well-being in clinical practice. There is a groundswell of professional work to focus on the development of health and happiness, rather than merely to fight disease and distress. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Cloninger is Wallace Renard Professor of Psychiatry, Genetics, and Psychology; and director, Sansone Family Center for Well-Being, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Address reprint requests to: C. Robert Cloninger, MD, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8134, 660 South Euclid, St. Louis, MO 63110; or e-mail clon@tci.wustl.edu. Dr. Cloninger disclosed no relevant financial relationships.