Exploring Spirituality in a Counseling Course During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study of Students' Spirituality and Practices

Spirituality has been found to be a protective factor in times of crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic represented a shared crisis experience that led to significant stressors, losses, and radical adjustments both personally and professionally among counselors and counselors-in-training. With research supporting the role of comprehensive spiritual practices and the need for integrating spirituality within counselor education programs, this mixed methods study explored how fifteen students experienced spirituality in counseling course in a CACREP-accredited master's program as they navigated the uncertainty of the pandemic. Implications for counselor education and recommendations for future research are presented.