{"id":{"repo_id":"middlesex","oai_identifier":"oai:repository.mdx.ac.uk:8q6ww"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/middlesex/oai:repository.mdx.ac.uk:8q6ww","repository":{"repo_id":"middlesex","name":"Middlesex University","base_url":"https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/oai2"},"display":{"title":"Both sides of the coin: counsellors’ stories of the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood","abstract":"This study explored seven counsellors’ experiences of the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The primary aims were to facilitate volunteer co-researchers in the telling of their own and/or their clients’ anonymised stories of growing up within Fundamentalist Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, to psycho-educate professionals and add to the sparse literature on what is often a hidden topic. The research questions were ‘Might a fundamentalist religious upbringing be influential on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood? What are counsellors’ experiences?’ The methodology combined relational-centred reflexivity with the collaborative narrative approach (Arvay, 2003; Etherington, 2004; Finlay & Evans, 2009), with co-researchers being fully involved in a seven-stage process. Stories were collected via unstructured interviews, with a separate reflexive analysis process leading to interpretative interviews, which then produced summative ‘pen portraits’ for each co-researcher. The advantages and disadvantages of a strict religious childhood were identified in the findings. Benefits include learning about religious matters from a young age, foundational beliefs and values, and a sense of belonging obtained within a religious community, enabling resilience. Conversely, physical and mental health challenges in adulthood were linked to the familial environmental dynamics of a ‘them and us’ culture, feeling different, imposed ‘all-or-nothing’ rules, and authoritarian parental fearmongering through indoctrination. The outcomes demonstrated the importance of being heard and understood when stories about the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood are shared. Psycho-education of counsellors and psychotherapists, and other caring professionals in related occupations, is regarded as crucial. The original contribution to knowledge from this UK-based study is that counsellors’ stories have revealed that there can be beneficial and detrimental aspects of a fundamentalist religious upbringing that can positively or negatively influence mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The power of such stories being heard and validated by an understanding professional is evident.","abstract_html":"This study explored seven counsellors’ experiences of the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The primary aims were to facilitate volunteer co-researchers in the telling of their own and/or their clients’ anonymised stories of growing up within Fundamentalist Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, to psycho-educate professionals and add to the sparse literature on what is often a hidden topic. The research questions were ‘Might a fundamentalist religious upbringing be influential on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood? What are counsellors’ experiences?’ The methodology combined relational-centred reflexivity with the collaborative narrative approach (Arvay, 2003; Etherington, 2004; Finlay & Evans, 2009), with co-researchers being fully involved in a seven-stage process. Stories were collected via unstructured interviews, with a separate reflexive analysis process leading to interpretative interviews, which then produced summative ‘pen portraits’ for each co-researcher. The advantages and disadvantages of a strict religious childhood were identified in the findings. Benefits include learning about religious matters from a young age, foundational beliefs and values, and a sense of belonging obtained within a religious community, enabling resilience. Conversely, physical and mental health challenges in adulthood were linked to the familial environmental dynamics of a ‘them and us’ culture, feeling different, imposed ‘all-or-nothing’ rules, and authoritarian parental fearmongering through indoctrination. The outcomes demonstrated the importance of being heard and understood when stories about the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood are shared. Psycho-education of counsellors and psychotherapists, and other caring professionals in related occupations, is regarded as crucial. The original contribution to knowledge from this UK-based study is that counsellors’ stories have revealed that there can be beneficial and detrimental aspects of a fundamentalist religious upbringing that can positively or negatively influence mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The power of such stories being heard and validated by an understanding professional is evident.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Harvey, G."],"institution":"Middlesex University / Metanoia Institute","degree_name":null,"degree_level":"DPsych thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022","date_published":"2022","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:03:51Z","subjects":["Methodology, Co-researchers, Collaboration, Stories, Fundamentalist Religion, Mental Health, and Wellbeing"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:repository.mdx.ac.uk:8q6ww"],"render_values":[{"text":"oai:repository.mdx.ac.uk:8q6ww","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Harvey, G."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2022"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2022"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["Middlesex University / Metanoia Institute"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/8q6ww"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/8q6ww"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis or dissertation"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["DPsych thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Methodology, Co-researchers, Collaboration, Stories, Fundamentalist Religion, Mental Health, and Wellbeing"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:repository.mdx.ac.uk:8q6ww"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/download/f078cfce3ff1611c8690be08d7d7cf41740ad6c0e89e24d0295f203fe6e074c1/39841475/GMHarvey%20thesis%20EMBARGO.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["This study explored seven counsellors’ experiences of the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The primary aims were to facilitate volunteer co-researchers in the telling of their own and/or their clients’ anonymised stories of growing up within Fundamentalist Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, to psycho-educate professionals and add to the sparse literature on what is often a hidden topic. The research questions were ‘Might a fundamentalist religious upbringing be influential on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood? What are counsellors’ experiences?’ The methodology combined relational-centred reflexivity with the collaborative narrative approach (Arvay, 2003; Etherington, 2004; Finlay & Evans, 2009), with co-researchers being fully involved in a seven-stage process. Stories were collected via unstructured interviews, with a separate reflexive analysis process leading to interpretative interviews, which then produced summative ‘pen portraits’ for each co-researcher. The advantages and disadvantages of a strict religious childhood were identified in the findings. Benefits include learning about religious matters from a young age, foundational beliefs and values, and a sense of belonging obtained within a religious community, enabling resilience. Conversely, physical and mental health challenges in adulthood were linked to the familial environmental dynamics of a ‘them and us’ culture, feeling different, imposed ‘all-or-nothing’ rules, and authoritarian parental fearmongering through indoctrination. The outcomes demonstrated the importance of being heard and understood when stories about the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood are shared. Psycho-education of counsellors and psychotherapists, and other caring professionals in related occupations, is regarded as crucial. The original contribution to knowledge from this UK-based study is that counsellors’ stories have revealed that there can be beneficial and detrimental aspects of a fundamentalist religious upbringing that can positively or negatively influence mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The power of such stories being heard and validated by an understanding professional is evident."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study explored seven counsellors’ experiences of the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The primary aims were to facilitate volunteer co-researchers in the telling of their own and/or their clients’ anonymised stories of growing up within Fundamentalist Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, to psycho-educate professionals and add to the sparse literature on what is often a hidden topic. The research questions were ‘Might a fundamentalist religious upbringing be influential on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood? What are counsellors’ experiences?’ The methodology combined relational-centred reflexivity with the collaborative narrative approach (Arvay, 2003; Etherington, 2004; Finlay & Evans, 2009), with co-researchers being fully involved in a seven-stage process. Stories were collected via unstructured interviews, with a separate reflexive analysis process leading to interpretative interviews, which then produced summative ‘pen portraits’ for each co-researcher. The advantages and disadvantages of a strict religious childhood were identified in the findings. Benefits include learning about religious matters from a young age, foundational beliefs and values, and a sense of belonging obtained within a religious community, enabling resilience. Conversely, physical and mental health challenges in adulthood were linked to the familial environmental dynamics of a ‘them and us’ culture, feeling different, imposed ‘all-or-nothing’ rules, and authoritarian parental fearmongering through indoctrination. The outcomes demonstrated the importance of being heard and understood when stories about the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood are shared. Psycho-education of counsellors and psychotherapists, and other caring professionals in related occupations, is regarded as crucial. The original contribution to knowledge from this UK-based study is that counsellors’ stories have revealed that there can be beneficial and detrimental aspects of a fundamentalist religious upbringing that can positively or negatively influence mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The power of such stories being heard and validated by an understanding professional is evident."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Both sides of the coin: counsellors’ stories of the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Harvey, G."],"dc:date":["2022"],"dc:date.issued":["2022"],"dc:description":["This study explored seven counsellors’ experiences of the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The primary aims were to facilitate volunteer co-researchers in the telling of their own and/or their clients’ anonymised stories of growing up within Fundamentalist Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, to psycho-educate professionals and add to the sparse literature on what is often a hidden topic. The research questions were ‘Might a fundamentalist religious upbringing be influential on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood? What are counsellors’ experiences?’ The methodology combined relational-centred reflexivity with the collaborative narrative approach (Arvay, 2003; Etherington, 2004; Finlay & Evans, 2009), with co-researchers being fully involved in a seven-stage process. Stories were collected via unstructured interviews, with a separate reflexive analysis process leading to interpretative interviews, which then produced summative ‘pen portraits’ for each co-researcher. The advantages and disadvantages of a strict religious childhood were identified in the findings. Benefits include learning about religious matters from a young age, foundational beliefs and values, and a sense of belonging obtained within a religious community, enabling resilience. Conversely, physical and mental health challenges in adulthood were linked to the familial environmental dynamics of a ‘them and us’ culture, feeling different, imposed ‘all-or-nothing’ rules, and authoritarian parental fearmongering through indoctrination. The outcomes demonstrated the importance of being heard and understood when stories about the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood are shared. Psycho-education of counsellors and psychotherapists, and other caring professionals in related occupations, is regarded as crucial. The original contribution to knowledge from this UK-based study is that counsellors’ stories have revealed that there can be beneficial and detrimental aspects of a fundamentalist religious upbringing that can positively or negatively influence mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The power of such stories being heard and validated by an understanding professional is evident."],"dc:description.abstract":["This study explored seven counsellors’ experiences of the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The primary aims were to facilitate volunteer co-researchers in the telling of their own and/or their clients’ anonymised stories of growing up within Fundamentalist Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, to psycho-educate professionals and add to the sparse literature on what is often a hidden topic. The research questions were ‘Might a fundamentalist religious upbringing be influential on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood? What are counsellors’ experiences?’ The methodology combined relational-centred reflexivity with the collaborative narrative approach (Arvay, 2003; Etherington, 2004; Finlay & Evans, 2009), with co-researchers being fully involved in a seven-stage process. Stories were collected via unstructured interviews, with a separate reflexive analysis process leading to interpretative interviews, which then produced summative ‘pen portraits’ for each co-researcher. The advantages and disadvantages of a strict religious childhood were identified in the findings. Benefits include learning about religious matters from a young age, foundational beliefs and values, and a sense of belonging obtained within a religious community, enabling resilience. Conversely, physical and mental health challenges in adulthood were linked to the familial environmental dynamics of a ‘them and us’ culture, feeling different, imposed ‘all-or-nothing’ rules, and authoritarian parental fearmongering through indoctrination. The outcomes demonstrated the importance of being heard and understood when stories about the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood are shared. Psycho-education of counsellors and psychotherapists, and other caring professionals in related occupations, is regarded as crucial. The original contribution to knowledge from this UK-based study is that counsellors’ stories have revealed that there can be beneficial and detrimental aspects of a fundamentalist religious upbringing that can positively or negatively influence mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. 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