The Elephant in the Room: Utilizing Multicultural Orientation as a Framework to Address Religion and Spirituality in Psychotherapy

Abstract This article discusses the use of the Multicultural Orientation Framework ( mco ) as an alternative to the concept of religious/spiritual competencies for therapists. We contrast the concept of competencies with the concept of orientation. We highlight the three pillars of mco : cultural humility, cultural opportunities, and cultural comfort. These pillars are applied to religious/spiritual interventions as well as the interpersonal stance of the therapist.