The Role of Spirituality in Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Addiction: Perspectives of Mental Health Professionals

While psychosocial interventions are foundational to addiction treatment, the integration of spiritual dimensions remains an evolving frontier in professional practice. Adopting an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) design, this study explored how 21 mental health professionals (clinical psychologists and social workers) in Türkiye made sense of their experiences with integrating spirituality into addiction rehabilitation. Data gathered through semi-structured, in-depth interviews revealed three primary themes: the role of spirituality in addiction treatment, family in addiction and spirituality relationship, and integration of spirituality into addiction treatment. Specifically, the findings demonstrate that while targeted spiritual resources can significantly facilitate long-term sobriety and relapse prevention, professionals routinely struggle with ethical boundaries due to a lack of formal training. Recognizing this gap, the results suggest that developing specialized, evidence-based training modules and culturally sensitive guidelines could safely optimize the recovery process. Ultimately, this study contributes to the literature by moving beyond the theoretical value of spirituality, highlighting the practical necessity for structured protocols that protect clinical boundaries while leveraging patient-centered resources.