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tijdschriftpersoonsgerichte
experiëntiële
psychotherapie
Process-oriented
Existential
Interactional
Integrative

Therapy for children, adolescents and their family system with a Reformed Protestant background: the role of religious meaning-making

ARTICLESara Goedbloed-den Haan en Willy Colin - 64–2 (2026)

SUMMARY

Practitioners frequently encounter clients from a Reformed Protestant background, depending on the sociocultural context of their clinical practice. Despite this prevalence, there is a relative lack of literature concerning the specific therapeutic needs of this population. This article provides background information on Reformed clients and identifies key clinical considerations for therapy involving individuals and their family systems. The primary objective is to facilitate a professional dialogue among clinicians - ranging from those with secular or diverse backgrounds to those with shared religious roots - regarding the divergent lived experiences of clients raised within the Reformed tradition. Furthermore, the article addresses the broader clinical significance of integrating religious experience and existential meaning-making into the therapeutic relationship.

KEYWORDS

Reformed Protestant, youth, family, person-centered approach

The tPeP (Journal Person-centered experiential Psychotherapy) is the scientific journal for Dutch and Flemish psychotherapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists, that work from, or are interested in a client-centered perspective.