A leading Catholic counselor says faith-based spirituality should be incorporated into psychological therapy, to help combat Taiwan’s ever increasing social problems.

With suicide, infanticide and domestic violence on the rise, a religious or spiritual perspective can bring a more positive outlook to life, said Maria Cheng, director of the Huai Jen Center for Human Becoming.

She was speaking to a group of 360 scholars, teachers, religious leaders and charity workers at a faith-based counseling conference, held at the Fu Jen Academia Catholica, Taipei.

Chia Hong-ing, assistant professor at National Dong Hua University showed the assembly three examples of how women with cancer used spiritual reflection to change their negative attitudes.

Other speakers mentioned that the recent trend of active exchange and dialog between various Christian churches is helping to raise the standard of counseling in Taiwan.

Statistics from the Health Department of Taiwan show that suicides have doubled in under a decade, from around 2,000 cases in 2000 to 4,000 last year. Among them, suicides in the 15-24 age range have increased most substantially by 31.6%.

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