Abstract:

The objectives of this study are to examine religious people who have received psychological help and their attitudes towards receiving psychological help and their religious beliefs and practices, to show what role can the spiritual counseling services take for the problems faced by individuals who are stigmatized in the process of getting psychological help. In this study, which was carried out in qualitative method, people with different psychological diseases were included using snowball and maximum diversity sampling from purposeful sampling methods. By applying criterion sampling, participants were required to identify themselves as religious, to have been diagnosed and to have received professional psychological help for at least two months. Data were collected by interview technique using semi-structured interview form and interpreted using descriptive analysis. As a result of the research it was determined, stigmatization of psychological diseases as a lack of belief by one's social environment causes internal stigmatization in patients. In addition to condemning receiving medical treatment, patient's religious practices are identified and get corrected. It is observed that there is a need for spiritual support for both patients and their relatives about the right perception and treatment of psychological diseases.

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