Assessment of Patients' Religious Values

In Reply: Mr. Storch writes to emphasize a crucial point: there is an important nexus between religion and mental health that most clinicians do not adequately address. We agree. Our previous work, which we cited, has affirmed the utility of religion in promoting psychological health among large populations. With a few emerging exceptions (1), the training of mental health professionals tends to neglect their need to understand and work comfortably with religious issues. This neglect clashes with the growing interest in psychology and religion in our popular culture.