Spiritual Intelligence in Counselling Practice: A Clinical Case Study of Meaning-Making, Transcendence, and Emotional Healing

Abstract

Spirituality and meaning-making have long occupied a subtle yet powerful position within counselling psychology, often shaping therapeutic conversations without being explicitly named or systematically integrated. While empirical research has begun to explore spiritual intelligence (SI) as a measurable psychological construct, less attention has been devoted to how SI manifests within lived therapeutic encounters and how it contributes to emotional healing in practice. This case study paper examines spiritual intelligence as a dynamic psychological capacity that facilitates meaning reconstruction, perspective transformation, and relational reconnection within counselling. Drawing on a detailed clinical case, the paper conceptualises SI not as religiosity, nor as doctrinal belief, but as the capacity for reflective existential processing, integration of suffering, and expansion of awareness during adversity. The case illustrates how a structured yet flexible spiritually informed counselling process can ethically engage meaning, transcendence, and connection without imposing belief systems. The analysis situates the case within existential psychology, positive psychology, and spiritually integrated psychotherapy literature. The paper argues that spiritual intelligence represents a clinically relevant dimension of client functioning that enhances both symptom reduction and transformative growth. Implications for counselling practice, supervision, and training are discussed.