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CLINICAL PRACTICE

A Salutogenic Approach: Addressing the Mind, Body, and Spirit from the Society for Christian Psychology CHRISTIAN PSYCH NOTES Amy Oberg, MSP, BCCC

w What is salutogenesis? Salutogenesis is the origin of health and what helps people stay well, even when life is hard. The word breaks down like this: l “Salus” means health or well-being. l “Genesis” means the beginning or the source. Salutogenesis is all about the origins of health—what creates it, what supports it, and what helps us keep it. It is less about what causes sickness and more about what keeps us strong and healthy... in the midst of a chaotic human life. You may be more familiar with the pathogenic ap proach, which is much more common in society. When someone goes to the doctor, they report symptoms that suggest disease or illness, and the doctor provides a

diagnosis to manage or treat it. Pathogenesis focuses on disease or illness, typically addressed through medical or pharmaceutical treatments. We can all be grateful for the technological advances in medicine, which have likely saved our lives on multi ple occasions. However, the unfortunate outcome of this pathogenic-only or diagnosis-focused approach is a dis connect from the holistic human being, created by God as mind, body, and spirit. Salutogenesis is a rapidly growing, health-focused, and health-promotion field of theories, academia, and clinical approaches to understanding the relationship between biological, psychological, social, and spiritual assets that construct well-being. In ministry, clinical practice, counseling, life coaching,

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