Psychology and the church: An exemplar of psychologistclergy collaboration (original) (raw)
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Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1997
To better understand the role of clergy in relation to the practice of psychology, a systematic review of research on clergy in 8 major American Psychological Association journals was conducted. From 1991 to 1994, 4 of 2,468 (0.02%) quantitative studies considered clergy in their data. This examination of the literature suggests that psychology lacks an original empirical literature that can enable a scientific evaluation of the beneficial or harmful effects of clergy involvement in mental health care. Professional psychology should give greater consideration of and collaboration with clergy. One of the most creative and promising directions that professional psychology has taken is an increased interest in multidisciplinary collaboration (Hinshaw & DeLeon, 1995). Examples of professional collaboration have been noted between psychol-ANDREW J. WEAVER is a United Methodist minister and clinical psychologist at Hawaii State Hospital in Kaneohe, Hawaii, and is a member of the clinical faculty, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii. His research interests include the role of clergy in mental health and the psychological dynamics of religious coping.
Psychologists collaborating with clergy
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1998
If a patient adheres to religious values and practices, should the treating psychologist get input from a clergyperson? How frequent is clergy-psychologist collaboration? What obstacles impede such collaboration? An exploratory survey questionnaire was sent to 200 clergy, 200 psychologists interested in religious issues, and 200 psychologists selected without regard to religious interests or values. Four themes were assessed: types of collaborative activities, frequency of collaboration, obstacles to collaboration, and ways to enhance collaboration. Strategies for promoting clergypsychologist collaboration include challenging unidirectional referral assumptions, building trust through proximity and familiarity, and considering the importance of shared values and beliefs. When did you last reflect on the range of other professionals with whom you have regular contact? Who was on the list? Other psychologists, a couple psychiatrists, a few social workers, some teachers (if you work with children), and some primary care physicians-and maybe some nurses? Any clergy? The professional practice of psychology has changed over past decades, and the amount of professional collaboration has expanded (
Examples of collaboration between psychologists and clergy
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1999
Some psychologists may be interested in working collaboratively with clergy and yet may not know where to start. What kinds of collaborative projects are possible? A qualitative analysis of 77 narratives offered by psychologists and clergy involved in collaboration revealed that collaboration between psychologists and clergy currently takes place in at least four contexts: mental health services, parish life, community concerns, and academics. Reported obstacles to collaboration are also described. Essential attitudes for psychologists interested in collaborating with clergy include respecting clergy as professionals, willingness to venture out from traditional professional settings, and exploring innovative collaborative possibilities.
Collaborate With Whom? Clergy Responses to Psychologist Characteristics
2005
Some clergy and psychologists are willing to collaborate in providing for people under their care and some are reticent. The purpose of this research is to see if clergy are more likely to collaborate with psychologists of a particular sex or training background Six groups of clergy were given written descriptions of a psychologist that varied on these two dimensions-the institution from which the psychologist received training and sexand were then asked to rate how likely they would be to participate in 7 collaborative scenarios with the psychologist. No group differences were found Furthermore, clergy characteristics were not significantly related to their likelihood of collaborating with psychologists. Differences were observed among the 7 collaborative scenarios, suggesting that clergy are more interested in some forms of collaboration than others. It appears that idiographic relational factors are ultimately more important than general demographic categories in establishing clergy-psychologist collaboration. Religion plays a vital role in the lives of many Americans. In fact, 3 out of 5 Americans consider religion to be very important to their Jives (Gallup and Lindsay, 1999). Not surprisingly then, many individuals, couples, and families are inclined to seek help first from clergy rather than from a professional psychologist. Clergy are the frontline mental health workers in the United States (Weaver, Flannelly, Garbarino, Figley, and Flannelly, 2003), with somewhere between 25% ("Mental Health Patients," 2004) and 40% of counseling Clients (Meylink and Gorsuch, 1988) seeking help of clergy first when facing troubles. For example, people grieving the death of someone close have reported nearly five times the likelihood of seeking the aid of a clergyperson than all other mental health sources combined (Veroff, Kulka, and Douvan, 1981).
Clergy interest in innovative collaboration with psychologists
Journal of Psychology and …, 2003
W11at forms of innovative collaboration m•e possible between clergy and psychologists? A total of 117 clergypersons (63%, response rate) rated 6 scenarios of collaboration, indicating their level of interest and the extent to which they would like to remain involved with the psychologist. The scenarios were derived from two categories of collaboration atticulated by in previous research: mental health services and enhancing parish life. Overall, clergy expressed relatively modest levels of interest in innovative collaboration, though they were somewhat interested in mental health consultation services. Many clergy refer troubled parishioners to clinical or counseling psychologists for treatment, but appear less interested in more innovative forms of collaboration.
2005
Some clergy and psychologists are willing to collaborate in providing for people under their care and some are reticent. The purpose of this research is to see if clergy are more likely to collaborate with psychologists of a particular sex or training background Six groups of clergy were given written descriptions of a psychologist that varied on these two dimensions-the institution from which the psychologist received training and sexand were then asked to rate how likely they would be to participate in 7 collaborative scenarios with the psychologist. No group differences were found Furthermore, clergy characteristics were not significantly related to their likelihood of collaborating with psychologists. Differences were observed among the 7 collaborative scenarios, suggesting that clergy are more interested in some forms of collaboration than others. It appears that idiographic relational factors are ultimately more important than general demographic categories in establishing clergy-psychologist collaboration. Religion plays a vital role in the lives of many Americans. In fact, 3 out of 5 Americans consider religion to be very important to their Jives (Gallup and Lindsay, 1999). Not surprisingly then, many individuals, couples, and families are inclined to seek help first from clergy rather than from a professional psychologist. Clergy are the frontline mental health workers in the United States (Weaver, Flannelly, Garbarino, Figley, and Flannelly, 2003), with somewhere between 25% ("Mental Health Patients," 2004) and 40% of counseling Clients (Meylink and Gorsuch, 1988) seeking help of clergy first when facing troubles. For example, people grieving the death of someone close have reported nearly five times the likelihood of seeking the aid of a clergyperson than all other mental health sources combined (Veroff, Kulka, and Douvan, 1981).
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 2001
Church-psychology collaboration is gaining attention among professional psychologists, but few training or practical research opportunities are available for those interested in collaborating with religious leaders and organizations. The authors introduce the Center for Church-Psychology Collaboration (CCPC), with its mission to make sustained and relevant contributions to the research literature in psychology, train doctoral students in effective means of collaborating with religious organizations, and provide service to religious communities throughout the world. Domestic and global implications are discussed. Several articles regarding church-psychology collaboration have recently appeared in
A Place for the Church within Professional Psychology
Journal of Psychology and Theology, 2010
There are various reasons why Christian psychologists may resist fully participating in a church community. Among these are historic tensions between science and religion, the complexity of multiple role relationships, cynicism related to clients’ negative experiences in religious communities, and differing perspectives on attributions and human nature. Despite these obstacles, there are compelling reasons for psychologists to remain involved in church. Eight of these reasons are described—clustered into professional, relational, and transformational domains—and implications discussed.
Values Affecting Collaboration among Psychologists and Evangelical Clergy
Journal of Psychology and Theology, 1999
V alues A f f e c t in g C o l l a b o r a t io n A m o n g P s y c h o l o g is t s a n d Ev a n g e l ic a l C lergy The relationship between psychology and religion has a long historical foundation. Oden (1987) notes: Long before psychology was a distinct profession, pastors engaged in activities that required psychological wisdom. Pastors have struggled for the health of persons and the life of souls in ways that anticipate and resemble contemporary psychotherapies. (p. 5)