Dr Blunt.com - Religion and Mental Health: Foursquare Church Pastors

Pastoral Research Study -- Abstract: Different philosophical perspectives have emerged regarding the basis for mental health healing that contrast pastoral counselors with their secular counterparts. These philosophical differences limit client referrals, treatment options, and professional collaboration between religion and psychology. Previous research shows secular counseling is a viable option for pastors as they assist congregants in more liberal denominations with mental health issues. However, there is an absence of research addressing whether Foursquare Church pastors view secular counseling and referral as beneficial for their congregants. This non-experimental quantitative study, drawing upon therapy and counseling theories, included survey data from 134 Foursquare Church pastors on their views toward theology, counseling, secular referral, and counseling preparedness and confidence using the Pastoral Attitudinal Survey toward Referral scale (PASTOR) and the Scriptural Literalism Scale (SLS). Key research questions assessed the pastors responses to theological, counseling, and referral subscales as a function of the pastors age, experience, counseling course credits, and theological conservatism. Principal component analysis and univariate analysis of variance demonstrated the pastors were a homogeneous group in their recognition of the value of secular referral; however, the majority of the pastors who responded in this study would not refer their congregants to secular counselors.

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