|
Article Excerpt
Recent research on clergy-psychologist collaboration has resulted in helpful principles for clergy and psychologists working together, but very little is known about what specific characteristics in clergy are appealing to psychologists and vice versa. Two experimental survey studies are reported, both exploring characteristics that enhance or hinder collaboration. In Study 1, Southern Baptist pastors rated the likelihood of referring to a counselor who was identified as either a Biblical Counselor or a Christian Psychologist, and was identified as either being excellent in interpersonal skills or as using scripture and prayer in counseling. Pastors demonstrated a preference for counselors using scripture and prayer in counseling over those described as having excellent interpersonal skills. In Study 2, psychologist respondents rated the likelihood of referring to a clergyperson who was identified either as a Baptist or a Unitarian universalist, and was identified either as seminary trained or as having a doctoral degree from a prestigious divinity school. Psychologists demonstrated a preference for those with a doctoral degree. The weak effect sizes and comments offered on the surveys suggest that the individual relationship between clergy and psychologist is much more salient than particular demographic characteristics when considering the possibility of collaboration.
**********
Psychologists have reported very little systematic research on collaborating with clergy (Weaver et al., 1997), but this may be starting to change. Over the past decade various survey and exemplar studies have been reported (Benes, Walsh, McMinn, Dominguez, & Aikins, 2000; Budd, 1999; Chaddock & McMinn, 1999; Edwards, Lim, McMinn, & Dominguez, 1999; McMinn, Aikins, & Lish, 2003; McMinn, Chaddock, Edwards, Lim, & Campbell, 1998; McMinn, Meek, Canning, & Pozzi, 2001; McRay, McMinn, Wrightsman, Burnett, & Ho, 2001; Plante, 1999), and a recent special issue of Journal of Psychology and Christianity was devoted to the topic (McMinn & Dominguez, 2003). From this recent research, we now know various principles for effective collaboration (McMinn, Aikins, & Lish, 2003) and have learned from those who collaborate in their day-to-day professional activities (McMinn & Dominguez, 2005). However, we still do not know what specific characteristics of clergy and psychologists enhance or diminish the possibility of collaboration.
McMinn et al. (2005) used an experimental method to see what psychologist characteristics might influence clergy willingness to collaborate. They did not find any difference based on the sex of the psychologist or the type of institution at which the psychologist was trained, but there were three substantial methodological limitations that may have weakened the findings. First, a heterogeneous group of clergy from various Christian denominations was selected, which added to error variance and detracted from the study's power. Second, the clergy respondents were asked how likely they would be to collaborate in innovative ways, such as consulting with a psychologist for a new staff hire or to deal with conflict in the church. These innovative forms of collaboration appeared to be quite unfamiliar to the clergy respondents, as evidenced by their written comments on the survey. The vast majority of written comments pertained to traditional types of collaboration, such as referring a troubled parishioner for psychological services. Third, the selection and visual display of the independent variables may have lacked salience, thereby contributing to relatively modest power in the experimental design.
The first study described here was designed to eliminate these methodological problems by (a) selecting clergy from a single denomination, (b) having respondents rate the likelihood of referring a parishioner to the mental health professional, and by (c) choosing more salient independent variables. The second study was an attempt to look at a similar question from a reverse angle: How likely are psychologists to refer clients to clergy, and what factors enhance or inhibit these referral practices?
STUDY 1
We know from previous research that clergy are often sought in times of emotional difficulty, and so they function as front-line mental health workers (Weaver, Flannelly, Garbarino, Figley, & Flannelly, 2003). In some situations clergy refer troubled individuals on to a psychologist or other mental health professional, though this appears to be the exception rather than the rule for most clergy (Meylink & Gorsuch, 1988). Conservative clergy are relatively less likely to refer troubled parishioners to a mental health professional than liberal clergy (Mannon, & Crawford, 1996). Study 1 is an effort to identify the specific counselor characteristics that may promote referrals from conservative clergy.
Method
Participants. Participants recruited were clergy in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), which is a conservative tradition within Christianity (Smith, 1990). Through the website http://www.sbc.net, two hundred pastors were selected. In order to produce a diverse national sample, we used a quota sampling method selecting 40 names each from five predetermined regions of the United States. Selections were made by choosing large cities within each region and accepting participants within a 100-mile radius.
Instrument. The front side of the questionnaire included information about a hypothetical psychologist, Dr. Pat Johnson, using the following narrative: Meet Dr. Pat Johnson. Please note that he is a fictional person, made up for the purposes of this research. We are not marketing any services. We are interested in knowing how you would feel about referring a troubled person to someone like Dr. Johnson. Following this brief introduction, participants viewed a descriptive profile of Dr. Johnson indicating a professional identity and a counseling method. The possible identities were as follows:
Dr. Johnson is a Biblical Counselor: He emphasizes the importance of faith in his counseling work, and he is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Dr. Johnson is a Christian psychologist: He recognizes the importance of faith in his psychotherapy work, and he is a member of the Christian Association of Psychological Studies.
The two possible methods of counseling were as follows:
Dr. Johnson uses Scripture and prayer in his counseling sessions: He understands the causal role of sin in human problems, and recognizes that healing comes through the power of God.
Dr. Johnson has excellent interpersonal and counseling skills: He uses proven counseling methods in order to facilitate healing in human problems.
There were four variations of this questionnaire. Each questionnaire asked the participant to rate his or her likelihood to refer to Dr. Johnson based on the information provided. This study utilized a 2 x 2 factorial design with the independent variables being Dr. Johnson's professional identity and his method of counseling.
Along with the independent variables on the front page, five referral situations were presented, including depression, addiction, schizophrenia, sexual abuse, and relationship problems. A sixth referral situation involved whether or not...
|
