Clergy not prepared to meet congregations' mental health needs
Religious people tend to turn to
clergy for help and support in times of trouble.
But when that trouble manifests as a mental
health issue, odds are their pastor or rabbi is not well-equipped to
respond effectively, said Jared Pingleton, a licensed clinical psychologist.
"They were trained in theology,"
said Pingleton, clinical director for the American Association of Christian
Counselors.
"They're not trained to deal with that 2
o'clock call with a suicidal emergency," Pingleton
said. "They're not trained to know how to care or cope with people
who are in the throws throes of a serious depression controlled by an
addictive substance or behavior or headed to a divorce lawyer."
That is the reality for the Rev. Jim Hughes,
who leads Belle Meade United Methodist Church.
It is not that Hughes doesn't want
to help his 400 or so church members, but he knows from 43 years of ministry
experience that professional counselors are far more effective than he could
ever be at addressing mental health issues.
"I tend to kind of limit myself to three
conversations," Hughes said. "If whatever is going on with
somebody can't be really addressed and gotten on a good path, if that can't be
done in three, they need to be referred."
The stakes can be high for how pastors
respond, too. An oblique or cursory response can leave someone feeling
dismissed, intensifying a person's shame, Pingleton said.
And a mental health crisis for someone who is suicidal can be a
matter of life and death.
But strides are being made in the faith
community on how to recognize and address mental health
needs.
More and more, seminaries and Bible
schools are introducing their students to mental health issues, Pingleton said.
Churches, especially large, healthy and progressive congregations, are adding
counseling staff to their ministry teams, he said.
Just 14 percent of churches have a counselor
on staff trained in mental illness and 13 percent train leaders to recognize
the signs, according to a 2014 LifeWay Research survey of
Protestant pastors. Only 27 percent have a plan to assist families
affected by mental illness.
Pastors need to preach about mental
health, acknowledging the reality of the issues, Pingleton
said. According to the LifeWay Research survey, 49 percent of pastors
rarely or never speak about acute mental illness in sermons or large group
messages.
"When there is a sermon about mental and
relational health needs, that ends the silence, it eliminates the shame and it
erases the stigma," Pingleton said.
Clergy members also need to build a list of
trusted counseling professionals they can refer congregation members to in
times of need, Pingleton said.
"They need to learn the art of making an
effective referral," Pingleton said. "You need to make sure the
parishioner or congregant isn't offended or feels rejected."
At Belle Meade United Methodist, Hughes has a
resource list for moments when needs go beyond his abilities.
The church also opened its doors in the last
year to a counseling center led by a licensed clinical pastoral
therapist. They see it as a ministry of the church, but it serves the wider
community. The first visit is free for church members, and follow-ups are
offered on a sliding scale. Hughes has already referred church members to
it.
To offset the financial cost of therapy, the
church received a grant to help seniors pay for it. The rent the counseling
center pays the church goes into a fund to assist those who need financial
help.
It is not just congregation members
seeking help from the Belle Meade church, which is in an affluent part of the
city and located on a bus line and major thoroughfare. Hughes
receives calls and visits from those experiencing homelessness or those
recently released from jail who are in need of help. Mental illness and
addiction are present in both populations.
"Most clergy are not equipped. We might
pretend like we are, but we're not," Hughes said. "We need these
resources. We need to be able to put people in the right hands."
Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com or
615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.