ISSN 2348-3156 (Print) International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research ISSN 2348-3164 (online) Vol. 10, Issue 4, pp: (397-404), Month: October - December 2022, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
Perspective study of seminarians and clergies on integration of pastoral counselling ministry and clinical psychology in meeting mental health needs of Church members: A web-based survey Gideon Ngi Nganyu1, Samuel Ojuade (PhD)2 1
PhD candidate, African International University, Karen, Kenya. 2
Lecturer, African International University, Karen, Kenya. (ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5830-3141). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7261118
Published Date: 28-October-2022
Abstract: Integration of theology and psychology to understand human behavior is crucial to offer holistic help and support in maintaining mental health of Church members. Both psychology and theology provide functional worldviews through which we can study and understand human behavior. This perspective study is a web-based qualitative survey, aimed at seeking opinion of seminarians and clergies on integration of pastoral counselling ministry and clinical psychology in meeting mental health needs of Church members. Data was collected from 36 respondents using google form. These respondents are seminarians (15, 41.7%), Church pastors (11, 30.6%), pastors but not pastoring yet (5, 13.9%), and seminary lecturers (5, 13.9%). Data collected was analyzed thematically. Key themes that emerged from the study showed that seminary training on preaching, biblical preaching and church administration is inadequate for holistic ministry. This is because, many of Church members were having several mental health conditions, which the Church pastors are not trained to tackle. Instead, most pastors result into praying and counseling members having mental conditions with Bible truth, while some make referral to the professionals. This study concludes that seminary where pastors are being trained might consider including courses in clinical psychology for holistic ministry. Keywords: Perspective study, integration, pastoral counselling ministry, clinical psychology, mental health needs, Church members, seminarians and clergies.
1. INTRODUCTION There has been upsurge of mental health issues globally and that people with severe mental health conditions die prematurely due to preventable physical conditions (World Health Organization [WHO], 2022). This implies that many victims of mental health and physical conditions die as a result of preventable conditions. Similarly, prevalence of mental health problems has been on the rise globally sequel to pandemic (Kaufman, Petkova, Bhui, & Schulze, 2020). Despite the rise, mental health remains one of the most neglected areas of health globally. Statistics show that about 1 billion people are living with a mental disorder, and that more than 75% with the disorder do not receive treatment. The report also indicated that close to 3 million people die every year due to substance abuse and that at every 40 seconds, a person dies by suicide (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020). In addition, statistics showed that life is full of conflicts and
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