Download or read book Let the Church Say Amen a Qualitative Study Exploring the Experiences of African American Pastors Providing Mental Health Support written by and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how African American Pastors experience their role as mental health supporters. Researchers are continuing to conduct research to better understand some of the challenges and barriers African Americans may experience that impacts their attitudes towards mental health services. Many African Americans identify as spiritual or religious and implement coping skills based on their spiritual or religious connection to a High Power. This researcher focused on four male and four female Pastors who identified as African American and were located in the Eastern Region of the United States. The participants engaged in one semi-structured interview with the researcher. Open coding and axial coding were used to analyze the data and identify themes that emerged from the interviews. The following research questions were used to guide the study: (1) What are African Americans Pastors' experiences of mental health issues in the Black church (2)What are African Americans Pastors' beliefs in referring members to clinicians in the community (3) What are African Americans Pastors' experiences with clinicians in the mental health community and (4) What approaches can the mental health community can take in building relationships with local churches.
Download or read book Let the Church Say Amen A Qualitative Study Exploring the Experiences of African American Pastors Providing Mental Health Support written by Tiffanie D. Sutherlin and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Reported Experience and Stigma of Mental Health Among African American Clergy written by Valentina Stubbs and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The utilization of mental health treatment in the Black community has been diminished in comparison to other ethnic groups (Avent, Cashwell, & Brown-Jeffy, 2015). Members of the Black Church may have been socialized to seek help from their spiritual leader as opposed to mental health professionals. A transcendental phenomenological qualitative study (Moustakas, 1994) was used to gain an understanding of how twelve (5 male and 7 female) Black clergy experience mental health and the stigma relating to mental health. The participants completed a survey and a semi-structured interview with the researcher and described their experience with mental health issues personally and with their congregants. The data was analyzed by utilizing the Van Kaam method (Moustakas, 1994) via the lens of critical race theory (Utecht, 2014) and symbolic interactionism (Carter & Fuller, 2016). Five major themes with subthemes were discovered from the interviews. The themes included (1) views of mental health, (2) cultural beliefs regarding mental health, (3) response of clergy; (4) barriers, and (5) recognized requirements. The general theme was having a community or the need to connect with others. A few practice implications were (1) enhance understanding of mental health issues as experienced by Black clergy in the Black church, (2) partnering with Black clergy, the Black Church, and mental health professionals through community-oriented training and education, (3) improve the ability to seek assistance through associations and connections, and (4) new ways of thinking and new discoveries and/or methods of dealing with mental health issues. As Black people have been conditioned not to speak about mental health issues or pursue professional mental health treatment, a connection between mental health professionals and the Black Church and community may improve the ability to seek assistance (Rudolfsson & Milstein, 2019).
Download or read book A Phenomenological Study of Pentecostal Pastors written by Tonnya Lorraine McClure and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how Pentecostal pastors can reduce the stigma of mental health in African Americans in the Church of God in Christ churches in Northwest Georgia. The theory guiding this study is phenomenology based on Edmund Husserl’s theory as it explains the lived experiences of African American Pentecostal pastors and stigma within the African American community. The research questions for this study were: How do the perceived beliefs of African American pastors affect the way stigma and mental health illness are treated within the church?, How do Pentecostal beliefs affect help-seeking behavior for mental illness?, and How do African American pastors’ views of their role of leadership affect or overshadow how mental illness is presented in the church? Data collection consisted of semistructured, open-ended interviews with eight participants. Interviews were recorded and transcribed by the researcher utilizing Zoom and word processing software. The systematic data analysis method of Huberman and Miles was utilized to organize the data, analyze the data for theme creation, and provide a written description of results. The themes identified for this study were: (a) challenges facing the church, (b) beliefs about mental illness and stigma in the church, (c) help-seeking behavior of Pentecostals, (d) leadership roles in the church, and (e) collaboration between pastor, church, and community. Pentecostal pastors can reduce the stigma of mental health in the African American community by addressing the whole man or woman in a holistic manner.
Download or read book What Then Shall We Say to These Things written by Janeé Avent and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "African Americans are often disproportionately represented in vulnerable populations that could likely cause them to be at a greater risk for struggling with anxiety and depression (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001), however, they tend to seek professional counseling at a much lower rate than other racial and ethnic populations and instead turn their spiritual leaders as a resource (Ayalon & Young, 2005). Because of under-utilization of mental health services within the African-American community (Avalon & Young, 2005), more research attention should be directed toward factors that affect the help-seeking behaviors of African Americans (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Generally, the Black Church is considered a less stigmatized method of getting help in the Black community (Andrews, Stefurak, & Mehta, 2010), a solution for many mental health problems (Newhill & Harris, 2007) and pastors are valued as credible sources for assistance with social and psychological problems because of their status as pastor, often regardless of the pastor's educational background, knowledge of mental health issues, and previous experience (Kane & Greene, 2009). There remains much that is unknown about pastoral motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and influence related to mental health needs of their parishioners. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the pastors' response to parishioners dealing with anxiety, depression, unemployment, bereavement, and familial concerns; their motivations to encourage or discourage help-seeking outside of the Black Church; their perspectives on secular counseling services in their community; their perspective on spiritual, biological, psychological, and social coping methods; and their beliefs about identifying and responding to maladaptive religious coping strategies. Consensual Qualitative Research was used as the research protocol to collect and analyze the data. Findings from this study suggest that African Americans frequently seek help from their pastors regarding anxiety, depression, bereavement, unemployment, and relationship issues. Further, results from this study also suggest that African American pastors attribute anxiety and depression to social and spiritual spheres of influence and endorse spiritual, social, and integrative coping strategies. Moreover, African American pastors seem to differentiate between adaptive and maladaptive forms of religious coping."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.
Download or read book African American Christians Decision Making to Pursue Or Not Pursue Professional Psychological Help written by Dawn Y. Norman and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this study was to explore how African American Christians’ have experienced decision making related to seeking counseling and other mental health treatment outside of the church. To this end, this study asked the following research question: What influences African American Christians’ decisions to pursue or not pursue professional psychological help? The impact of culturally related influences on the help seeking decision making of African American Christians was explored and discussed throughout this research study. The research question for this study was addressed through a qualitative interview design. This qualitative design included interviewing a total of 12 African American men and women who identified as Christian and either Baptist or African Methodist Episcopal (AME). For optimal analysis, data were stratified by participants’ age, gender, and denomination. Analysis of the data collected produced several emergent themes. From this study’s emergent themes, it is suggested that the professional psychological help seeking decisions of African American Christians are influenced by their diverse life experiences and cultural influences. Prior research has examined patterns and barriers related to the mental health treatment of African Americans. However, this study is more specific in its exploration of the impact of cultural influences the mental health help seeking decisions of African American Christians.
Download or read book The Color of HOPE written by Pamela Robinson and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-30 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, a demographic study of the religious landscape in the United States reported that African Americans have the greatest degree of religious belief among all the racial-ethic groups (Pew Research Center 2015). Specifically, 97% of all African Americans reported belief in God, with 83% reporting belief in God with absolute certainty, and 75% of African Americans reported religion was very important in their lives, compared with 53% of people in the general population. While African American families may assist family members faced with psychiatric problems, this data suggests that Black churches are valuable places to implement mental health interventions for their population. Despite high rates of religious attendance and importance, African Americans fail to fully utilize professional mental health services relative to their White counterparts (Hankerson et al. 2011). Factors that contribute to these racial treatment disparities include distrust of providers, limited access to care, financial constraints, high attrition rates, and stigma of mental illness (Hankerson et al., 2015). African Americans who do seek professional treatment are more likely to receive lower-quality care and significantly less likely to receive guideline-concordant care (Gonzalez et al., 2010). Given the enormous individual and societal cost associated with mental disorders (Murray and Lopez 1997), exploring the role of African American faith-based organizations is an essential component of Black mental health.
Download or read book Critical Collaboration written by C. Guy Robinson and published by Archway Publishing. This book was released on 2019-07-31 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Critical Collaboration is about the critical need for partnership between pastors and mental health professionals in service to urban African American communities. While the historically African American church has done commendable work in its virtually exclusive role as emotional caregiver, there is a disproportionate susceptibility to certain mental illnesses in the African American community, which calls for a collaborative effort to advance the cause of holistic health. Critical Collaboration provides historical, socioeconomic, theological, and psychological contexts that serve to increase the awareness and cultural competence needed to bridge the gap between the professional communities of faith and mental health.
Download or read book Ministry is Very Vulnerable Work written by Brittany Clarvon Watts and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The objective of this study is to explore the experiences of Black women who have or are currently volunteering or working within Black churches. The Black church, a term created to represent the pluralism of Black churches in the United States, became a place of refuge; it was a place for individuals who desired to heal, to strengthen his/her spirit, and to gain tools to fight racism (Cone 1979). The phrase "the Black church" is both a concept and representative of religious institutions; this phrase and the term "church" will be used interchangeably throughout this paper. Thus asking, what are Black women's experiences in the Black church and how do Black women's involvement in the church impact their mental health? Current literature focuses on the protective factors that religiosity and spirituality provide, but it does not encompass Black women's full experiences within the church as it relates to their perceptions of their mental health. The importance of this study resides in our understanding of the complexity of Black women's lived experiences-the social consequences of being both Black and a woman-within sacred spaces. Furthermore, this project will address a gap in literature within the social sciences regarding the status of Black women's mental health, specifically those who dedicate their time serving the church and community. A mixed survey of both open and close-ended questions was utilized to ascertain a deeper understanding of Black women's experiences. Findings from this study suggest that Black women have a complicated relationship with the church as it relates to their mental health and service to their religious communities. The following themes elaborate on black women's give and take relationship: issues of gender inclusivity, stress due to service, visibility in the black church, social support, and the black church's impact on mental health.
Download or read book Resilience and Success of African American Pastors written by Dr. Terence O. Hayes Sr. and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2021-04-23 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The content of this manuscript is research investigated for the resilience and success of pastors in the Church of God in Christ, a Pentecostal denomination that has over six million members, to include over three-thousand pastors. The research is a phenomenological study designed to provide a narrative, interview of the participants to share their background, role, and day-to-day practices of the work of ministry as a senior pastor in this organization. The research will consist of seven to ten pastors selected from across the country, all African-American males, age groups ranging from 42 years to 72 years of age. The information will be gathered by personal interviews conducted by asking each of them the same questions to gather all the facts and data for this research design. The instrument used will be a recording device that will record all conversations that will be transcribed in writing verbatim. As the human instrument conducting this research, it will constitute travel, lodging, and scheduling of each participant that will give the researcher an intimate up and close contact with each participant. The information will be safeguarded, names will be protected and all information will be useful as a model example of what constitutes success for ministry and the tools and resources needed to maintain a healthy and productive state of mind to be resilient in leading the charge as clergymen in the field of ministry. It is with great joy and a privilege to conduct this interview with pastors serving in the Church of God in Christ.
Download or read book The Experiences of African American Pastors Treating Mental Health Issues Among Parishioners in the State of Texas written by Rosalind S. Smith and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Several recommendations for further research were made. These included further study using more wide-ranging samples of African American pastors in different states and regions and from different religious denominations. It was also recommended that research be conducted on ways to increase communication and cooperation between African American pastors and mental health professionals.
Download or read book African American Pastors Perceptions of Their Congregants Mental Health Needs written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influenced African American pastor's perceptions of mental health issues and to explore how those perceptions influenced the propensity of the pastor to counsel, consult, and or refer to mental health professionals. This study is divided into two parts. Part one examines the perceptions of the pastors and their beliefs about mental health. Part two concretized these perceptions by employing the Contextual Model of Family Stress as a guide for structuring the relationships between a pastor's perception and their attitudes toward mental health issues. Data for this investigation were gathered from a sub-sample of African American pastors originally generated from a listing of churches throughout the country. Initially 300 locally based institutions were identified. A survey was mailed to the churches explaining the purpose and goals of the study. Nearly one-third of the pastors completed the sixty-one item questionnaire. Of those who returned the original questionnaires (102), nearly three-quarters were from African American pastors (73) all of whom were included in this study. There were four hypotheses developed for this exploratory investigation: they examined the pastor's propensity to make mental health referrals; the tendency to spiritualize mental health issues; pastor's lack of support for congregants with mental health problems; and the influence of mental health training on the willingness to refer to mental health professionals. None of the hypotheses were directly supported. The application and adaptation of the Contextual Model of Family Stress to how African American pastors perceived, utilized, and responded to mental health issues was explored via path analysis. Overall, the final model explained 39% of the variance in why pastors chose to make referrals to mental health professionals. The findings suggested that the African American pastors are concerned with the mental health of their congregants. Moreover, these pastors exhibited uncommon knowledge about mental health and displayed greater willingness to work with mental health professionals than originally believed. These findings reveal that African American pastors are in touch with their congregants on multiple plains---spiritual, soul, and body---three vital dimensions, according to church doctrines and beliefs.
Download or read book Clergy Burnout and the African American Baptist Pastor written by La Shanta R. Boyce and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book African American Pastors and Traditional Professional Mental Health Services written by Kimberly Varner Tarman and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 85 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For decades, research has consistently shown that African Americans underutilize traditional professional mental health services. Similarly, African American clergy have historically demonstrated hesitance towards these resources, opting to address their parishioners’ mental health needs on their own. Recent studies examining African American clergy’s perceptions of professional psychological resources, their preferred counseling approaches, and the rates and nature of their referral patterns have revealed that while African American clergy are more open to mental health resources than in the past, inconsistencies between their worldview and the philosophies undergirding these resources may contribute to the wedge that still exists. In order to examine this phenomenon more closely, this study will explore the relationship between African American clergy’s worldview and their perceptions of traditional professional mental health services. The purpose of this study is to assist professional mental health workers in becoming a more relevant and competent resource for African American clergy and the African American church community as a whole.
Download or read book A Phenomenological View of the Lived Experience of African American Preachers Kids written by Quiana M. Golphin and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Preachers' Kids or PKs are a segment of the Christian culture that endure some of the same mental health difficulties as the rest of the population. However, there is limited research surrounding how African American preacher's kids experience their lives. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological qualitative study was to understand the lived experience of African American Preachers' Kids and their attitudes toward mental illness and secular counseling. A literature review described the evolution of the Multicultural Counseling Competencies to what is now known as the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies. Other significant aspects of the literature review assessed spirituality and religion and how historically, the Black Church has served as a foundation which has guided the help-seeking behaviors of African Americans. Thus, pastors have been influential in how African Americans perceive mental health issues and whether they decide to pursue help. Purposive snowball sampling was used to select ten African American participants between the ages of 18-45 who identified as Christian and whose parent was a pastor. Data were collected using open-ended, semi-structured interviews to address the overall research question of, "What is it like to live as a preacher's kid?" and the supplemental research questions of, "What are preachers' kids attitudes surrounding mental health and wellness?", and "What are the help-seeking behaviors of preachers' kids?". Data were analyzed using the shortened Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method (Creswell, 2013). The themes from the study were: (a) navigation of interpersonal relationships; (b) great expectations; (c) identity formation and acceptance, (d) quality of PK life, and (e) endorsement of counseling/mental health. The themes also consisted of sub-themes. The themes were synthesized to generate the essence of PK life. A discussion of the results was provided, followed by study implications and suggestions for future research.
Download or read book Factors Related to Mental Health Stigma Among Church Affiliated African Americans written by Tacia Reneice Burgin and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, yet represent nearly 20% of persons diagnosed with a mental illness. Studies suggest African Americans experience higher levels of mental health related stigma (MHS) than whites. In addition, African Americans have the highest rate of church attendance compared to all other racial/ethnic groups, and they are more likely to seek counsel from religious leaders. Although there is a growing body of research on MHS with African Americans, few studies have explored MHS predictors among church-affiliated African Americans – a population that may be important to examine given studies have shown that African American churches have great influence on health behaviors and beliefs among their members. This study used the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework’s key constructs (e.g., domains, facilitators, stigma marking, manifestations) to guide examination of predictors (e.g., mental health fear, awareness, and social support, cultural and social norms, access to mental health services, demographics, mental health conditions, and mental health-related stigma beliefs) of MHS among an African American church-affiliated population. Baseline survey data from the religiously-tailored Healthy Actions to Impact Mind and Soul (Healthy AIMS) pilot intervention study, which focused on mental health screening and linkage to care services and took place in four African American churches (N=200 participants) in Kansas City, MO, was used to determine potential predictors of mental health stigma for examination. Most participants were female (79.5%), church members (78.5%) and an average age of 53 (SD = 17). Participants endorsed moderate to high levels of MHS (M = 39.03; SD = 6.8; range 11-55). Results indicated that social support (support from others and beliefs), collaborative and self-directive religious coping, and engaging in religious activities (e.g., thinking of God, meditating, praying) were significantly related to MHS. Linear regression analysis indicated that self-directive religious coping was a positive predictor of MHS. African Americans may engage in self-directive religious coping due to negative beliefs about the connection between having a mental illness and religiosity/spirituality. Future interventions may consider addressing MHS through providing tailored education and offering screening in a trusted setting, such as African American churches.
Download or read book African American Pastoral Care written by Edward P. Wimberly and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2010-10-01 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Respond to God's unfolding drama to bring healing and reconciliation. In this major revision of his classic book, Dr. Edward Wimberly updates his narrative methodology by examining current issues in African American pastoral care and counseling.
