James N. Sells

Summary: A proposal for collaborative efforts between mental health professionals and congregations to multiply the resources available to address the burgeoning mental health crisis,

Wherever I turn, I read about the rising incidence of mental health needs for every age group. Every counseling center I know has long wait lists to see a counselor. And clinicians are running hard and face issues of overwork and burnout. And sometimes our unaddressed mental health crises spill into the news in mass shootings, road rage, or people who died “unexpectedly” or of “undisclosed causes.” More quietly, millions struggle with depression or various forms of anxiety that sometimes constrain the full expression of their gifts.

The writers of this book contend that the mental health crisis is far outstripping the available resources of mental health professionals and the traditional model of the clinician meeting for 50 minutes once a week with a client (the clinical hour), serving roughly 200 clients in a year. They propose that by collaborating with local faith communities, they can multiply the resources available to meet this crisis. This can take various forms from consultations with pastors on pastoral care with people with mental health needs to providing or supporting facilitation of various support groups, to working with churches to set up “para-professional” care ministries with trained and supervised volunteers. In the latter model, clinicians might scale back their own caseload to work with such ministries, multiplying their own efforts.

They address a concern raised in churches with how “Christian” counseling is. The second part of the book addresses integration. The authors propose a “thick,” embodied type of integration where theology is relationally fleshed out. They begin from a trinitarian base of what it means as counselors to be attached to the Father (coram Deo), Son (Immanuel), and Spirit (Paraclete) and then to draw upon one’s clinical training to most effectively care for people. They advocate for training that fosters both theological acuity and clinical excellence and is embodied in hospitality, justice, and compassion.

The third part of the book addresses how a collaboration with the church can thrive, avoiding the result of well-intentioned but poorly trained and supervised people doing harm in the name of good. They elaborate the theological foundations of Christian care and delineate what is necessary for good oversight of church counselors. The growing field of consultation and the various ways from informal consultation to workshops and training to planning and consultation to set up church-based programs of mental health care. They introduce practices of church development and program development–extending mental health to the corporate life and mission of the church. And they discuss both the economics of creating sustainable programs and ethical standards that should govern all such efforts.

I missed any discussions of legal liabilities and legal compliance issues. Perhaps these are too specific to address in this book but it seems they might be acknowledged. I also wondered if there might be some scaling of what sorts of collaboration might be possible for churches of different sizes. It seemed to me that some forms, like a church-based, trained “para-professional” counselors staffing a care ministry would necessitate a congregation of some size and financial resources whereas informal consultation arrangements might serve smaller congregations well.

The authors of this work offer an intriguing proposal. We just can’t train enough professionals fast enough to meet our current mental health crisis. But there may well be a hidden resource in the church and the possibility of collaborations that both multiply the efforts of clinicians and enhance the ministry and mission of congregations. They offer enough stories of examples of where this is happening to make the case for exploring these possibilities more widely. And might such a collaboration renew the church’s ancient practice of the “cure of souls” bringing both theological and psychological insight into this honored calling?

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.… (mehr)