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Mental Health Concerns In African American Churches: Pastoral Preparedness In Counseling, Melody Samuel

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

African Americans rely heavily upon their pastors for more than spiritual guidance. Pastors are known as gatekeepers in the African American community serving as a resource to address a multitude of issues for their congregant from personal issues such as finances and marital issues, grief and bereavement, to physical and mental health issues. The aim of this study was to examine pastoral preparedness for counseling of mental health concerns in the African American church. To better understand the demand of mental health counseling for their congregants and assess the pastor’s perception of educational and training needs, 35 pastors and/or associate …