Page 98 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 8

Christian Psychology alive

Collins (2007, p45) mentioned that “caring reported maintaining counselee records and
communities are groups of people who have a providing supervision to counsellors. A con-
strong commitment to the group and a common cern was raised and need expressed that coun-
interest in giving encouragement, guidance, and sellors in churches have to receive training to
healing when there are psychological, spiritual, be able to effectively help a counselee to avoid
and relational or other needs”. This confirms the worsening their situation further. Church lea-
value of the church in the community, also that, ders expressed lacking adequate counselling
in all institutions of society the church has the skills to effectively help; given the ever evol-
greatest potential for being a caring and healing ving societies. Similar findings were confirmed
community and also has “a divine mandate to by Nyandoro (2010) in his study relating to
care and to heal”. For most people, the church the assessment of counselling skills among the
is a safe place to go when they are hurting or clergy, had an overwhelming positive response
going through adverse circumstances. Faith gi- when asking if parishioners often approached
ves members hope and often it is expected that the clergy with problems requiring counselling
their church community gives them support. skills. Ninety eight percent of the clergy had not
Chalfant et al. 1990 (as cited in Stanford, 2007, had any training in specific counselling skills
p.445) stated that “Individuals experiencing and all of the respondents agreed that they saw
psychological distress are more likely to seek a great need for counselling skills to counsel ef-
help form religious leaders than from any other fectively. Benner (2003) also reported similar
professional”. In South Africa access to profes- findings that 87% of the pastor respondents felt
sional psychologist service is limited and out of they were not adequately equipped to handle
reach for many a people, thus church is the first the counselling need of their congregants.
go-to-place to seek help with problems that are
non-physical. All the respondents indicated the desire to have
dedicated counselling teams in their churches
Counselling in the church as they expressed that they see e a lot of exas-
All respondents indicated that their churches peration and great need from their fellow con-
do provide counselling services. Counselling is gregants. The nature of problems which coun-
usually provided by pastors, church elders and sellors have to deal with include challenges
volunteers with knowledge of counselling skills. relating to: trauma, marriages, spouse & child
Majority of the churches did not have dedicated abuse, financial distress, addictions (substance,
counselling departments or units. Counselling pornography, and internet gambling), pregnan-
services were provided by church leaders as part cy & post abortion restoration, troubled teens
of their pastoral duties. The few who had speci- and youth.
fic counselling departments had lay counsellors
(volunteers). Some were members who worked External networks were developed and utilized
as counsellors in their day-jobs. One church whenever there was a need. Social institutions /
with membership of over 16000 indicated that organizations close to the church were consul-
they have seven (7) full time counsellors and ted and counselees referred to in the event the
they had received training through the church’s church services are inadequately equipped to
Bible School which provides counselling as a deal with the problem situations. Local health
course in third the year of studies. clinics, police stations, Life Line, Life Choices,
and Social Services were some of the centres
For pastors, they indicated receiving counsel- where referrals were made to. Limited mention
ling training as part of their studies at Theo- was made of referrals to psychologists.
logical Colleges they studied at. All other lay
counsellors were informally trained by other Perceptions of psychology
church members who had served as counsel- Two clearly differing opinions were expressed
lors & acquired skills through practice or had towards psychology in general. The one camp
obtained training elsewhere. Only one church had positive perceptions, expressing that it is a

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