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The Counseling Activities and Referral Practices of Canadian Clergy in British Columbia

The present research examined self-reported counseling activities and referral practices of Canadian clergy in Vancouver and surrounding areas in British Columbia. It was found that the clergy spend an average of about seven hours per week in counseling, dealing primarily with marriage and family or emotional problems. The median number of clients seen in the past six months was found to be 28. Almost 80% of the clergy reported referring at least one client to a mental health setting during the past year (median number of referrals = 2.6). The clergy's major community contacts were found to be social workers and physicians, although referrals were made to mental health centers, psychologists or psychiatrists. Communication between the clergy and the community tended to flow in one direction, from the pastor to the community. Years of education, positive attitudes towards community mental health, and recent workshop attendance were found to correlate positively and significantly with measures of the clergy's involvement in mental health. Denominational affiliation and theological fundamentalism were found to be poor predictors of the clergy's counseling and referral activities. Results are discussed in terms of their significance for the role of the clergy in community mental health.