No abstract

Protestant church members now comprise 51.3% of the adult population in the United States, with 26.3% of them being Evangelical Protestants. In recent years, there has been an increase in the proportion of Protestants who identify with the large Evangelical denominations but a significant decline in the large mainline Protestant denominations (Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 2008). As a result of these shifting demographics, Evangelical Christians now comprise a potentially substantial market for psychologists, but one that they have traditionally been undertrained to serve. This chapter will provide information that is designed to equip psychologists to provide clinical services to this population. PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR EVANGELICAL AND FUNDAMENTALIST PROTESTANTS NANCY STIEHLER THURSTON AND WINSTON SEEGOBINFor God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

BACKGROUND: Two remote First Nations communities each collaborated with an urban-based liver clinic to organize wide-spread testing, followed by linkage to care for hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHOD: Involvement of community members was central to planning and conduct of the programs. Samples were obtained using dry blood spot cards (DBS). A week-long pilot study in Community 1 investigated the effectiveness of the program, using DBS. Community 2, being larger, more remote, and known to be endemic for HCV was more challenging. Three-week-long testing drives plus a stand-alone testing day were used to collect samples over 5 months. Public Health Agency (PHAC)’s National Laboratory for HIV Reference Services (NLHRS) received and tested the DBS samples for HCV and other blood-borne infections. Outcomes were measured by number of people tested, the quality of the tests, and community members’ satisfaction with the program and retained knowledge about HCV, based on interviews. RESULTS: In Community 1, 226 people were tested for HCV over 4 days. 85% agreed to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing as well. In Community 2, 484 people, one-half of the adult population, were tested. Surveys of participants showed food was the most significant draw, and Facebook the most effective way to inform people of the events. Interviews with staff and participants showed a high level of satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The results suggest this is an effective approach to testing for HCV in unusually challenging settings. Lessons from the program include the power of community involvement; and the effectiveness of a highly targeted health initiative when developed through collaboration.

George Fox Um t'l'rsi /)' \{' ithin the existing literature that emphasizes the integration of faith and psychology, topics related to p'iychological assessment are rare inclusions. Yet, it is commonly recognized that assessn1cnt measures provide useful clinical infonnation. This article highlights the domain of psychological assessment as fertile brround for integrating psychology with spi rituality. Three graduate-level f.1culty members who each teach psychological assessn1enr courses in a clinical training program describe specific ways they integrate Christian faith and psychological asscssn1enr in the classroom. Foci for future efforts that would bring the areas of fa ith and psychological assessment together arc described along with some of the benefits su ch efforts would yield, especially for clinical practice. An ad~ge offered freely in psychology training progran1s is that effective treatment requires effective assessment. Forrunarely, psychological assessment is a credible endeavor that inforn1s treatment for many practitioners. As part of the A tnerican Psychological Association •s (AP A) Professional Assc~sn1cn r \Vork Group (PA \~'G). tvicycr ct al. (2001) presented results obtained fron1 69 1neta-analyscs pertaining to psychological assessn1cn t and 57 meta-analyses of testing done in general medic;ll serti ngs. The PA WG presented compelling evidence for both rhe effectiveness of psychological assessment and its comparabilicy\vith tnedical assessment (see also Clay, 2006). Moreover, it is clear that clinicians '\rho base their treatments onlv on J clinical inrervie,vs have an incomplete understanding of their patients and clients (:N1cyer et al., 200 1).

No abstract