Seniors' Mental Health and Pastoral Practices in African American Churches: An Exploratory Study in a Southern City

A Multidimensional Look at Religious Involvement and Psychological Well-Being Among Urban Elderly African Americans.

“…Also, counselors may be wise to seek consultation with cultural referents such as community religious leaders. Blasi, Husaini, and Drumwright (1998) interviewed 51 Southern pastors and found that 50% of the AA clergy actively referred distressed seniors in their congregation to mental health professionals. Thus, by maintaining collaborative relationships with cultural referents, counseling psychologists may increase their effectiveness with older AA clients.…”

African American Clergy's Perceptions of Mental Health and Pastoral Care to Elder Congregants

“…African American clergy, as servants of the Church, are in a unique position to support elders in their efforts to achieve and maintain optimal mental health (Blasi, Husaini, & Drumwright, 1998;Lyles, 1992;Stansbury, Harley, & Brown-Hughes, 2009;Stansbury & Schumacher, 2008). Efforts to better understand how clergy provide pastoral care to support elder congregant's mental health is essential given the likely demographic shift.…”

Pastors' Counseling Practices and Perceptions of Mental Health Services: Implications for African American Mental Health

“…In previous research, clergy and psychologists acknowledge that this kind of collaboration is important (McMinn et al, 1998) Previous research about clergy level of education, previous pastoral training, size of the church, and other variables impact the referral and counseling practices of clergy. Blasi, Husaini, and Drumwright (1998) found that pastors who were more educated and those who were full-time pastors were more likely to refer their parishioners to specialists (mental health or medical) for help with specific problems.…”