Mental Health Training and Consultation: A Model for Liaison With Clergy

A chaplain, a psychiatrist, and a social worker developed a program to train clergy in more effective mental health case management, counseling, and referral skills, and to sensitize mental health center professionals to the work of the clergy in mental health. The program consists of 12 two-hour meetings conducted by a clinician and a chaplain once a week. In the first four meetings, clergy are trained to use a self-report personal-data kit with individuals presenting with emotional problems. In the next eight meetings, clergy make case presentations that are used as a basis for consultation and group discussion. The project has established a firm basis for collaboration between clergy and mental health center staff in providing care.