Improving Understanding and Collaboration Between Campus Ministers and College Counseling Center Personnel

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to bring attention to the collaborative relationship that can exist between campus ministers from diverse religious traditions and college counseling center personnel.The potential role of campus ministers in facilitating referrals for mental health services to college counseling center personnel is addressed, and recommendations for improving collaboration between them are made. Brief excerpts from campus ministers' written narratives are included to exemplify this collaboration.eligious diversity and religious involvement by students on secular campuses have increased over the past decade (Cherry, DeBerg, & R Porterfield, 2001;Nash, 2001). According to a recent survey, 80% of college students consider religion to be an integral part of their lives, and 72% reported that they had participated in worship services over a 6-month period

Building capacity for responding to disaster emotional and spiritual needs: A clergy, academic, and mental health partnership model (CAMP).

“…Several studies have found that religious leaders often serve as gatekeepers in their communities (e.g., Aten, 2004). Moreover, researchers have found that though a majority of clergy are open to collaboration, some clergy may be hesitant to collaborate with mental health professionals because of theological concerns (e.g., that mental health providers may not be sensitive to congregation members ' beliefs;McMinn, Chaddock, Edwards, & Lim, 1998).…”

Attachment and Religiousness: Contributions to Young Adult Marital Attitudes and Readiness

“…Second, family counselors could provide educational programming directed at young adults and their parents. In doing so, the family counselor may consult or work with other professionals (e.g., leaders from different faiths) to deliver college (Aten, 2004a) or community (Benes, Walsh, McMinn, Dominguez, & Aikins, 2000) programs that address general and religious affiliation-specific aspects of marriage, including the meanings of marriage (Yarhouse, & Nowacki, 2007) and religious motivation as an identity issue. Because current young adults tend to stay connected to (e.g., through e-mail; Coomes, 2004) and possibly very involved with parents (Lowery, 2004), programming may also inform parents about the normative aspects of young adult development, including attitudes toward and readiness for marriage.…”

Review and Analysis of the Journal of College Counseling: 1998-2005

“…Some topic categories, however, may deserve further attention in future submissions. For example, only two articles related to the topic of spirituality and religion were published, one in 2002 (Weinstein, Parker, & Archer, 2002) and the other in 2004 (Aten, 2004). In addition, no articles on career development of college students were published in 1999, 2000, or 2001, although this may be due in part to the large amount of literature focusing specifically on career counseling that has been published in career journals.…”

“…During its relatively short life, JCC has had four editors: James M. Benshoff (1996-1999), N. Carolyn Owens (1999-2001), Timothy B. Smith (2001-2004), and Laura Hensley Choate (2004-2007. All of these editors have been active ACCA members, and three of the four have been counselor educators.…”