Effects of the Training and Education of M.Div. Students on the Identification and Treatment of Individuals with Serious Mental Illness
Access rights
Worldwide accessDate
2013-05-23Author
Ross, Halle Elizabeth, 1990-
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This paper assessed accredited M.Div. seminary programs in the United States, Canada,
and Puerto Rico on the presence and strength of counseling course requirements and
courses discussing mental illness. The researcher hypothesizes seminaries in more
conservative locations and those with more conservative theological bases will provide
fewer if any classes instructing their students about how to recognize individuals with
serious mental illness, intervene appropriately, and refer these individuals to the proper
professionals. 219 of 239 accredited M.Div. programs were contacted through telephone
interviews; 70 responded. Though almost every seminary offered counseling courses,
almost 90% of seminaries required two or fewer counseling classes. Even fewer
seminaries offer or require classes dedicated to mental illness. Only 26.9% of the
respondent seminaries are currently attempting to increase the quality and number of
counseling courses and courses focusing on mental illness. These findings emphasize the
need to increase mental health awareness and education in seminaries and increase
positive referral patterns between clergy and psychologists.