A call for collaboration: Perception of religious and spiritual leaders on mental health (A Portuguese sample)

ABSTRACT

To assess the relationship and collaborations between mental health professionals and religious and spiritual leaders, eleven representatives of ten different religious affiliations in Portugal participated in this qualitative study. Major findings reported showed that religious leaders perceive themselves as important agents in promoting and preserving their congregants’ mental health, as well as aiding their recovery processes; however this occurs without much referral to or collaboration with mental health professionals. These findings are discussed, as well as why and how a healthy collaboration between mental health professionals and religious leaders can positively impact the psychotherapeutic relationship and clinical outcomes with religious/spiritual clients.

KEYWORDS:

• Religion
• spirituality
• mental health
• collaboration
• religious and spiritual leaders
• mental health professionals

Acknowledgment

Our special appreciation goes to the leaders who were actively engaged in the interviews and were willing to share their experiences with us.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Notes

1. For the purpose of this article, religious or spiritual leaders are used referring to those “who have a mandate to conduct religious services, perform spiritual functions, and provide moral and spiritual guidance in the context of their particular faiths” (Pickard, 2012, p. 277), which can be a minister, pastor, priest, rabbi, or lay person within a religious/spiritual community.

2. Countries included in the study: Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain; data from 2000; Source: European Value Survey (EVS) and European Social Survey (ESS).

3. Further information on this topic is available in the MAXQDA-Online Manual; section “The Agreement Testing Concept in MAXQDA.”

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), under the grant: FCT-SFRH/BD/84066/2012.