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

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. ********** Religious diversity and religious involvement by students on secular campuses have increased over the past decade (Cherry, DeBerg, & 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 (Media House International, 2003). Similarly, the National Muslim Student Association, the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, and the National Association for Christian Campus Ministries have all reported significant growth in student attendance (Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, 2003; National Association of Christian Campus Ministries, 2003; Rossi, 2003). Religiously committed college students seem to use college counseling services less often than their nonreligious counterparts when they need mental health services. Researchers have found that these students tend to view nonreligious mental health professionals more pessimistically than they view religious leaders/ counselors (Keating & Fretz, 1990; McCullough & Worthington, 1995). Thus, these students often seek council from their respective campus ministers when personal problems arise; however, some of these students need assistance beyond what their campus ministers can provide, and it seems that many campus ministers are still hesitant to refer their students to college counseling center personnel, resulting in extremely low referral rates (Aten & Tucker, 2002). Then how can college counseling center personnel reach this underserved subgroup when counseling services are needed? Because religiously committed college students are hesitant to access mental health services when needed, but turn to their religious leaders, this group of students could benefit from an enhanced relationship between campus ministers and college counseling center personnel. Indeed, findings from studies that have focused on clergy-psychologist interactions suggest that forming a collaborative relationship with religious leaders may improve mental health providers' ability to gain access to and assist religiously committed groups (e.g., Benes, Walsh, McMinn, Dominquez, & Aikins, 2000; Budd, 1999). The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions for improving collaboration with campus ministers and to therefore increase the quality of counseling services provided to religious students on campus. Improving Collaboration Between Campus Ministers and College Counselors Campus ministers see large numbers of students and are often asked to counsel those students on mental health, career, and spiritual issues. However, most campus ministers are not trained in mental health or career counseling. In addition, campus ministers do not typically have the resources or time to counsel all of the students seeking their help. Because campus ministers are on the front line yet are not able to meet all students' counseling needs, they are in a key position to help refer students to professional counseling--taking on the role of facilitators with counseling services (Kloos, Horneffer, & Moore, 1995). Recent research has indicated that clergy are collaborating more and more frequently with counselors to improve client outcome (e.g., Edwards, Lim, McMinn, & Dominquez, 1999; Weaver, Flannelly, Flannelly, & Oppenheimer, 2003). Nevertheless, research has also indicated that many obstacles to effective collaboration between clergy and mental health professionals remain. …