Are clergy sort of like amateur mental health professionals?

Question

Would the real thing be better?

Answer 1

No. Its more like the other way around.

Mental heath professional are amateur Pastors.

Which is why Pastors who have been trained as Biblical Counselors have a much higher rate of success when helping people than mental heath professionals do.

Pastor Art

Answer 2

No. Many clergy are not "mental health" professionals. They may have taken a few classes (or even majored in psychology), but that doesn't mean much. I took a lot of science classes in college and use science principals in every day life, as a gofer at work, but that doesn't mean I'm a scientist does it? Clergy may just read their psychology books enough to get by and pass a few tests. They may not have had any experience working with people in that way in that field. Their focus may have been on religion or other things. A good therapist takes the psychology courses (or whatever) and has unpaid/paid expience in that field. Their focus is on psychology (or whatever). They know what/how to say and do. Most clergy don't. Most clergy can be a shoulder to cry on and give you advice based on what they see/hear, but so could your trash man or mail lady. They see and hear things too.

Go see a real trained mental health professional. If you a find a good one, then s/he can do wonders.

Answer 3

Amateur? Not always. I know some clergy who, in fact, hold actual psychology degrees. And of the more highly trained clergy, most end up taking quite a few psych classes before it's all over.

Answer 4

Most responsible pastors who do not have a degree in counseling will only meet with people a few times. Pastors are trained to refer people to Christian psychologists if they have a problem beyond the pastor's expertise.

Most parishioners don't need counseling. They just need someone to listen to them, care about them, and confirm what they already know God's word says about the topic. Confession and absolution are more powerful than psychology anyway.

Answer 5

Pray to God, he will help you, is not the best way to deal with mental health. Imagine a schizophrenic praying to God, then hearing voices (which he assumes is God answering him) to go kill a couple of people. Yes, the clergy are a great help to mental health patients.

Answer 6

Not all but some priests are required to take some psychology courses. Therefore your question is valid and yes, your right. Some are. The wisest would try to convince their parishioners to seek counseling and/or professional help if the priests/preachers/ministers felt it was needed.

Answer 7

Yes, unfortunately, many ministers consider themselves "counselors" as well. They freely hand out marital and life advice, which happens to be based on a 2000-year-old book of fairy tales rather than any sort of real science. Priests are ministers are the LEAST qualified to administer to problems, since their view of the world is hideously narrow.
As a former psychiatric nurse, I can tell you we spent a lot of our time treating the VICTIMS of religion, rather than those helped by it. I would assume there are a lot of other damaged people out there, who follow the advice of the representatives of gods rather than doctors or psychologists, or who just suffer in silence, convinced they are doomed to hell.
Yes, there is a need for more mental health care. Religion needs to get out of the advice business; most of the advice they give is questionable at best.

Answer 8

Here squirly, have some french fries.

Answer 9

No.

And yes.

Answer 10

throwing crosses at people, er excuse me, exorcisms, do not count as health care.