Effect of pastoral crisis intervention training on resilience and compassion fatigue in clergy: A pilot study

Christopher J. Noullet, Jeffrey M. Lating, Matthew W. Kirkhart, Robinson Dewey, George S. Everly

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

There has been growing concern about the emotional impact that responding to traumatic events might have on crisis interventionists. Pastoral care providers often provide crisis intervention services; however, many of these individuals have not received formal training in crisis intervention. This study used a longitudinal design to assess the effect of formal training in pastoral crisis intervention (PCI) in a sample of 39 clergy who completed a 3-day course. Demographic and standardized questionnaires, including the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-2 item (CD-RISC2) and the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (ProQOL), assessed resilience, and the two subcomponents of compassion fatigue (Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress), respectively. The clergy who received the training evidenced significantly higher resilience scores and significantly lower burnout and secondary traumatic stress scores, approximately 1 year after the training. These results provide preliminary support for the possible efficacy of formal training in PCI in clergy. Implications for intervention and additional assessment are offered.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1-7
Number of pages7
JournalSpirituality in Clinical Practice
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • CD-RISC2
  • Compassion fatigue
  • Pastoral crisis intervention
  • ProQOL
  • Resilience

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Complementary and alternative medicine
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Complementary and Manual Therapy

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