Abstract
Pastors serving low-income urban areas are first-responders to emotional issues by default, since fewer mental health resources are available. Thus, it is important to understand how pastors serving urban resource-poor areas reflect on their counseling role. Forty-eight Black, Hispanic, and White pastors with urban congregations in Los Angeles or Chicago reflect on their pastoral calling and its relation to their counseling role. Through phenomenology, the pastors’ lived experiences as they counseled in an urban context were explored. Analysis revealed complex feelings about their counseling role in light of their resource-poor environments. Recommendations are provided based on the findings.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1419-1435 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Journal of Religion and Health |
Volume | 56 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 1 2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Calling
- Clergy
- Counseling
- Mental health
- Pastors
- Urban
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Nursing
- Religious studies