Church Consultation - “Psychology serving the Church”
Many congregations are seeing the importance of Christ-centered counseling services. However, Christian mental health professionals have many other skills that can be put at the service of the Church, including consultation, research, and assessment. “Church Consultation” encourages the traditional counseling services, while also casting a bigger vision for the various ways psychology, including the research skills of psychologists, can be used to serve the church.
The following information describes an innovative assessment method that provides a practical way to put the research skills of psychologists at the service of the church.
The Multimethod Church-Based Assessment Process (MCAP), developed by Dr. Amy Dominguez and Dr. Mark McMinn, is an assessment process whereby psychologists and pastors can work together to address the specific questions pastors have about their congregations. It is a relational model of assessment and consultation that allows for an individualized approach to assessment while remaining attentive to the interpersonal processes that influence results.
The MCAP occurs in three main stages: Generating Specific Questions, Collecting Information, and Providing Feedback. In each stage of the process, the psychologist works collaboratively with pastors and others involved in church leadership. The three stages are not linear but are dynamic and interrelated, and the quality of the overall consultation is dependent upon attentiveness to a flexible, relational assessment process. Each of the three stages is further divided into specific procedural steps to follow. The three stages, and the steps within each stage, are described and illustrated in detail in the MCAP training manual and workshops.
The key difference between the MCAP and previous church-based assessment efforts is the belief that pastors can and should determine which questions to assess in a particular congregation. Rather than developing standardized questionnaires that are assumed to work equally well with an inner city church in New York, a rural parish in Nebraska, and a suburban mega-church in Chicago, the MCAP is a standardized process that allows the pastor and psychologist to work side-by-side in answering highly specific questions. For example, why is our small group ministry doing well, but our support group ministry is just barely limping along? What pressures and stresses do high school students in our youth program face at the dawn of a new century? What sort of informal mentoring is being provided for young couples in our congregation?
On a personal note:
Dr. Lawry had the privilege of being trained by Dr. Mark McMinn, Ph.D., ABPP, Director of the Center for Church Psychology Collaboration, during a year long clerkship at Wheaton College and during his work as her dissertation Chair. Dr. Lawry provided consultation services to a church in the Chicago area using the MCAP. This collaborative model facilitated the process of helping the church leaders identify the needs and resources within the congregation. She was able to work closely with the pastor to generate specific questions, identify and implement assessment procedures, and provide practical and useful feedback to enhance his ministry.
Dr. McMinn has done extensive research and authored numerous books on the integration of psychology and theology and church-psychology collaboration. His most recent work is titled “Christian Counseling” (DVD), published by the American Psychological Association. He wrote, “My work on church-psychology collaboration is an attempt to reclaim the connection between spirituality, mental health, and community that formed the basis of soul care prior to modernity.” You can follow the link below to his website to learn about his other books.
You can find the information mentioned above and more using the following links:
http://www.markmcminn.com/books.html
http://www.churchpsych.org/
http://www.wheaton.edu/
School Consultation
Dr. Lawry worked several years as a Mental Health Consultant for the Chicago Head Start programs. Her duties included classroom evaluations which focused on making sure that the classroom environment was safe, provided developmentally appropriate equipment, and was condusive to learning. Dr. Lawry also conducted individual evaluations with children. She worked closely with the principals, program directors, teachers, and parents to implement institutional changes and treatment recommendations for children exhibiting behavioral or emotional problems.