Training Ministry Leaders Towards Supportive Psychotherapy Referrals to Tyndale Wellness Centre

Abstract

This Doctor of Ministry integrated portfolio presents a summary of key insights, themes and findings arising from an exploration of Christian leadership, with particular reference to the authors’ own ministry context as Director of the Tyndale Wellness Centre (TWC). The exploration includes a contextual analysis, literature review, biblical reflection, and the author’s personal reflection on lived experiences that led to a servant-leader philosophy of Christian leadership. The analysis informed the design and implementation of a field research project: Training Ministry Leaders Towards Supportive Psychotherapy Referrals to Tyndale Wellness Centre. The project addressed an identified need to help Christian ministry leaders learn how to support their members with mental health problems and refer them for psychotherapy. A training program was developed and piloted with nine ministry leaders and the outcomes analyzed. Findings indicated an overall increase in participants’ understanding of mental health, the importance of self-care, the nature of spiritually integrated psychotherapy and how to make supportive referrals. A recurrent theme in the research analysis was participants’ concern about clergy mental health as much as that of their members. Recommendations are made for further study and for possible uses of adapted versions of the training program in other contexts.