Church and Psychology Collaboration: Developing an Action Plan for International Christian Center

Abstract

Traditionally, professionals in the field of psychology and within faith communities have overlapped in the type of care they offer. As worldviews expand, there is increased interest among psychologists and faith leaders to collaborate and work together to offer more holistic care to communities. To this date, research focused explicitly on church and psychology collaboration is sparse. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to collaborate with Pastor Ong of International Christian Center (ICC), a nondenominational Christian church located in Renton, Washington, and to create an action plan for outreach services in the manner and direction of his choosing. There were two directions for this research: (1) explore avenues that Christian churches, located in Renton, were currently utilizing to provide services and apply this information to the development of the action plan and (2) evaluate the collaborative process between Pastor Ong and the researcher. Nine participants (pastors, leaders, and staff members) from Christian churches were participants' for interviews and a focus group. The findings contributed to the development of a five-step action plan: design a lay counseling ministry for ICC; collaborate with local church organizations such Renton Ecumenical Association of Churches (REACH); find an appropriate facility; develop a committee for a non-profit; and design a training clinic for psychology and social work students to offer low-fee mental health services to the community. Findings from the evaluation of the collaborative process indicate that developing trust, respect, and full understanding of another's viewpoint is essential to a collaborative relationship.