Shackled by a Heavy Burden: An Examination of Barriers Pastors Face When Providing Pastoral Counseling or Referrals in the African American Church - Paperback

by Kennard Murray (Author)

This book shares one pastor's journey to uncover the inherent barriers that cause many African American parishioners not to receive the help they need regarding their mental and emotional health. These barriers are revealing and may be surprising to clergy and counseling professionals. In this book, Kennard Murray examines the phenomenon of resistance to professional counseling in the African American community and the source of this resistance, the reasons parishioners seek out pastors for help during emotional distress, whether pastors feel adequately equipped to provide such counseling, and the need for training on making appropriate referrals. Also, the author identifies an emerging method of providing church-based pastoral counseling in local churches to address the barriers of resistance to seeking help in the community at large. The information contained within these pages will help not only African American pastors, but also pastors in rural communities where other counseling professionals are not readily accessible.

Author Biography

Kennard Murray (DMin, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary) is pastor of Seay Hubbard United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also a Certified Pastoral Counselor with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, and provides pastoral counseling at the Pastoral Center for Healing in Nashville.