The Clergy Family Wellness Resource

Program

 

Did you know that:

1. ·         Clergy and clergy families can be exposed to unique stressors?
2. ·         Ten years from now 40% of today's clergy will be in another vocation?
3. ·         In some denominations the average minister stays only 4 years in the ministry?
4. ·         In a recent study 50% of the clergy said they could not adequately meet the needs of their parish?

These are some of the facts revealed in a study of clergy and clergy families reported in The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Winter 2002, vol. 56, no.4, entitled, "Mental Health Issues Among Clergy and Other Religious Professionals: A Review of Research." This issue documents research from 1975-2000.

The Clergy/Clergy Family Wellness Resource Program at the Florence McDonnell Center was founded to address these and other issues faced by those who are our spiritual leaders and their loved ones.

If you are one, or the partner of one who is looking for relief and healing from:

·         Burnout ·         Stress ·         60-hour work weeks ·         Workplace politics

·         Acting Out ·         Leaving the ministry ·         Too few support resources

As a response to these issues the McDonnell Center has developed a special program for clergy and families of clergy. Our primary goal in establishing this resource for clergy is to serve their needs, to minister to their families and to support the congregations they serve. The program provides:

1. A truly ecumenical resource
2. Sensitivity to the needs of clergy and families and the impact of these needs on congregations and communities
3. A 24-hour work-in psychiatric evaluation
4. Counseling, psychotherapy, and spiritual direction
5. Professionals including Counselors, Pastoral Counselors (both ministers and priests), spiritual leaders, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Social Workers, Addiction Counselors, specialists in child and adolescent issues, and others.
6. Clergy and clergy spouse/partner support groups
7. Consultation with congregation leadership for the formation of healthy congregations and, where necessary, conflict resolution
8. A Special Studies component for clergy who want to do some concentrated work in a sabbatical-style situation. We will also offer some CEU courses each year.
9. A bi-monthly or monthly case review
10. The Sabbath House, a retreat in the North Carolina mountains where individuals or groups of one to six can go for spiritual respite and rejuvenation.
11. Workshops on a range of topics offered throughout the year
12. A multi-media library (under construction)
13. Internet support and communication.
14. An annual symposium addressing the needs of clergy and their families
15. Publications from the Florence McDonnell Center staff

 

Offerings in The Clergy and Clergy Family Wellness Resource Program

The Florence McDonnell Center takes a Jungian approach to problems and issues, i.e., that problems which surface in our lives are awareness calls for spiritual growth. This is different from seeing problems as pathological and thereby categorizing persons by using clinical and medical models. While those models we understand and accept as valid, they are not the primary way we see persons and respond to them. In that spirit the Center offers the following groups for clergy and clergy spouses. These groups are in addition to the individual, family therapy and spiritual direction available at the Center. Confidentiality is a hallmark of the programs and groups at the Center. Meeting places will be announced at the time of the formation of the group and participants will be notified.

Clergy Consultation Groups

These groups are for clergy who are dealing with clerical issues and wish to use these issues to seek further insight into themselves in a supportive community that is confidential and safe. The maximum number for these groups is eight. The fee for this group is $60 per person, per session, paid monthly in advance. This reserves a place for the clergy person and assures that the place will be open. These are designed to be on-going groups.

Clergy Spouse/Partner Groups

Current research indicates that clergy spouses/partners face unique stressors in their lives. This group is reserved for spouses/partners who need support, insight and confidentiality as they encounter the stresses that derive from the roles and expectations of being with clergy. The maximum number for these groups is eight. The fee for this group is $60 per person, per session, paid monthly in advance. This is designed to be an on-going group.

Clergy Advanced Growth Groups

These groups are a step beyond the consultation groups and are more therapeutic in nature. These are more intensive and focused on the structure of the self and subsequent understanding of motivations and actions within the clergy person. The maximum number for these groups is five. The fee for this group is $70 per person, per session, paid monthly in advance. Periodic evaluations of each person's growth and progress will be made to determine the need and kind of group or individual therapeutic structure the clergy may need for the future.

Pastoral Case Review Groups

The Case Review groups are designed for consultation concerning counseling, conversation or spiritual direction that the clergy person is having with members of her/his congregation. The highest confidentiality will be maintained in these groups. The maximum number for these groups is six. The fee for this group is $65 per person, per session, paid monthly in advance. This is designed to be an on-going group.

Sabbath House Retreat Center

The Sabbath House Retreat Center is located in Bryson City, NC, in the Smoky Mountains. The Center is in the process of developing 16 acres on a magnificent mountaintop. In this new and emerging ministry, Sabbath House is now providing one facility for clergy retreats. The house can accommodate from one to six persons for respite, reflection and contemplation. The retreat leaders are Dr. Jim and Rachel Strickland, both of whom are ordained ministers and have many years of experience between them. The retreats are scheduled Monday through Thursdays.

For more information about these groups and other Clergy/Clergy Family Wellness Programs, contact the Center at 404-816-7171.