Primary care chaplaincy: a valid talking therapy?

I read with interest Dr Macdonald’s article which showed that talking therapy by chaplains resulted in an equivalent improvement in patient well-being as antidepressants.¹

 

Leavey et al² in an interview study concluded that clergy tend to explain mental health problems in terms of social factors with spiritual influences and for them the meaning of mental distress assumes more social and moral significance and Pennybacker et al³ has suggested there is a need to provide chaplains with training in psychiatric illness and to more clearly define their role in mental health care.

 

Dr Macdonald suggests primary care chaplaincy could be considered as an alternative to cognitive behaviour therapy but before adopting this strategy more widely it would be useful to obtain the views of chaplains on what talking therapy means to them and what training they would need to provide it.

 

1. Macdonald G. Primary care chaplaincy: a valid talking therapy? Br J Gen Pract 2017: 67(655): 77. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp 17X689221

2. Leavey G. Loewenthal K, King M. Locating the social origins of mental Illness: the explanatory models of mental illness among clergy from different ethnic and faith backgrounds. J Relig Health 2016; 55(5):1607-22...