Consultation and Educational Programming

Abstract

One of the primary functions of religion is to help people deal with adversity and provide spiritual fulfillment, comfort, and solace to its followers. Congregants often find meaningful relationships with others in their places of worship, based on common spiritual beliefs and practices. Relationships among members of a faith group are analogous to an individual's relationship to God and entail having trust and belief in the good will of others. An increasing number of people are seeking help for their problems from clergy due to their accessibility and high level of trust placed in them. Likewise, members of the clergy are playing an increasingly active role in providing counseling and mental health services to their congregants. Religiosity is correlated in research findings with increased marital satisfaction and increased commitment and fidelity. Religious faith and/or beliefs have also been indicated in other studies as one of the top five facilitative factors in successful long-term marriages. Because marriage is viewed as a sacred bond, often sanctified by a cleric, seeking help from clergy may seem as a natural step for a battered woman within a religious community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)