Integrating Professional Counselling into the Church: An Analysis of Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception of Lay Church Leaders of the Church of Pentecost, Sowutuom, Accra

Ebenezer Tetteh Kpalam; Joshua Kwame Yeboah; Eva Ahiataku; Gideon Akuamoah Wiafe

doi:10.53103/cjess.v6i1.453

Authors

Ebenezer Tetteh Kpalam Pentecost University, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9606-6607
Joshua Kwame Yeboah Pentecost University, Ghana
Eva Ahiataku Pentecost University, Ghana https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2151-1727
Gideon Akuamoah Wiafe University of Cape Town, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v6i1.453

Keywords:

Counselling, Ministry, Mental Health, Church Leaders

Abstract

Professional counselling services is gradually gaining place and value in ministry of churches in Ghana. This is partly due to the growing awareness of burden of mental health issues among the general population as well as well as the huge treatment gap of mental healthcare in the country. The Church of Pentecost has introduced a counselling ministry into the church’s ministry since 2019. The counselling ministry seeks to rally both professionals and lay leaders in the church to provide psychosocial support for their congregants and the larger community. The paper conducts an empirical analysis of the knowledge, attitude, and perception of lay leaders on the integration of counselling into the church. It was observed that although lay church leaders have appreciable level of knowledge and attitude towards counselling, there are concerns of the role of the Holy Spirit and pastoral authority to provide healing for hurting members. There is, therefore, the need to pursue continuous engagement between church leaders and professional counsellors to promote collaboration for addressing mental health needs of congregants.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adjei, A. (2024). An Assessment of Church Leaders’ Skill in Counselling in the Accra Metropolis. Canadian Journal of Educational and Social Studies, 4(6), 136-150.

Alqahtani, N. S. (2025). Lifestyle Counselling in Primary Care: Effectiveness, Strategies, and Clinical Implications. International Journal of General Medicine, 6741-6756.

Allen, G. E., & Hill, C. (2014). Exploring Perceived Attitudes of Counselling between LDS Religious Leaders and Mental Health Therapists. Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy, 36(1), 9.

American Counselling Association (2025). What is counselling? Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/mental-health-counseling/what-is-counseling# 06/01/26

Asafo, S. M. (2021). Understanding of mental illness and mental healthcare in Ghana: Opportunities for collaboration and challenges (Doctoral dissertation, Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University).

Asamoah, M. K., Osafo, J., & Agyapong, I. (2014). The role of Pentecostal clergy in mental health-care delivery in Ghana. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 17(6), 601-614.

Avent, J. R., Cashwell, C. S., & Jeffy, S. B. (2015). African American pastors on mental health, coping, and help seeking. Counselling and Values, 60(1), 32-47. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-007X.2015.00059.x

Boateng, A. C. O., Britt, K. C., Sebu, J., & Oh, H. (2024). An Examination of the Impact of Clergy-Involved Mental Health Activities for Their Congregants on Clergy Life Satisfaction, Happiness, and Perceptions of Having a Life Close to Ideal in the USA. Journal of Pastoral Care & Counselling, 78(3), 107-119.

Chalfant, T. (2020). Integrating faith and psychology: A guide to Christian counselling. Zondervan.

Del Rosario, M. C. P., Lacerna, C., Castaños, K. I. O., Fabon, J., & Malang, B. P. (2023). Knowledge and Beliefs on Mental Illness among Church Leaders: Basis for Training and Development. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research, 4(12), 4279-4293.

Dzokoto, V., & Adams, G. (2016). Cultural competency in counselling in Africa: reflections on the need for counsellor training. African Journal of Psychiatry, 19(1), 53-56.

Foskett, J., Marriott, J., & Wilson-Rudd, F. (2004). Mental health, religion, and spirituality: Attitudes, experience and expertise among mental health professionals and religious leaders in Somerset. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 7(1), 5-22.

Freire, J., Moleiro, C., Rosmarin, D. H., & Freire, M. (2019). A call for collaboration: Perception of religious and spiritual leaders on mental health (A Portuguese sample). Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, 21(1), 55-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2017.1423001

Gignac, K., & Gazzola, N. (2018). Embracing counsellor professional identity work: Experiential accounts of transformation and transition. Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 52(3).

Nganyu, G. (2025). The church as a therapeutic community: exploring the intersection of Christian psychotherapy and congregational care. Greener Journal of Social Sciences, 15(1), 54-63.

Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903

Hodge, A. S., Hook, J. N., Davis, D. E., & McMinn, M. R. (2020). Attitudes of religious leaders toward integrating psychology and church ministry. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 7(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000200

Kilengi, M. (2023) The role of counselling skills and approaches in pastoral counselling. African Theological Journal for Church and Society, (4)2, 150-170.

Ndinyun Tawam, L., Salifu Yendork, J., & Osei-Tutu, A. (2024). “They are not as strong as we think”: symptoms of mental illnesses among Ghanaian pastors in Protestant, Pentecostal, and charismatic denominations. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 1-15.

Nganyu, G. N. (2025). Theological and psychological integration in Christian psychotherapy: A critical review of the literature and implications for church-based practice. Greener Journal of Social Sciences, 15(1), 75-82.

Ogbolu, R. E., Ijadunola, M. Y., Adepoju, O. A., Ola, B. A., Quadri-Asorona, B., Ogundiran, A., ... & Alaba, O. A. (2020). Channeling the Right Path-to-care: Improving Religious Leaders’ Knowledge and Beliefs about Suicide Prevention in Southwest Nigeria.

Okello, L. N., Sirera, M., & Otieno, G. O. (2021). Perceptions of Clergy on Collaboration with Psychological Counsellors in Management of Mental Health: A Focus on the Anglican Church of Kenya, Nairobi Diocese. Journal of Sociology, Psychology & Religious Studies, 3(1), 29-44.

Reeves, A. (2022). An introduction to counselling and psychotherapy: From theory to practice. UK: Sage

Osafo, J. (2016). Seeking paths for collaboration between religious leaders and mental health professionals in Ghana. Pastoral Psychology, 65, 493-508.

Osafo, J., Akotia, C. S., Andoh-Arthur, J., & Puplampu, B. M. (2021). The role of religious leaders in suicide Prevention in Ghana. A qualitative analysis. Pastoral Psychology, 70(5), 525-539.

Salifu Yendork, J., Kpobi, L., & Sarfo, E. A. (2016). “It’s only ‘madness’ that I know”: analysis of how mental illness is conceptualised by congregants of selected charismatic churches in Ghana. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 19(9), 984-999.

Taylor, R. J., Ellison, C. G., Chatters, L. M., Levin, J. S., & Lincoln, K. D. (2000). Mental health services in faith communities: The role of clergy in Black churches. Social work, 45(1), 73-87. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/45.1.73

World Health Organization. (2017). Mental health atlas 2017. (Online) World Health Organization. Available at https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/mental-health-atlas-2017 (Accessed 11 June 2025).

Zarawi Mat Nor, M. (2020). Counselling: What and how. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90008