Collaborating With African American Churches to Overcome Minority Disaster Mental Health Disparities: What Mental Health Professionals Can Learn From Hurricane Katrina

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2010

Department

Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how mental health professionals and African American pastors and their churches could collaborate to overcome minority disaster mental health disparities. Forty-one African American pastors of churches located in south Mississippi. in counties directly affected by Hurricane Katrina, participated ill semi-structured interviews approximately I year after the storm. The majority of participants reported being interested in collaborating with mental health professionals to: (a) develop educational and outreach opportunities, (b) lead assessment procedures. (c) offer consultation activities. (d) provide clinically focused services. and (e) utilize spiritual resources and support. Participants provided further insight into how these collaborative activities could he modified to meet post-disaster needs and offered novel applications. Following from these discussions, the article provides a number of recommendations that can be used to;rid in the development of disaster collaborative activities between African American pastors and churches and mental health professionals to serve minority communities while also decreasing disparities.

Publication Title

Professional Psychology-Research and Practice

Volume

41

Issue

2

First Page

167

Last Page

173

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