Tending the Shepherd: Why Clergy Must Embrace Evidence-Based Psychotherapy
Clergy — whether they serve as priests, pastors, imams, rabbis, ministers, or in any of the countless other roles that constitute religious leadership — are professionals uniquely positioned at the intersection of human suffering and spiritual hope. They sit with the dying. They counsel the divorcing. They bear witness to addiction, abuse, grief, and despair, often without the protective frameworks that guide social workers, psychologists, or physicians. And yet, when it comes to seeking structured professional psychological support for themselves, many clergy remain deeply reluctant.