Christian Counseling Today Vol. 21, Iss. 2

christian counseling today

Vol. 21 no. 2

ccording to a 2012 Centers

for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) report,

suicide is the third leading

cause of death among people between

the ages of 15-24, the second among

people 25-34 years old, the fourth

among people 35-54 years old, and

the eighth among people 55-64 years

old.

Notably, the CDC also reported

that attempted suicides among adoles-

cents surveyed increased from 6.3% to

7.8% between 2009 and 2011, and the

number of teens surveyed who seriously

considered suicide rose from 13.8% to

15.8%.

Saddleback Church in Lake Forest,

California, hosted the “Gathering on

Mental Health and the Church” in 2014

following the tragic death of Pastor Rick

Warren’s son, Matthew, by suicide on

April 5, 2013, after his lifelong battle

with mental illness. Dr. Warren said

churches “must take the lead on mental

illness” and that the local church is often

the first place a family reaches out to in

a time of crisis. More than 3,300 people

attended the sold out conference and

Saddleback Church is scheduled to host

a second, similar event in October of

this year.

Legal and Ethical

Considerations

Church leaders are encouraged to

develop counseling ministry policies,

including guidelines for suicide risk

prevention, to help care for counselees

and congregants and reduce liability risk

associated with pastoral and lay coun-

seling. It is recommended that such

policies be developed in accordance

with the parameters of relevant law,

and appropriately incorporate ethical

standards addressed in the American

Association of Christian Counselors

(AACC) 2014 Christian Code of Ethics.

Generally, most U.S. courts have

rejected the concept of clergy malprac-

tice. The California Supreme Court,

in the landmark 1988 case of

Nally v.

Grace Community Church

, rejected the

argument that non-therapist clergy had

a legal duty to refer suicidal people to

licensed mental health professionals.

The Court observed, “Because of the

differing theological views espoused by

the myriad of religions in our state and

practiced by church members, it would

certainly be impractical, and quite possi-

bly unconstitutional, to impose a duty of

care on pastoral counselors. Such a duty

would necessarily be intertwined with

the religious philosophy of the particular

denomination or ecclesiastical teach-

ings of the religious entity,”

However,

there is always the risk that churches

and clergy will be sued for counseling

liability-related issues, including negli-

gence in the screening, training and/or

supervision of lay counselors.

Risk Management Elements

Relevant to Suicide Prevention

The following are issues relevant to

suicide prevention for church leaders

to consider in consultation with a local

attorney when developing a counsel-

ing policy for church pastoral and lay

counseling:

Consent Form Considerations.

Pastoral and lay counselors should

be encouraged to develop Informed

Consent policies and procedures that

set forth the conditions under which

counseling will be provided, including

confidentiality and its parameters. One

common exception to confidentiality

found in church-based counseling allows

counselors to seek appropriate help

when a counselee is suicidal. Generally,

church-based counselors should assure

that each counselee (and/or a legal

guardian in the case of a minor) reads,

understands, and signs an Informed

Consent form. This is an important

step to help limit misunderstandings

with counselees regarding confidential-

ity of information and other elements of

church-based counseling.

Assessment.

Church leaders

should consider including a question in

a counselee intake form as to whether

a counselee is suicidal. Pastoral and

lay counselors should be prepared to

have relevant follow-up discussion if

a counselee answers the question in

the affirmative. Psychologist, Dr. Gary

Collins, in

Christian Counseling: A

Comprehensive Guide

, states, “It is com-

mon to find that a counselor’s care and

interest can defuse the suicide idea, at

least temporarily….”

Pastors and lay

john sandy, J.D.

law, ethics & liability

Church-based Counseling and Suicide Risk Prevention