Counseling and Values ■ October 2012 ■ Volume 57 199 © 2012 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved. Psychological Care Provided by the Church: Perceptions of Christian Church Members Jennifer N. Bornsheuer, Richard C. Henriksen Jr., and Beverly J. Irby Spirituality and religion are integral parts of a person’s belief system and support network. Although there are many avenues a person can take when seeking mental health care, conservative Protestant clients have a tendency to seek assistance through their church. There is a paucity of literature about conservative Protestant church members’ perceptions of mental health care. The authors used phenomenology to understand participants’ perceptions of mental health care provided by the church. Themes found within participants’ stories included the importance of the relationship when seeking care, the use of knowledgeable practitioners, and the use of religious practices in counseling. Keywords: religion, mental health care, conservative Protestants T here is growing interest in caring for the psychological and mental health needs of members of Christian churches. Spirituality is also being viewed as an integral part of a person’s belief system and is being used more in counseling sessions (O’Grady & Richards, 2009; Richards & Bergin, 2005; Walsh, 1999). Along with this growing trend, many Christian churches now offer mental health services. However, there is a paucity of research on the perceptions of church members regarding these services, particularly related to ways the church cares for parishioners’ psychological needs and improves the mental health services that are provided to the congregation (e.g., Bufford & Buckler, 1987; Kunst, 1993). When seeking mental health care, some church members prefer care from community agencies and practices whereas others prefer care provided by church members and staff. Kunst (1993) indicated that positive gains and growth can occur in counseling when a person is engaged in treatment, has positive attitudes toward treatment, and has an interest in a particular form of therapy. In the same study, Kunst also noted that participants who identified themselves as theologically conservative tended to prefer interventions and counseling that followed a Christian model. Bartkowski and Wilcox (2000) stated that conservative Protestants follow a “traditional, fundamentalist viewpoint including literal translations of scripture” (p. 269) in guiding Jennifer N. Bornsheuer, Richard C. Henriksen Jr., and Beverly J. Irby, Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling, Sam Houston State University. Jennifer N. Bornsheuer is now at Depart- ment of Counseling, Oakland University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jennifer N. Bornsheuer, Department of Counseling, Oakland University, Pawley Hall, Rochester, MI 48309 (e-mail: jbornsheuer@hotmail.com).