Non-Professionals as Effective Helpers for Pastoral Counselors

Reports on research of 44 pastoral counseling clients to test the hypothesis that a combination of professional pastoral counseling with the use of non-paid, nonprofessional lay helpers would result in a more favorable increase in self esteem for clients than would private, professional work only. Results support the hypothesis; and it is suggested that pastoral counselors would do well to consider the use of non-professional resource persons in their therapeutic activities.