Qualitative study to consider licensed professional counselors' perceptions of pastoral counseling in the African American community

This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological theory design to evaluate the perceptions held by licensed professional counselors regarding pastoral counseling conducted in African American community in the Mid Atlantic United States. The study was designed to build a deeper understanding of how licensed professional counselors conceptualized the African American Pastors' role. To evaluate those perceptions, the researcher analyzed data collected from face-to-face interviews. The findings from this qualitative data analysis study revealed that the licensed professional counselors' perceptions of pastoral counseling is jaded by several factors that divide the two professions, lack of training, poor communications, and misconception of the level of professionalism in the church. These are just some of the results from the study. Moreover, the results of this study (a) can offer direction to pastors in selecting individual professional development goals to better prepare themselves and (b) can add perspective to the design of collaboration programs between counselors and pastors.