Pastors as Partners in Care: African Immigrant Pastors’ on Mental Health Care Referral Processes for Young Congregants Experiencing Symptoms of Psychosis in the US

Early support for young people experiencing psychosis is key to preventing negative outcomes. First and second-generation Black immigrants to predominantly white countries are at higher risk for psychosis (Bourque et al. in Psychol Med 41(5):897-910, 2011) and novel interventions are needed to help support immigrants youths and families. African immigrant pastors are culturally valued and poised to help congregants with psychosis and their families, but we know little about the supports pastors offer and what kinds of tools they might need to address the needs of their congregants. This qualitative study explores semi-structured interviews with 16 primarily nondenominational, Christian, African immigrant pastors to elucidate how they served young adult congregants experiencing symptoms of psychosis and their families. Using grounded theory analytic methods, five key themes emerged: (1) building supportive relationships; (2) identifying the source; (3) healing the problem; (4) families as partners in care; and, (5) referring congregants to and collaborating with mental health professionals. These findings describe an initial set of care practices as a starting point for understanding the current and future role of African immigrant pastors as partners in providing mental health care.