Exploring the Acceptance and Challenge of Integrating Psychotherapy and Pastoral Counseling among the Church Clergy in Sarawak

This research article attempts to explore the acceptance and challenge of integrating Psychotherapy and Pastoral Counseling among the church clergy in Sarawak and also aimed to contribute to the limited body of related literature in Sarawak setting. This research adopts qualitative research design and six senior church leaders from six different denominations were interviewed. Observed barriers and relevant models of integration of the two counseling approaches in the literature were studied and identified as background knowledge and as interviewing resources to conduct the research. The generated results reflected the transparency and cooperation of the clergy in addressing and navigating towards fostering a greater degree of integration of Pastoral Counseling and Psychotherapy in the local church setting, though not without caution and resolution to ascertain theological clarity so as not to fall into ambiguity and compromise Biblical values. Psychotherapy techniques were generally not only deemed useful to explore deeper the emotional and mental issues of church clients but also deemed necessary to prevent the temptation to resort to quick spiritual fix-up. The clergy was also resolute in stating that critically disturbed cases which had spiritual origin could only be tackled by spiritual intervention of fasting, praying and delivering ministry, e.g. demonic oppression and possession. Such, and other challenges, were identified as distinctively separating and uniting factors to be recognized in order to ensure effective and selective integration.