The counseling role of Baptist ministers in rural and urban West Virginia counties.

It is well established that about half of Americans suffering with a broad range of psychiatric diseases seek ministerial counseling instead of help from the medical community. Less well established is the influence of demographics, such as population density, on the mental health work of ministers. This study compares the counseling activities of Baptist ministers in rural and urban counties of West Virginia. Ministers responded to a questionnaire that assessed basic demographic data as well as attitudes regarding mental illness and counseling activity. County population density was then used to rank respondents. The respondents, who were almost exclusively male, were middle-aged and averaged greater than 20 years of experience in the ministry. They had an average church size of over 200 people. Although greater than 70% reported recent training in ministerial counseling, 85% indicated interest in a workshop focusing on common mental illnesses. No minister reported charging fees for their counseling. Significantly more counseling was reported by ministers from more urban areas with higher per capita incomes and larger congregations.