title: Obstacles and opportunities in providing mental health services through a faith-based network in Los Angeles.
abstract: This study surveyed attitudes toward mental health services and barriers to providing these services within the agencies of QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership, a network of faith-based organizations, and parish nurses who provided health care in a low-income, ethnically diverse area of Los Angeles. Representatives from 42 organizations responded. Informal counseling was the most frequently provided service (57 percent); yet only 19 percent reported that counselors had at least a moderate amount of training. Although 69 percent felt that referrals to nonreligious counselors were appropriate, 50 percent were reluctant to collaborate with government agencies. Barriers to providing mental health services included limited professional training, reluctance to partner with government programs, and financial and staffing limitations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA, USA.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dossett
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klap
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wells
mesh_terms: D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000379:methods; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012944:Social Support; D026443:Spiritual Therapies / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires