BEFORE THE BEGINNING - RELIGIOUS LEADERS PERCEPTIONS OF THE POSSIBILITY FOR MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL COLLABORATION WITH PSYCHOLOGISTS

In the past decade, several authors have argued that psychologists con sider collaboration with religious communities as a way of reaching pe ople in their natural settings, addressing issues of ecological validi ty, and enriching psychological theory and practice. However, absent f rom most of the literature is a rationale for why members of the relig ious communities may be interested in collaborating; or, how setting m embers might benefit from such working relationships. The paper presen ts perspectives from leaders of religious communities on these questio ns. Based on interviews with leaders, three variables emerged as influ ential for leaders' openness to collaboration: (a) emphasis on a servi ce orientation (inreach/outreach), (b) familiarity with a university, and (c) perceptions of psychologists as potential collaborators. The r esults of the interviews also suggest that (d) many leaders make disti nctions between collaboration and consultation, (e) several potential barriers exist for collaboration, and (f) community psychologists may need to make distinctions between clinical and community interventions . The paper presents initial guidelines and relevant information to ps ychologists interested in working in the context of religious organiza tions.