This all-in-one guide is designed to better equip clergy to meet their churches' needs in a spiritually grounded and scientifically sound manner. Succinct, easy-to-read chapters summarize all a pastor needs to know about a given problem area, including its signs or symptoms, questions to ask, effective helping skills, and, most importantly, when to refer to a mental health professional.

"God longs for us to be healthy emotionally. He has called you to minister to his wounded flock and now has given you a valuable, important resource to help you. Take this book. Study it. Use it. It will make you much more effective in your work with fellow messy pilgrims."--From the Foreword by Ruth Graham, author of In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart: Hope for the Hurting "Cynthia Franklin and Rowena Fong have accomplished a Herculean task. Unlike books that are strong on information about the problem but weak on what can be done to alleviate it, this book provides guidance, pointing the reader in the right direction and providing a reliable map for what may prove to be a long and arduous journey. Think of this book as the Handel's Messiah of counseling resources for church leaders!" --Donald Capps, Professor of Pastoral Psychology, Princeton Theological Seminary "Pastors, if you have ever felt lost about what to say or do with some of your parishioner's concerns, then this is the resource you have been waiting for. Don't let the size frighten you. It will become the standard, on the desk, right next to your religious texts. I don't know of anything better or more helpful for your own understanding and ministry than this work by Franklin and Fong." --David Carder, Pastor of Counseling Ministries, First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton, California "If you believe that effective ministry to people with mental health needs is not only about solving problems, but releasing people to a more effective faith walk, this is a book you need." --Byron D. Klaus, President, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, Missouri "Pastors often tread into mental health problems overconfident or underprepared. This book is a welcome antidote. With the help of this handbook, pastors can claim a proper confidence in counseling situations and work more effectively with other helping rofessionals." --George A. Mason, Senior Pastor, Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas "I hope pastors will use this resource to add to the content of their preaching so that whole congregations hear the message that healing is available-no suffering or pain is beyond hope. While healing may never be simple and it may take the concerted efforts of pastoral staffs, families, education and mental health professionals, it is always possible." --Mark Pranaitis, Associate Provost, DePaul University "Franklin, Fong, and colleagues have aimed for an ambitious and significant target: summarizing the best of current mental health knowledge and practice for congregational leaders who often encounter and must deal with all manner of human predicaments. This groundbreaking handbook makes a major contribution." --Terry Wolfer, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of South Carolina "Finally, a practical and comprehensive resource book to help pastors deal with the wide range of mental and social issues facing the church today. This is a must-have resource book for every pastor and a gift to the church at large." --George O. Wood, Chief Executive Officer, General Council of the Assemblies of God, Springfield, Missouri

Cynthia Franklin, Ph.D., is the Stiernberg/Spencer Family Professor in Mental Health at the University of Texas at Austin. Rowena Fong, Ed.D., is the Ruby Lee Piester Centennial Professor in Services to Children and Families at the University of Texas at Austin.