A call for collaboration: perception of religious and spiritual leaders on mental health (a Portuguese sample)

To assess the relationship and collaborations between mental health professionals and religious and spiritual leaders, eleven representatives of ten different religious affiliations in Portugal participated in this qualitative study. Major findings reported showed that religious leaders perceive themselves as important agents in promoting and preserving their congregants’ mental health, as well as aiding their recovery processes; however this occurs without much referral to or collaboration with mental health professionals. These findings are discussed, as well as why and how a healthy collaboration between mental health professionals and religious leaders can positively impact the psychotherapeutic relationship and clinical outcomes with religious/spiritual clients.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

A Strategy for Collaborative Leadership at Mt. Sinai Seventh-day Adventist Church in Orlando, Florida

Problem Organized as a Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1899, Mt. Sinai was the first Adventist Church for people of color in Orlando. Although Mt. Sinai gave birth to several other churches in the Central Florida area, Mt. Sinai lost its ability to build a successive and collaborative leadership, giving way to conflict and dysfunction. Clashes arose between African American and Caribbean cultures related to leadership, worship, and doctrinal interpretations. Methodology The church was asked to help identify areas of concern related to types of conflict, conflict management, and conflict resolution as identified by the project proposal. The church was asked to offer input on what outcomes they would expect to see followed by the formation of focus groups which was the method of study for this project. The focus groups were formed through a collaborative effort with the pastor and local church leaders. Six focus groups of diverse persons were selected. Nine to twelve persons were proposed to comprise the focus groups. All persons within the groups were eighteen or more years of age. Each person was a member of the Mt. Sinai Seventh-day Adventist Church who attended not less than two Sabbaths per month. They had an acceptable history of involvement in some phase of the church’s ministry and mission. Group participants were asked to have a history with Mt. Sinai of at least one full year. Factors such as age, gender, marital status, positions served, education, longevity in membership, prior membership from another Adventist church, culture and ethnicity, leadership experience, and spiritual inclinations such as conservative, progressive, or liberal were used to help create diversity in the focus group composition. The focus groups were asked to assess predetermined subjects related to the identified needs and issues of Mt. Sinai. When specific areas or concerns were identified, selected presenters and discussion facilitators were asked to share knowledge, methods and learning on how to recognize, classify, form resolution strategies and approach the implementation of such strategies for resolution and growth. These instructional presentations were made at least twice monthly for six to eight months. The focus groups met at least twice monthly. The remaining four to six months were to demonstrate and test learning associated with the instruction and facilitation presented to the focus groups. At the end of the focus period, assessments were made of what issues were identified, what instruction and learning, what methods and techniques were used to implement learning and how that learning would be achieved and measured. The focus groups proposed recommendations to the church for how it could successfully make adaptations and changes that would create leadership strategies desired by the congregation. The project was limited to Mt. Sinai Seventh-day Adventist Church and as such, is intended only to demonstrate what may or may not result from the work done in this project. Results A new organizational structure designed to correlate compatible ministries into relevant leadership teams was implemented. An administrative elder was added to help coordinate the collective ministries. More engagement of leaders in planning and implementation produced collaboration and empowerment thus broadening participation and ownership. Leaders were not only given more opportunity to lead, but were also given opportunity to risk failure and thus to gain practical experience. Conclusion The project demonstrated that collaborative engagement by a broader base of informed leaders created empowerment and lessened conflict. It was further demonstrated that a wider implementation of these strategies would assure leadership growth and provide better potential for more productive successive leadership

Actes de colloque. Rendez-vous Montréal 2002. Les initiatives de reconversion industrielle à partir de la société civile — 28 au 31 mai 2002.

Rendez-vous Montréal 2002 a été une réalisation conjointe de la Société de développement Angus (SDA) et de l’Alliance de recherche univer- sités-communautés en économie sociale (ARUC-ÉS), le programme LEED (Développement économique et création d’emplois au niveau lo- cal — Local Economic and Employment Development) de l’Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE)

A Descriptive Case Study of Staff Development In Two Seventh-day Adventist Districts as They Relate to Potential Change

Problem. Leadership at the superintendent level is paramount in the process of change in Seventh-day Adventist schools. The superintendent/education director of state-sized districts, known as conferences, is responsible for staff development programs. How a superintendent performs his or her duties in the area of staff development is the focus of this study. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to describe staff development programs of two Seventh-day Adventist districts who have a reputation for being active in promoting staff development among their teachers. I wanted to know what the superintendents of these districts were doing in this active mode of staff development. This study is intended to provide data for other districts to follow similar paths of staff development. Method. Two conferences/districts in North America were identified as being exemplary in terms of their staff development programs. Using a case study approach, the district programs were analyzed utilizing interviews, observations, surveys, documents, and records. A quantitative analysis of existing survey data (Profile \u2795) was compared with findings from the qualitative portions of the study. Results. Several recurring motifs emerged in the area of staff development within the two exemplary Seventh-day Adventist school districts: (1) the superintendents of these districts have a clear sense of organizational vision and values, (2) the superintendents actively promote innovative practices to be used in staff development, and (3) the superintendents challenge their teachers to assess and revise their own actions in order to improve the likelihood of success for their students. I discovered that these two exemplary school districts incorporate the following characteristics in their staff-development program: (1) a supportive, cooperative climate in the schools and district, (2) adequate resources provided by the superintendents, (3) implementation of the Joyce and Showers Training Model, (4) time during the school day for collaboration, and (5) realistic goals set by the district

Perceptions of Leadership Characteristics of Principals who Influence Positive School Culture in a Midwest Adventist Union : a Qualitative Study

Problem. Principals struggle to sustain a positive culture in their schools. Many studies have identified that principals play a key role in influencing the school culture. However, no known study has examined leadership characteristics of Adventist principals and their influence on positive school culture in Adventist schools. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to understand and describe leadership characteristics of principals, who foster a positive culture in Adventist schools in a Midwest Seventh-day Adventist Union. Method. This qualitative multiple-case study design was utilized to explore and describe the lived experiences of principals and key stakeholders, school board chairs, and teachers about their perceptions of leadership characteristics of Adventist principals who influence positive school culture. The criterion used to identify the purposive sample was the inter-rater reliability process, in which education leaders from Midwest Adventist Union and four of the local conferences identified schools that have a positive school culture based on an agreed standard, and gave permission to conduct the study. Data collection occurred through in-person interviews with 12 purposively selected participants, informal observation, and field notes obtained at the four school sites. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and make categorized in an ongoing iterative process to establish validity, draw meaning, and make conclusions about the issue. Findings. Principals in this study influenced a positive school culture by embracing their multifaceted role as chief culture leaders in their schools. However, they also acknowledged that the task of maintaining a positive school culture required total dependence on God, and a pervasive attitude of continuous improvement, which could not be achieved without the co-leadership of teachers and collegial collaboration with all stakeholders, staff members and school board, primarily the board chair. The principals described being intentional to treat staff members as trained professionals, and to include them first in planning for improvement of the school. Key stakeholders, school board chairs, and teachers viewed their principals’ leadership as paramount in creating and maintaining a positive school culture, as they looked to them to set a focused direction and high standards of conduct for the school environment. A majority of the stakeholders believed school culture had a greater influence on behavior and achievement among students and teachers. The study revealed shared vision, diversity celebrated, and a pervasive attitude of continuous growth and improvement as common elements that defined positive school culture. In addition, commitment to behavior and core values, interpersonal communication, and the importance of principal relationships emerged as best leadership qualities for cultivating and maintaining positive school culture in Adventist K-12 schools in a Midwest Seventh-day Adventist Union