Spiritual Formation Training in Christian Psychology Doctoral Programs: Introduction to Special Issue

This article introduces a special issue on spiritual formation training in Christian psychology doctoral programs. The importance of spiritual formation in the integration of psychology and Christianity is discussed, with a focus on the person of the psychotherapist. Student-faculty collaboration was valued throughout the preparation of the special issue, from the initial idea to peer reviewing and final editing. Finally, themes observed in the various articles are summarized and continued dialog is encouraged

Psychologists Collaborating With Clergy

If a patient adheres to religious values and practices, should the treating psychologist get input from a clergyperson? How frequent is clergy-psychologist collaboration? What obstacles impede such collaboration? An exploratory survey questionnaire was sent to 200 clergy, 200 psychologists interested in religious issues, and 200 psychologists selected without regard to religious interests or values. Four themes were assessed: types of collaborative activities, frequency of collaboration, obstacles to collaboration, and ways to enhance collaboration. Strategies for promoting clergy-psychologist collaboration include challenging unidirectional referral assumptions, building trust through proximity and familiarity, and considering the importance of shared values and beliefs

Examples of Collaboration Between Psychologists and Clergy

Some psychologists may be interested in working collaboratively with clergy and yet may not know where to start. What kinds of collaborative projects are possible? A qualitative analysis of 77 narratives offered by psychologists and clergy involved in collaboration revealed that collaboration between psychologists and clergy currently takes place in at least four contexts: mental health services, parish life, community concerns, and academics. Reported obstacles to collaboration are also described. Essential attitudes for psychologists interested in collaborating with clergy include respecting clergy as professionals, willingness to venture out from traditional professional settings, and exploring innovative collaborative possibilities

Spiritual Formation Training in the George Fox University Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology

Spiritual formation training in the George Fox University Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology is described. An evangelical Quaker institution, the ethos of George Fox University is intended to foster experiential spiritual development and reflective self-awareness. In a 2008 curriculum revision the faculty attempted to strengthen the experiential dimensions of spiritual formation training even at the risk of reducing training in more academic dimensions of theology and integration. A 2013 program evaluation solicited student and alumni perspectives on the effectiveness of the spiritual formation training they received. Results of the program evaluation suggest areas for future development

Collaborate With Whom? Clergy Responses to Psychologist Characteristics (Chapter 2 of Psychology and the Church)

Some clergy and psychologists are willing to collaborate in providing for people under their care and some are reticent. The purpose of this research is to see if clergy are more likely to collaborate with psychologists of a particular sex or training background. Six groups of clergy were given written descriptions of a psychologist that varied on these two dimensions-the institution from which the psychologist received training and sexand were then asked to rate how likely they would be to participate in 7 collaborative scenarios with the psychologist. No group differences were found. Furthermore, clergy characteristics were not significantly related to their likelihood of collaborating with psychologists. Differences were observed among the 7 collaborative scenarios, suggesting that clergy are more interested in some forms of collaboration than others. It appears that idiographic relational factors are ultimately more important than general demographic categories in establishing clergy-psychologist collaboration

Minimizing Errors in RT-PCR Detection and Quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for Wastewater Surveillance

Wastewater surveillance for pathogens using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is an effective, resource-efficient tool for gathering additional community-level public health information, including the incidence and/or prevalence and trends of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater may provide an early-warning signal of COVID-19 infections in a community. The capacity of the world’s environmental microbiology and virology laboratories for SARS-CoV-2 RNA characterization in wastewater is rapidly increasing. However, there are no standardized protocols nor harmonized quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance. This paper is a technical review of factors that can lead to false-positive and -negative errors in the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, culminating in recommendations and strategies that can be implemented to identify and mitigate these errors. Recommendations include, stringent QA/QC measures, representative sampling approaches, effective virus concentration and efficient RNA extraction, amplification inhibition assessment, inclusion of sample processing controls, and considerations for RT-PCR assay selection and data interpretation. Clear data interpretation guidelines (e.g., determination of positive and negative samples) are critical, particularly during a low incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Corrective and confirmatory actions must be in place for inconclusive and/or potentially significant results (e.g., initial onset or reemergence of COVID-19 in a community). It will also be prudent to perform inter-laboratory comparisons to ensure results are reliable and interpretable for ongoing and retrospective analyses. The strategies that are recommended in this review aim to improve SARS-CoV-2 characterization for wastewater surveillance applications. A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the efficacy of wastewater surveillance was demonstrated during this global crisis. In the future, wastewater will play an important role in the surveillance of a range of other communicable diseases.Highlights: Harmonized QA/QC procedures for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance are lacking; Wastewater analysis protocols are not optimized for trace analysis of viruses; False-positive and -negative errors have consequences for public health responses; Inter-laboratory studies utilizing standardized reference materials and protocols are needed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Colonization of Biofilms in a Freshwater Stream by Fecal Coliforms and Escherichia Coli

Enteric bacterial contamination was assessed along one area of Wilson’s Creek comparing bacterial levels found in the water column with those found in biofilm. Samples were collected 5 times per month for 7 months, and analyzed for fecal coliform and E. coli. A biofilm collection device was constructed using removable plates to grow biofilm, which were then transported to the laboratory and submitted to bacterial separated procedures. Using routine bacteriological analysis procedures, levels of fecal coliform and E. coli from both the water column and biofilm were determined. Each sampling date, turbidity, air temperature, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, flow rate, and nutrient concentrations were measured. The presence of pathogenic strains; Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli were determined from biofilm samples using molecular methods. Correlation analysis indicated bacterial levels in the water column are influenced by turbidity and phosphorus, while bacterial levels in biofilm correlated with dissolved oxygen and flow. Median counts for water column E. coli exceeded EPA established limits of 126 CFU/100mL set for recreational waters every month. Median fecal coliform levels in the water column exceeded EPA limits of 200 CFU/100mL for 6 of the 7 sample months. Bacterial levels in the water column peaked during summer months, decreasing with water temperature. Biofilm bacterial numbers remained constant or increased despite low temperatures, suggesting added survivability and environmental resistance when incorporated in biofilm. Pathogenic strains, Salmonella and Shigella, were detected in biofilm; however, no samples tested positive for E. coli