REFERRAL ISSUES

Por: ©Rev. Dr. José Abraham De Jesús-Rivera

A. WHO ARE THE PEOPLE THAT NEEDS TO BE REFERRED:

1. Those who can be helped more effectively by someone else.
2. Those with problems for which effective specialized agencies are available in the community.
3. Those who do not begin to use pastoral help in four or five sessions.
4. Those who needs obviously surpass the minister's time and/or training.
5. Those with severe chronic financial needs. Public welfare agencies with trained social workers are appropriate referrals.
6. Those who need medical care and/or institutionalization.
7. Those who need intensive psychotherapy.
8. Those about the nature of whose problem one is in doubt.
9. Those who are severely depressed and/or suicidal.
10. Those whom the minister has strong negative reaction or intense sexual attraction.

B. PERSONS WITH SEVERE MENTAL DISTURBANCES THAT SHOULD BE REFERRED:

1. Persons believe (without any basis in reality) that others are attempting to harm them, assault them sexually, or influence them in strange ways.
2. The ones that have delusions of grandeur about themselves.
3. The ones that show abrupt changes in their typical patterns of behavior.
4. The ones that hallucinate, hearing nonexistent sounds or voices, or seeing nonexisting persons or things.
5. The ones that have rigid, bizarre ideas and fears, which cannot be influenced by logic.
6. The ones that engage in repetitious patterns of compulsive actions or obsessive thoughts.
7. The ones that are disoriented (unaware of time, place, or personal identity).
8. The ones who are depressed to the point of near-stupor or are strangely elated and/or aggressive.
9. The ones that are withdraw into their inner world, losing interest in normal activities.

C. WHERE TO REFER:

1. Assembling a growing referral file of community resources,
2. Building relationships with the social agencies and helping professionals.

D. HOW TO REFER:

1. Create this expectations.
2. Mentions the possibility of referral early in counseling sessions.
3. Start where persons are in their perceptions of their problems and the kind of help needed.
4. Work to bring counselees' perceptions of their problems and their solutions close enough to the counselors perceptions to permit referrals to take.
5. Help counselees resolve their emotional resistance to the particular helping person or agency recommended.
6. Interpret the general nature of the help that persons may expect to receive, relating it to their own sense of need.
7. Establish strong enough rapport with persons to develop a bridge over which they may walk into another helping relationships.
8. Encourage referred persons to really try a given therapist or agency, even if they are only mildly willing.
9. Let persons know that one's pastoral care and concern will continue after referral.
10. Try to refer to therapist who are trained in cross-racial counseling, and who know the culture of the counselee.