This paper discusses how helping ministries can effectively relate to psychological principles to better serve those in need. It emphasizes the importance of volunteers exhibiting high self-efficacy when assisting clients, as this allows them to maintain control over difficult interactions and deliver both positive and negative news calmly. The document also provides an example of how Rowan Helping Ministries in North Carolina carefully handles denying assistance to a client in crisis using structured forms and policies designed to support volunteers and respectfully explain decisions to clients.

1. Bridges out of Poverty:
How Helping Ministries Relate to Psychology
Wood, Ashanti I.
Byrd, D.
PSYC 4912: Internship
Fort Valley State University
**This paper has been prepared by student,Ashanti
Iman Wood in correspondence with Fort Valley State
University (GA) and Rowan Helping Ministries
(NC). AshantiIman Wood. 20 April, 2015

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Many Americans are unable to manage household expenses in conjunction with their
income, which results in poverty, homelessness and constant crisis. Financial matters disrupt the
lives of Americans daily, causing temporary and often permanent damage. Fortunately, various
communities throughout the world offer services to resolve and enrich the lives of those in crisis-
the most popular of agencies are helping ministries. Such organizations are dedicated to
renewing spiritual and financial deficiencies of those in crisis to restore household sustainability.
Those offering their time to the community through these agencies are volunteers, donors and
various entities with a desire to see a prosperous community. These individuals are usually
special and require a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ or demeanor designed to aid those in need. Such
personalities are vital, but self-efficacy (an intricate psychological process) is needed to provide
satisfactory service and make an impact on the particular individual, household and community,
in the effort to alleviate crisis and diminish poverty.
In order to completely comprehend the detail of a crisis agency or helping ministry, one
must truly understand the phrase ‘crisis’. The 1999 edition of Webster’s II New College
Dictionary defines crisis as an “unstable state of economic affairs with an impending abrupt or
decisive change”, also phrased as a turning point, but a crisis relating to an entire household is
much more than a turning point- it is critical. Critical! Urgent! Detrimental! Agony! … Are all
phrases used to describe the cognitive state of an individual in crisis. Although the individual
acting as a liaison between the client (experiencing the crisis) and relief is usually a volunteer,
this role is vital as the volunteer should be able to vicariously absorb the client’s crisis, utilize
organizational guidelines “based on a content analysis of interview protocols (Gottlieb, B. H.,
2012; 1978)” while making this person’s particular matter their matter for the allotted time the

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volunteer is in the client’s presence. The volunteer’s purpose is to “offer support through
attentive active listening and a caring presence (Haugk, 2002, p. 122)”
A particular level of warmth and compassion is required when dealing with someone in
crisis. In addition to steadfast sincerity, intrinsic individuals (Nye, Watts & Savage, 2003, p. 32)
are needed, for neutral personalities are best when working with the public and the specific
service at hand is the sole purpose of the interaction. An individual in crisis experiences a
plethora of feelings, pain and inadequacies. Any form of discrimination such as a volunteer not
assisting a client because they happen to be homosexual and HIV positive(for example) may go
against one’s personal beliefs but that particular matter has absolutely noting to do with the crisis
which the client entered the establishment to resolve. Intrinsic believers of faith and religion
perform well when assisting clients going through crisis. This sort of stable behavior allows the
volunteer to simply serve as an aid of temporary assistance from a physical perspective opposed
to a spiritual level which can often initiate deterrents, repelling progress and inviting sectors of
segregation such as race, religion, political views and sexual orientation. Those possessing an
intrinsic work ethic provide excellent service and exhibit impeccable self-efficacy.
“Self-efficacy reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over one's own
motivation, behavior, and social environment (Bandura, 1997)”. It is imperative that a volunteer
serving in a helping ministry, especially non- profit, be a pillar of self-efficacy. [A]Proper
regulation of a crisis interview, [b]verbally obtaining the (actual) crisis from the client,
[c]contacting the vendor associated with the crisis, [d]relaying the crisis and background data
relating to the matter and [e]conveying the result to client after final staff deliberation are all
manipulated by self-efficacy. Said behavioral control dictates the length of time required for the
engagement and also determines whether the predicament was effectively divulged to staff,

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whom utilize verbal, physical and financial data in conjunction with protocol associated with the
non-profit organization to determine whether the establishment can assist the client’s immediate
need.
The writer’s internship site, Rowan Helping Ministries in Salisbury, North Carolina
offers a variety of services to assist the community during times of difficulty; free clothing, food,
life coaching, shelter and financial assistance with household utilities. Each service is offered to
assist Rowan county residents with negative income to expense ratios in the effort to maintain or
establish individual household sustainability. The forum has been designed to ignite an undying
sense of responsibility, accountability and progress for the community; implicitly providing short
term relief and a pedestal methodically inclining toward progress and the ability to conclude the
need for crisis assistance. Clients can often become comfortable with the organization,
familiarize themselves with policies and sources affiliated with the organization, essentially
seeking guaranteed results. This sense of entitlement can cloud the judgment of a volunteer
occasionally or resemble dissatisfaction. Such condemnation can be viewed as a form of
disrespect and a lack of appreciation as large numbers of Rowan County residents seek
assistance during times of utter chaos and shear despair. Many clients are unable to keep an
appointment due to the inability to have their shift covered at work, forfeiting their sign-in time,
missing the opportunity to receive assistance with their light bill and having to bring their
children home to a dark home that night.
It is the volunteer’s immediate responsibility to utilize self-efficacy in regard to
interacting with clients during successful and distressful results of crisis assistance. Excitement
and joy are positive reactions to good news, however disagreeable outcomes are usually difficult
for the client to accept and the volunteer to internalize and render to the client awaiting their fate

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in a petite interview room- but the information must be granted. Self-efficacy in addition to
informal social support are vital, as most volunteers at a crisis assistance center are not licensed
therapists, sworn police officers or hostage negotiators. Informal social support allows the
interviewer to seem familiar to the client. For the client to understand that the individual sitting
across from them is normal and unable to judge, just listen and be their voice to crisis staff is
comforting and fair. Tactfully, with minimal (yet comprehensive) explanation of organizational
rules relating to negative outcomes, it is required that the client understand the final decision
relating to their crisis- no matter how detrimental the event may seem.
For example: A 35 year old woman enters a helping ministry for electricity assistance to
avoid disconnection of service. She is technically disabled (meaning a doctor or employer states
she cannot physically be employed due to health reasons), but does not receive Social Security
disability income due to government regulation or an extensive approval process- therefore the
female client has no income. The woman is a victim of domestic violence and a close friend is
allowing her to stay in her home, rent and utility free. The owner of the home travels cross
country and only returns to check on the client once a month. The client notices that the owner
has not called or visited in two months and has a letter from the power company stating the
service will be disconnected by 5:00 pm the following day. The client just received full custody
of her 4 year old daughter because the father (with whom she shared custody) died 2 weeks prior.
The client discovered she is pregnant earlier in the day and is now worried about the owner of
the home in addition to aforementioned catastrophes.
Although the client has at least 2 circumstances that can be considered as a crisis in
accordance with the helping ministry’s organizational and federal regulations, the client’s
electricity bill is not in her name. The electricity bill is in the owner’s name and the ministry in

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conjunction with the power company cannot release any information regarding a bill that is not
in the client’s name. Due to the client’s inability to reach the home owner- services were denied
by staff and a volunteer has to present the news to the overwhelmed client. But how? How can a
volunteer, in a loving, comforting way tell a hysterical, depressed, abused, neglected, pregnant
mother that she has to find a way to pay this bill own her own, without income?... How: With
self-efficacy, informal social support and organization policy.
Rowan Helping Ministries has an impeccably savvy and responsible way of
corresponding with the client through documentation. RHM forms are deluding in presentation,
with riveting personification; almost as if the board of commissioners, the state of North
Carolina and Rowan Helping Ministries’ staff were all in the 64 square foot interview room with
the client and volunteer. During the denial process, a staff member deliberates a final decision of
the scenario, circles one of the primed reasons for denial of assistance and in the event that the
primed reasons are too vague, a staff member will communicate the conclusion in depth in the
Additional Comments portion of the form complete with date and signature. Volunteers whom
have difficulty relaying ‘bad news’ or feel too emotionally attached to a particular case or client
should formidably abide by the contents of the denial form. For clarity and re-iteration of the
organization’s final determination, the blue sheet of paper displays the final say (only in rare
events can clients challenge RHM decisions; which the volunteer is no longer involved). Policy
requires that a denial sheet be copied, client receives the copy and RHM places the original in the
client’s file. The efficient process of releasing clients with distressful outcomes is to grant the
client with a (staff provided) referral sheet and hand the client their denial sheet. Simply, in a low
tone explain the reason for the denial and inform the client that the organization will not be able
to assist them today, but please contact specified entities of assistance listed on the referral sheet.

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If the client remains seated, states that they do not understand or becomes disgruntled: read the
staff selected explanation of denial to client. After that, stand up, gather all items, open and stand
in front of the door. Tell the client: [A] that you are sorry for this outcome, [B] you will walk
with the client to the lobby and [C] bid them goodbye. Seek staff assistance if client continues to
discuss the matter or remains in seat.
The aforementioned process is effortless, fair and the epitome of self-efficacy when
(psychologically) interacting with the public in a helping ministry or crisis assistance center.
Clients are vulnerable and full of shame, inadequacy and helplessness. Their coping skills are
“under great pressure and in danger (Haugk, 2002, p. 12)”. It is the volunteer’s duty to be level
headed and in control. Whether giving good or bad news. Some clients may choose to become
disgruntled and it is the volunteers duty to remain calm and use the “Customer is always Right!”
mentality. Being compassionate, yet assertive is key. Such a mindset is difficult for an individual
that is not harmonious with self-efficacy. Case managers (like the majority of Rowan Helping
Ministries staff) and Social Workers must exhibit self-efficacy as their jobs require sound
decision making and cannot be led by emotion or disappointment with clients, staff or the
company they represent. Because organizations and companies of this sort cater to the public
with government and state funds and sources, it is critical to remain steadfast on the goal of
serving those in need. One cannot lose sight of their goal, which is people in need- practicing
self-efficacy and keeping constant control is the only way to serve the public in a successful
fashion. Though individuals in this sort of profession cannot save or assist everyone, more are
assisted using self-efficacy than those whom worked without it.

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