I agree with most of what you are saying. But I would say my hard knocks experience has been enlightening, and my perspective not so limited as you might think. My education in this is similar to what you describe; starting in 2001, 3 years in-house bible-based recovery, books, seminars, 2 years substance abuse counselor training, and I surround myself with pros. I'm pretty knowledgeable regarding co-morbidity. I've been, in the past, diagnosed with various forms and degrees of it. (Crack, alcohol + Bipolar, OCD, ADHD) But everything I study, I do so with regard to how does it aline with the Word of God. That needs to be the first line of offense, because demons exist, and only those in Christ can recognize them, and separate them out from the worldly psych views, so they can be cast out.
The point I was really making and didn't quite get out, is that much (if not most) of the problems with the homeless (of which I am one) are not mental illnesses requiring 'professional' treatment. All it takes is compassion and a willingness to help, and most problems can be dealt with by laymen street ministers like myself, with faith, prayer, the Word of God. I know how to tell the difference, or if I'm in over my head. Similar to how a paramedic knows when to move over and let the Doctor take over.
But the hard knocks school helps me cut through the garbage the homeless often get from local shelter and neighborhood clinics, (only option available usually, except for veterans, and the VA doesn't do much better), who's practitioners are not only not real doctors, they frequently aren't even spiritual. They can do more damage than an ignorant Pastor, misdiagnosing and prescribing pills for simple depression and such (without previous history, just put out the pills, dude!, yea, now I'm addicted to something else, dude!) Street ministries put people on the front line, like medics in a war zone. There are folks who do have mental illnesses that would never tell anyone, and nobody would know, except that someone cares and stops to pray with them on the street and can recognize there's a bigger problem, and can help them find proper treatment, if they can be talked into going, and if not, I need to be prepared to stick with them until they are.
I don't see the connection here. Do you mean the clergy lack training in psycho analysis and therapy? I know of many Pastors and Ministers with medical degrees in psychology and related stuff. I think this kind of training should be required to some extent. But I don't see how not going to an institute means they're just a salesman for God, whatever that means. It would make sense to say that some Pastors who are nothing more than salesmen of God would never visit such an institution, and that would be true.
Outta time gotta post this, got more to say though, please wait for it.