Uniting the Church and mental health
May is Mental Health Awareness month and within that on May 3-7, 2021 is mental health awareness week. One resource coming up during that week is the Church Mental Health Refresh, a live conference of five speakers giving five different talks for churches.
The topics of how churches can play a part if renewing their heart and mind include:
April is Autism Awareness Month to promote awareness around this specific issue. In the past, we have shared about Ability Ministry’s free and paid resources for churches and Nathaniel Hope’s Buddy Break program for respite care. But today we wanted to give you some awareness about what autism is.
Below I have two different videos, one a TED Talk that is great for adults on what autism is and the misconceptions that come with it. But I have included a second video for children because Sesame Street has done an amazing job in the last several years to help educate children about autism too. Please use both videos to help spread awareness for yourself and others.
[Read more…] about What Is Autism? [Videos]We will be speaking at the Faith + Mental Health Summit this April 23 & 24, 2021. This is a teaser trailer for our presentation. We want to continue to bring more awareness to integrating faith and mental health and this is another chance to do so.
To wet your appetite, here is a preview of it:
[Read more…] about Mindfulness Christian Recovery [Preview]In my clinical experience, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders is unlike any other treatment progress. Not because they are so different, but because the power of treatment can be done so well and you need to be very intentional about how you approach them. One specific part of treatment is how to work with someone who has psychosis while they are in a delusion or having a psychotic episode and may not be rational. Dr. Xavier Amador’s book I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! addresses how to minimize the impact of psychotic episodes and help the clients not have to be involuntarily hospitalized.
[Read more…] about I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! [Book Review]We want to introduce you to a specific Church Assistance Program (CAP) for mental health that we will shorten to CAP. The idea is that there are barriers for people to getting into counseling beyond stigma, including finding a Christian counselor and finances. The secular world has an Employer Assistance Program if they need to refer someone to treatment, why wouldn’t churches? And for those who are members of our newsletter, you will get to see it for free before the public.
[Read more…] about Free Exclusive Resource For Newsletter MembersA couple of weeks ago I was able to give a presentation on co-occurring statistics for college age students to a university who has a specific focus on addressing domestic violence on their campus. I feel like young adult or college pastors could also greatly benefit from this as there are some startling statistics with it. There are no college age statistics for co-occurring within the Church but we can at least correlate between the statistics.
[Read more…] about College Co-Occurring StatisticsLamar Hardwick has become known as the Autism Pastor and in his most recent book Disability and the Church: A Vision for Diversity and Inclusion, Lamar first shares his own story, both with coming into his diagnosis as well as his minority status as a Black man, and how that impacted his faith. He then transitions to how to move towards diversity within the Church and make an inclusion ministry
[Read more…] about Disability and the Church [Book Review]We are friends with Hope Made Strong who have been coming out with regular content on their YouTube channel. (You should go subscribe, for sure. We are.) Last month, she shared the 7 keys to building resilience. For those who need it, she defines resilience:
[Read more…] about 7 Keys To Building Resilience [Video]Resilience is the ability to bounce back or withstand adversity. It isn’t the absence of struggle or pain. It is the ability to come out of a time of suffering, quicker easier and perhaps with growth.
Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry by Amy Simpson is a book on the mental health topic it’s titled after. It explores as Christians how we are to respond to situation and personal stories of anxiety, noting that the easy “Christian quips” of “just pray more” are not helpful and then gives Scripture and practical advice on how to proceed. The personal nature of this book makes it feel authentic, giving insight into big concerns like her experience of coming toe to toe with a bear in Alaska, but also trying to control how her day or week may go in a stressful week.
[Read more…] about Anxious [Book Review]A year ago, I put together a list of goals that I would have loved to see for myself. But who could have predicted all the events that happened this year and put a wreck to anybody and everybody’s plans for the future. Some of it I accomplished, others I had to pivot because of the circumstances and set aside what I had hoped for.
[Read more…] about 2021 Yearly Goals
