Pastoral Support for People with Mental Health Issues

Product Description

Overview

For Church leaders, understanding the signs and symptoms of key mental health issues is critical for providing effective pastoral support for those they serve. It is now more important than ever to foster ministry environments where people feel safe to disclose and ask for help when they are struggling with mental health. Joe Collins, D.O., explores the clinical aspects of mental health diagnoses and treatment and Deacon Ed Shoener offers strategies for providing critical support in parish, diocesan and religious community settings.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

1. Be able to describe a medical framework for understanding mental illness;
2. Learn how to assess signs of potential mental illness and provide support for finding professional assistance; and
3. Discover resources for offering mental health ministry in a parish, diocese or religious community.

Who Should Participate

Priests, deacons, men and women religious, lay ministers, and those involved in vocations, formation, or clergy and ministry personnel needs.

Reflection Questions

Questions for reflection and discussion prior to the learning session are provided below.

1. What are my reactions, perceptions and beliefs about mental illness?
2. What mental health issues have I encountered in my parish, diocese or religious community?
3. How can I encourage parishioners and the people I serve to talk openly about mental illness and the need to find help?