Mental Health Ministries e-Spotlight
Summer 2016
"Mental Health Ministries Summer Spotlight" Susan Gregg-Schroeder from The Mental Health Ministries in San Diego, California, United States for Wednesday, 8 June 2016Welcoming Summer
We look forward to summer. With no major religious holidays, the summer offers us space when the pace is slower. People plan vacations to physically visit other places, but we can also find ways to "vacate" and be present to our surroundings no matter where we are. This month's Snippet offers some thoughts on how to mindfully live in the present moment.
Small Group Guide - Wellness Group Activity Lessons: A Guide for Group Leaders
Small Group Guide - Wellness Group Activity Lessons: A Guide for Group Leaders
The Wellness Activities Workbook is a workbook of the Wellness Institute of the Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey Inc. This small group guide helps people with mental health conditions learn new behaviors and habits to improve their personal wellness. Each lesson has been constructed as a group activity that maximizes learning through building positive interpersonal relationships and actively involving participants. The eleven one-hour sessions include such topics as gratitude journaling, mindfulness, leisure planning for wellness and yoga. The workbook shares that:
Wellness is not the absence of disease, illness, and stress but the presence of:
Mediation
Purpose in Life,
Active involvement in satisfying work and play,
Joyful relationships,
A healthy body and living environment, and
The presence of happiness.
This workbook is available as a downloadable PDF file.
Mental Illness and Justice Issues
Wellness is not the absence of disease, illness, and stress but the presence of:
Mediation
Purpose in Life,
Active involvement in satisfying work and play,
Joyful relationships,
A healthy body and living environment, and
The presence of happiness.
This workbook is available as a downloadable PDF file.
Mental Illness and Justice Issues
Mental Illness and Justice Issues is a document written by Deacon Tom Lambert with the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, Commission on Mental Illness. It gives helpful background information and statistics about mental illness as well as addressing important social justice issues including homelessness, prison, access to mental healthcare and employment. Written from a Catholic perspective it also provides helpful information on the role of the church in justice for people with mental illness and their families. This resource is available for download in the Faith Group Resource section on the Mental Health Ministries website.
NAMI FaithNet
NAMI FaithNet is an interfaith resource network of NAMI members, friends, clergy and congregations of all faith traditions who wish to encourage faith communities who are welcoming and supportive of persons and families living with mental illness.
NAMI FaithNet strives to encourage welcoming, caring congregations as well as to promote the vital role of spirituality in the recovery journeys of many who live with mental health conditions, those for whom faith is a key component.
A PDF flyer with information on NAMI FaithNet is available by clicking here. For more information on the resources and programs offered by NAMI FaithNet visit www.nami.org/faithnet.
July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
In May of 2008, the US House of Representatives announced July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Albert Wynn [D-MD] and cosponsored by a large bipartisan group to achieve two goals:
Improve access to mental health treatment and services and promote public awareness of mental illness.
Name a month as the Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to enhance public awareness of mental illness and mental illness among minorities.
For more about National Minority Mental Health Month click here.
Postpartum Depression - Blue Dot Campaign
NAMI FaithNet
NAMI FaithNet is an interfaith resource network of NAMI members, friends, clergy and congregations of all faith traditions who wish to encourage faith communities who are welcoming and supportive of persons and families living with mental illness.
NAMI FaithNet strives to encourage welcoming, caring congregations as well as to promote the vital role of spirituality in the recovery journeys of many who live with mental health conditions, those for whom faith is a key component.
A PDF flyer with information on NAMI FaithNet is available by clicking here. For more information on the resources and programs offered by NAMI FaithNet visit www.nami.org/faithnet.
July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
In May of 2008, the US House of Representatives announced July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Albert Wynn [D-MD] and cosponsored by a large bipartisan group to achieve two goals:
Improve access to mental health treatment and services and promote public awareness of mental illness.
Name a month as the Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to enhance public awareness of mental illness and mental illness among minorities.
For more about National Minority Mental Health Month click here.
Postpartum Depression - Blue Dot Campaign
A mom, a reproductive psychiatrist and a volunteer with Postpartum Health Alliance came together to createTheBlueDotProject. Receiving a generous grant from the Mason Hirst Foundation, the Project intends to change the face of Postpartum Depression and Anxiety by taking away the stigma and raising awareness. Very often, when a mom is suffering from these symptoms, it can be very isolating. Reaching out for support or talking to others isn't always easy while feeling this way. The hope is that these BlueDots on your car’s bumper will give them hope that they will get better. For more information go to thebluedotproject.org
DVD - Breaking the Silence: Postpartum Depression and Families and Faith
DVD - Breaking the Silence: Postpartum Depression and Families and Faith
The birth of a baby is a time of great joy. But women can also find themselves feeling overwhelmed. They may even have negative feelings toward their child that can make them feel confused and guilty. Many new mothers are ashamed to admit these feelings and think they are a "bad mother" for having such thoughts. And so they suffer in silence.
Breaking the Silence: Postpartum Depression and Families of Faith is an ecumenical resource to educate faith communities about postpartum depression produced by Mental Health Ministries. Background information on symptoms and treatment is provided by mental health professionals. Two women share their personal stories and how this experience affected their faith and recovery. For more information on the DVD click here.
Article - Faith and Mental Health: Creating a Culture of Encounter and Friendship
This article by Curtis Ramsey-Lucas explores how congregations and faith leaders can work with psychiatrists and the mental health community to develop a culture of encounter and friendship that includes persons with mental health conditions and their families. (View article here.) One in five Americans annually experiences mental health conditions ranging in severity from temporary psychological distress to serious depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, yet less than one-third of these persons receives appropriate care, often because of stigma associated with these conditions and their treatments. The Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition (IDAC), a program of the American Association of People with Disabilities, has partnered with the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in an effort to change these statistics for the better. Through the Mental Health and Faith Community Partnership, IDAC and APA are encouraging a dialogue between two fields, reducing stigma, and accounting for medical and spiritual dimensions as people seek care.
Breaking the Silence: Postpartum Depression and Families of Faith is an ecumenical resource to educate faith communities about postpartum depression produced by Mental Health Ministries. Background information on symptoms and treatment is provided by mental health professionals. Two women share their personal stories and how this experience affected their faith and recovery. For more information on the DVD click here.
Article - Faith and Mental Health: Creating a Culture of Encounter and Friendship
This article by Curtis Ramsey-Lucas explores how congregations and faith leaders can work with psychiatrists and the mental health community to develop a culture of encounter and friendship that includes persons with mental health conditions and their families. (View article here.) One in five Americans annually experiences mental health conditions ranging in severity from temporary psychological distress to serious depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, yet less than one-third of these persons receives appropriate care, often because of stigma associated with these conditions and their treatments. The Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition (IDAC), a program of the American Association of People with Disabilities, has partnered with the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in an effort to change these statistics for the better. Through the Mental Health and Faith Community Partnership, IDAC and APA are encouraging a dialogue between two fields, reducing stigma, and accounting for medical and spiritual dimensions as people seek care.
The partnership is developing resources to train religious leaders about mental health issues and for psychiatrists about faith and faith communities in mental health recovery. Mental Health: A Guide for Faith Leaders with a companion Quick Reference on Health for Faith Leaders Mental are available on the Mental Health Ministries website and as downloads from the APA website at www.psychiatry.org/faith
Snippets from Susan
Mindfulness: Living in the Moment
Many of us look forward to summer as a time of relaxation, replenishment, re-creation and an opportunity to break our routine with a vacation. But it often takes most of our vacation to unwind. With our society's belief in the values of productivity and accomplishment, stopping and finding ways to "vacate" from our many tasks can be difficult. We are so busy "doing" that we seldom take the time to just "be" in the present moment.
Yet people want to find ways to slow down and reduce stress and anxiety. Practicing meditation, mindfulness and centering prayer have been part of all faith traditions over the centuries. Sacred texts tell of the prophets, saints and monastics physically going to a place of quiet and peace to discern the leadings of the spirit.
Today there is a resurgence of interest in reducing stress and anxiety in our hectic lives. In fact the practice mindfulness and meditation has gone main stream with many "mindful" goods and services available. There is an increasing number of "apps" to help us practice mindfulness. I decided to try one!
We may set aside times of quiet reflection and prayer, but my intent was to slow down and be present to the sacredness of the present moment. I find the reminders helpful to pause, take some deep breaths and acknowledge what is happening in my life in the midst of my activities. This intentional practice can enable all of us to be more open to the moments of clarity, rest, creativity and provide a welcoming space for the divine presence to abide.[Susan Gregg-Schroeder]
Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder
Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries
www.MentalHealthMinistries.net
6707 Monte Verde Drive
San Diego, California 92119, United States
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Snippets from Susan
Mindfulness: Living in the Moment
Many of us look forward to summer as a time of relaxation, replenishment, re-creation and an opportunity to break our routine with a vacation. But it often takes most of our vacation to unwind. With our society's belief in the values of productivity and accomplishment, stopping and finding ways to "vacate" from our many tasks can be difficult. We are so busy "doing" that we seldom take the time to just "be" in the present moment.
Yet people want to find ways to slow down and reduce stress and anxiety. Practicing meditation, mindfulness and centering prayer have been part of all faith traditions over the centuries. Sacred texts tell of the prophets, saints and monastics physically going to a place of quiet and peace to discern the leadings of the spirit.
Today there is a resurgence of interest in reducing stress and anxiety in our hectic lives. In fact the practice mindfulness and meditation has gone main stream with many "mindful" goods and services available. There is an increasing number of "apps" to help us practice mindfulness. I decided to try one!
We may set aside times of quiet reflection and prayer, but my intent was to slow down and be present to the sacredness of the present moment. I find the reminders helpful to pause, take some deep breaths and acknowledge what is happening in my life in the midst of my activities. This intentional practice can enable all of us to be more open to the moments of clarity, rest, creativity and provide a welcoming space for the divine presence to abide.[Susan Gregg-Schroeder]
Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder
Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries
www.MentalHealthMinistries.net
6707 Monte Verde Drive
San Diego, California 92119, United States
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