Mental
Health Ministries
e-Spotlight
- Spring
2009
START
NOW: PREPARE
FOR MAY
IS MENTAL
HEALTH
MONTH
MENTAL
HEALTH
IN CHALLENGING
TIMES
We
are
dealing
with
tough
economic
times. One
recent
poll
reported
that
nearly
60% of
respondents
said
the current
economic
situation
is a
cause
of stress
in their
lives.
It
is a harsh
reality that
at a time
when greater
numbers of
people need
the resources
of their mental
health community,
budgets for
these services
have been
cut due to
the economic
crisis. Many
congregations
also face
budget cuts
that can affect
their ability
to provide
support and
services.
But
we are all
in this together
and there
are steps
we can take
to care for
ourselves,
keep perspective,
and cherish
all that’s
good in our
life. Mental
Health America
offers ten
tools as a
guide to good
mental health-even
in the face
of life’s
challenges. http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/mhm/2009/stress
A
new bulletin
insert, Mental
Health in
Challenging
Times, outlines
these steps
and is available
on our Home
page.
Note: Bulletin
inserts
are meant
to be printed
on both
sides of
8 ½ by
11 inch paper
and cut in
half. They
can be
used in
worship
bulletins
or as flyers
or handouts.
We
are also featuring
several downloadable
resources. Many
of our free
print resources
are available
in Spanish.
NAMI
"GRADING
THE STATES"
REPORT
The
National
Alliance
on Mental
Illness
(NAMI)
released
a new
report, Grading
the States,
assessing
the nation's
public
mental
health
care
system
for adults
and finding
that
the national
average
grade
is a
D. "Mental
health
care
in America
is in
crisis," said
NAMI
executive
director
Michael
J. Fitzpatrick. "Even
states
that
have
worked
hard
to build
life-saving,
recovery-oriented
systems
of care
stand
to see
their
progress
wiped
out." View
this
report
at www.nami.org/grades09.
 DVD
SET
We
are
very
excited
about
our
new two
DVD
set
to help
educate
faith
communities
about
various
mental
health
issues. The
shows
on
the
set, Mental
Illness and
Families of
Faith: How
Congregations
Can Respond,
are “user-friendly” and
short enough
to be used
in a variety
of settings
including
classes and
small groups. Each
segment has
a discussion
guide with
background
information,
questions
for discussion
and where
to find additional
resources.
These
eight shows
cover a variety
of mental
health issues. Professionals
provide important
information
about each
illness. But
mostly you
will hear
from real
people who
live with
these brain
disorders. Each
segment presents
an issue related
to the experience
of mental
illness, puts
a face to
the issue
and offers
a message
of hope.
LIST
OF SHOWS
Disc
1
Coming
Out of the
Dark (Interfaith
Introduction,
(Length: 53
seconds)
Mental
Illness in
Different
Age Groups
(Length: 17:39
minutes)
Mental
Illness and
Families of
Faith (Length:
20:50 minutes)
Understanding
Depression
(Length: 16:31
minutes)
Overcoming
Stigma: Finding
Hope (Length:
13:13 minutes)
Disc
2
Addiction
and Depression
(Length:
16:42 minutes)
Anxiety:
Overcoming
the Fear
(Length: 18:49
minutes)
Teenage
Depression
and Suicide
(Length: 14:39
minutes)
Eating
Disorders:
Wasting Away
(Length: 12:58
minutes)
Creating
Caring Congregations
(Length:
10:39 minutes)
This
2 DVD set
is closed
captioned.
The
price is $49.95
with $6.00
shipping. It
can be ordered
on our website or you can
write a check
to Mental
Health Ministries
and send it
to the address
below.
Short
clips from
many of our
shows can
be viewed
on our website
by going
to the VHS
Resource
section and
clicking
on the various
topics offered.
SALE!!!
We
are phasing
out our VHS
resources in
preparation
for an exciting
new resource
for 2009! All VHS
resources have
been marked
down to $10
while supplies
last. Ordering
on line
will reflect
the sale
price.
The
price on
our three
DVDs, Creating
Caring Congregations, Mental
Health Mission
Moments and Breaking
the Silence:
Postpartum
Depression
and Families
of Faith,
has been
reduced
to $19.95.
For
quantity orders
of any of
our DVD or
VHS resources,
contact Susan
for a reduced
rate.
NAMI
NATIONAL
CONVENTION
The
NAMI National
Convention will
be held in San
Francisco, July
6-9. The theme
for this year’s
conference is “Creating
a Healthy Future
For Us All.”
NAMI
FaithNet will
be sponsoring
a Special
Interest Workshop. I
am honored
to be part
of the FaithNet Advisory Committee,
and we will
be sharing
the exciting
ways that
FaithNet has
emerged as
a popular
website link
for persons
interesting
in including
the faith
dimension
when dealing
with a mental
illness. We
will share
printed resources
useful to
NAMI members
and affiliates
seeking to
educate local
faith communities
about mental
illness.
There
will also
be a workshop, “Hard
Questions
On Faith
and Mental
Illness:
A Multi-faith
Panel Responds.” A
mental
illness
often results
in persons
of faith
asking
the difficult
questions
of where
God is
when we
are suffering. I
will be
part of
a panel
of from
different
faith traditions
and we
will respond
to the “hard
questions” about
faith
and mental
illness. This
workshop
will
be presented
from
4:00
p.m.
to 5:15
p.m.
on Wednesday,
July
8.
You
can subscribe
to their
e-newsletter
at www.nami.org/faithnet.
I encourage
you to
register to
receive
FaithNet
e-mail
updates
and to
visit
the site
for
information
and resources
on ways
to educate
about
mental
illness
in our
faith
communities. Registration
information
for the
July conference
is available
at www.nami.org. New
NAMI
FaithNet
brochures
are available
in the
NAMI
store.
50 brochures
cost
$6.
MILSTEIN
MODEL
FOR
CLERGY
AND
PSYCHOLOGISTS
WORKING
TOGETHER
When
clergy
refer
members
of
their
congregations
to
social
workers
and
psychologists,
they
typically
turn
to
people
who
share
their
religious
values,
but
this
approach
may
not
provide
people
with
the
care
they
need
according
to
Glen
Milstein,
Ph.D.,
professor
of
psychology
at
the
City
College
of
New
York
(CCNY). According
to
Dr.
Milstein, “Most
Americans
are
religious,
but
most
mental
health
professions
are
unaffiliated
with
religious
congregations. Therefore,
seeking
help
only
from
professionals
with
shared
religious
values
may
exclude
congregants
from
needed
professional
expertise.”
For
the past decade,
Dr. Milstein
has led a
multidisciplinary
team of researchers
in developing
a new multidisciplinary,
multifaith,
and research-focused
model for
relationships
between clergy
and clinicians
that is religion-inclusive
rather than
faith based. Known
as C.O.P.E.
(Clergy Outreach
and Professional
Engagement),
the approach
is designed
to reduce
burdens on
both professions.
The
key to the
C.O.P.E. model
is the recognition
that mental
illness is
a chronic
disease; sometimes
one can function
and other
times not. Milstein
says, “Clinicians
and clergy
perform distinct,
complementary
functions
in treating
these syndromes. While
clinicians
provide professional
treatment
to relieve
individuals
of their pain
and suffering
and move them
from dysfunction
to their highest
level of function,
clergy and
religious
communities
provide a
sense of context,
support, and
community
before, during,
and after
treatment.”
The
program aims
to improve
care of individuals
by facilitating
reciprocal
collaboration
between clinicians
and members
of the clergy,
regardless
of either’s
religious
affiliation. Working
from the National
Institute
of Mental
Health’s
four prevention
categories,
Dr. Milstein
and his team
developed
two handouts,
one for mental
health professionals
and the other
for clergy,
available
at:
http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/prospective/socialsci/psychology/gmilstein.cfm
SNIPPETS
FROM
SUSAN
 Popcorn
Trees
A
friend
shared
the story
of how
she was
sitting
on the
ocean
cliffs
one day
and sharing
a bag
of popcorn
with
her friend. As
the two sat
talking, my
friend picked
up some nearby
twigs and
began to put
the plump
pieces of
popcorn on
the ends of
the twigs. Soon
there was
a forest
of little
popcorn trees
on the ground
in front of
them.
Noticing
the many birds
nearby, they
decided to
move back
from the popcorn
forest and
let the birds
come and feast
on the little
trees. And
so they moved
further up
the cliffs
and the birds
came.
But
much to their
amazement,
the birds,
with beaks
to the ground,
rummaged around
for the small
bits of popcorn
that had broken
off as the
larger kernels
were placed
on the twigs. The
birds never
looked up
at the forest
of popcorn
within easy
reach, right
above their
heads. They
missed the
feast that
had been so
carefully
made available
to them.
How
often do we,
in our blindness,
our ignorance
or our need
for control,
fail to see
the feast
of opportunities
made available
to us? How
often do we
overlook the
bread for
the journey
continually
offered to
us?
Wishing
you
a Spring
of new
beginnings,
Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder
Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries
6707 Monte Verde Dr.
San Diego, CA 92119
www.MentalHealthMinistries.net |
