MHM Winter Spotlight 2022
Mental Health Ministries and
Pathways to Promise
Mental Health Ministries is a program of Pathways to Promise (www.pathways2promise.org). The mission and vision of Pathways to Promise are closely aligned with the mission of Mental Health Ministries.
 
  • Mission: P2P collaborates with faith and spiritual communities to share resources that assess, educate, and effect change to welcome, support, engage, and include persons with mental illnesses and those who care for them.

  • Vision: People living with mental illnesses and those who care for them are welcomed and supported in all faith and spiritual communities.
 
Mental Health Ministries will continue to provide resources to erase the stigma of mental illness in our faith communities and create caring congregations for persons living with a mental illness and their families.
IMPORTANT EMPHASES FOR
JANUARY, FEBRUARY, & MARCH

  • January - New Year Intentions

  • February - African-American History

  • March - Women's History

See the resources below for each of these emphases

Also consider the following calendars for other important dates:
JANUARY

RESOURCES FOR NEW YEAR INTENTIONS
FOR MENTAL HEALTH
2021 has been a hard year for almost all of us, considering how the pandemic affected our lives in multiple ways. Experts suggest the 2022 focus should be on self-healing and mindfulness to recharge ourselves for the coming months.
The new year does not have to mean a brand new you. Take the time to do something fun and adventurous, and prioritize your health over punishing yourself.
Instead of making sweeping New Year’s resolutions to achieve overnight, create a few realistic goals that will have a long-lasting impact on your mental health and happiness. You can #BeTheDifference for yourself this year and MHFA is here to help you every step of the way.
As the new year approached, many set out to make New Year's resolutions. But can hard-and-fast attempts to change behavior do more harm than good? While the new year can be an opportunity to assess areas you want to improve, experts suggest approaching goals in a less-pressured way, especially as uncertain times continue make things tough on mental health.
2021 has been and gone and what a year it was!

After living through another year in a pandemic, there is a real need take a compassionate look at self-development and our mental health in 2022. So, we are going to give you tips and tricks on ways to be a little kinder to yourself in the year ahead. Take a read, reflect and set your theme…

This year we hope you can:
1.     Accept who you are
2.     Nourish your body
3.     Bring intention into your actions
4.     Take time for yourself
FEBRUARY

RESOURCES FOR
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
Black Mental Health Wellness Lounge
Welcome to The Black Mental Wellness Lounge!!  This is a safe space created to talk about things that directly impact Black people's mental health.  We talk about systemic racism, white supremacy, and microaggressions.  But we also highlight Black joy, Black peace, and Black healing!!  Welcome to the Lounge!

Hosted by Brandon J. Johnson, M.H.S., Mental Health Educator and Suicide Prevention Subject Matter Expert
Centuries of systemic racism and everyday discrimination in the U.S. have left a major mental health burden on African American communities, and the past few years have dealt especially heavy blows. One often overlooked resource for mental health care, however, are churches. 
Black and African American contributions to the mental health are oftentimes overlooked. Without recognizing the lack of representation of Black and African American people in the mental health movement, we do a disservice and continue to inflict harm.
This article includes several resources highlighting contributions from people of color.

Health equity is when all members of society enjoy a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought social and racial injustice and inequity to the forefront of public health. 
MARCH

RESOURCES FOR WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Little is known about how religion and spirituality operate as protective factors for Muslim women's mental health. Knowledge of these may contribute to improving treatment strategies and decreasing culturally based stigma.
Women and Mental Health
Mental disorders can affect women and men differently. Some disorders are more common in women, while there are also certain types of disorders that are unique to women. 
OTHER RESOURCES

Read advice and tips on ways to look after your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak.
Isolation. Discrimination. Shame. Embarrassment. Often the biggest challenges people with mental illnesses face aren’t their illnesses at all. The stigma—or negative feelings, attitudes and stereotypes—that surround mental health can make getting help scary and leading a fulfilling life difficult. Stigma prevents people from seeking help. It restricts resources from being allocated. And it discourages others from lending their support.

One of the best ways to stop the stigma is to learn more about mental illness. Separating the truth from the stigma can help increase awareness, understanding and acceptance for those living with mental health challenges. Get the facts and spread the word.
Different faith traditions vary in their teaching about sexual orientation and same-sex marriage. In recent years, some faiths have modified their doctrines, although not without controversy and conflict. But no faith tradition wishes to intentionally harm its young members or to discourage youth from remaining within the tradition in which they were raised. In fact, the opposite is true. There will inevitably be tension, then, when deeply held principles collide. However, faith traditions do not need to abandon their doctrines in order to contribute to more positive health and mental health outcomes for their LGBT youth.

Click on the image below to read
Faith Communities and the Well-Being of LGBT Youth.
ARTICLES
The terms mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, self-care and other similar terms are commonly heard these days. They casually come up in our discussions, or are discussed in our classes and social media. There has been a rise in people and organizations promoting “mental health awareness.” What exactly is mental health and mental illness, and how do we understand them within an Islamic context?
My Quiet Cave: How to Start a Mental Health Ministry

A 6,400-member congregation in North Carolina has created a “wellness director” position after experiencing six suicides in five years.
ORGANIZATIONS
Take Action for Mental Health is the campaign for California’s ongoing mental health movement. It builds upon established approaches and provides resources to support Californians’ mental health needs. Californians have been through an unprecedented time with profound mental health impacts: a global pandemic, an economic recession, social and political unrest, racial inequity and violence, and multiple natural disasters. The trauma, grief, and loss of millions of Californians is real. It’s no wonder many people are struggling or not quite feeling themselves. Take Action for Mental Health is an evolution of the Each Mind Matters campaign.
 
Each Mind Matters has worked with diverse community members to create a range of resources to reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the state of California.
In 2011, Grace Alliance was founded to reinvent the mental health “support group” model into a grace-filled discipleship experience for those experiencing mental health challenges. Utilizing a whole-health approach, Grace Alliance integrated evidence-based science and Biblical scriptures/faith experience to restore lives, relationships, meaning, and purpose.

Programs with real results. The amazing impact from the Grace Alliance programs and training were published in four journals, revealing that these resources aided in mental health recovery, renewed faith, and reduced symptoms in participants with varying mental health conditions and diagnoses and increased mental health skills and confidence in church and community leaders who participated in the training.

The Grace Alliance is empowering the Body of Christ by providing empowering support and growth for those experiencing mental health challenges … for healthy prevention, intervention, and grace-filled reinvention of lives.

Click on the image below for a free ebook.
Sign Up to Receive the Mental Health Ministries Spotlight e-Newsletter
If you wish to be added to receive our Spotlight e-newsletter, you can sign up here. All our Spotlights are archived on the website and most of the resources included can be found under the Resources section of the Mental Health Ministries website. The topics are alphabetized to help you easily access resources.

Jessica Dexter, MA
Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries