Last month I was in Columbus, Ohio for a state-wide training for Ohio’s Child Protective Services (CPS). This conference got me thinking about how the Church is responding to foster care, and other impacts with foster care and orphans. There are many people out there doing a lot of good work in foster care and adoption. Here are some resources that have moved beyond local mission.
The topic of domestic violence and mental health has come to the forefront for me in the last ten years. Here are two national training and ministry resources for pastors and church leaders to help prevent and address abuse.
We know there are many barriers to treatment. But I want to focus in this article on practical barriers to mental health treatment, where churches can help immediately to address them.
Why is it important for pastors to support counselors? Because 25 percent of people go first to a member of the clergy for a mental health need. Pastors need support from professional counselors. If this relationship is strengthened, you will better support your community in the long run.
Many churches are at a place of that first talk with a pastor, where a concerned layperson might discuss whether churches should be worried about mental health. The American Psychiatric Association has created a guide is to equip faith community leaders to help with a mental health need, because “faith community leaders are gatekeepers or ‘first responders’ when individuals and families face mental health or substance use problems.”