WRITTEN RESOURCES:
NEW! Mental Health: A Guide for Faith Leaders — Download this free guide published by the Mental Health and Faith Community Partnership, a joint project between the American Psychiatric Association and a team of faith leaders gathered by the American Association of People with Disabilities. An indispensable resource for faith community leaders and staff.
Also see the 2-page Quick Reference Guide on Mental Health for Faith leaders.
VIDEO RESOURCES:
- Making Referrals Video Series
~ When to make a referral to a mental health professional (5:36 min.)
~ 8 tips for referring your congregants to appropriate mental health resources (8:07 min.)
~ Developing and maintaining a list of referral resources (4:51 min.) - Starting a Spiritual Support Group in Your Faith Community (8:42 minutes)
- Suicide Prevention and Intervention Video Series
~ Video 1 Warning Signs and Risk Factors for Suicide
~ Video 2 How to Tell if a Person is Considering Suicide
~ Video 3 Responding to a Suicidal Person
~ Video 4 Aftermath: Responding to Family Members After a Suicide
~ Video 5 Aftermath: Designing a Service for a Person Who Has Died by Suicide - Download an overview of the suicide risk factors and warning signs outlined in the first video in the “Suicide Prevention and Response” video series for faith community leaders.
RESOURCES FOR CONGREGATIONS
- Sample covenant for welcoming/including/supporting people with mental illnesses, adopted by First Congregational Church in Boulder, Colo. on Oct. 19, 2014 (read article).
- Checklist for Faith Communities: Becoming a Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, and Engaged (WISE) Congregation for Mental Health, developed jointly by the Interfaith Network on Mental Illness and the UCC Mental Health Network.This checklist is designed to be a mirror showing you where your congregation is today and a window to see where you might go in the future.
- The Congregational Resource Guide by Carole Wills is an extensive and fully annotated list of more than 60 mental health ministry resources. You will find printed and audio-visual resources for faith communities, pastoral caregivers, and the general public, as well as mental health-related organizations.
- 10 steps for developing a Mental Health Ministry in your congregation (pdf file)
- Starting a Spiritual Support Group for Mental Health and Wellness In Your Faith Community
- Sample guidelines for a spiritual support group — (pdf file) Feel free to adapt these guidelines to your group’s specific needs.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
- Plan a “Mental Health Sunday” — Use these resources assembled by the UCC Mental Health Network to plan a worship service centered around mental health. You’ll find sermon starters, a litany, hymn suggestions, a bulletin insert and more.
- A Litany for Inclusion of All — (pdf file) Feel free to adapt this litany to your specific needs.
- See this list of specific mental health resources for Jewish, Christian and other faith traditions.
INTERFAITH ORGANIZATIONS
- Mental Health Ministries provides educational resources to help erase the stigma of mental illness in our faith communities.
- NAMI FaithNet is a network of NAMI members and friends dedicated to promoting caring faith communities and promoting the role of faith in recovery for individuals and families affected by mental illness.
- Pathways to Promise offers technical assistance and resources to faith communities, including liturgical and educational materials, program models and networking information to promote a caring ministry with people with mental illness and their families. These resources can be used by people at all levels of faith group structures from local congregations to regional and national staff.