How can the local church best position itself to support the mental health needs of its community? From our collaborative work with churches, we have found that this endeavor requires a range of systems and strategies that are ideally suited for the spectrum of mental health as it presents itself in a community context. This enables the church to care effectively for the commonplace needs as well as the crisis-level needs and to have the internal resources as well as the external connections to meet whatever may come.

To this end, we have developed a layered model for mental health support within the local church. The layers, as detailed below, move from wide to narrow in regard to the number of individuals that each layer is likely to support, but each layer is equally essential. In our estimation, many churches have one or two of these layers well established, but very few have sufficiently addressed the full spectrum. These overlooked layers are often where mental health issues tend to produce the most pain and hardship within the church context. Below the graphic is a description of what each layer will look like when effectively realized.

Culture & Communication

Mental health is discussed honestly, proactively, compassionately, supportively, and appropriately within the church. It is recognized as a normal part of life that affects most people at some point in time to varying degrees. It is contextualized as a normal part of one’s experience of faith as well. The need for mental health care is affirmed as valuable and often necessary, and positive examples of this are occasionally shared as testimony to God's restorative work. This is reflected in informal ways through personal relationships and organic conversations and in more formal ways such as preaching and teaching topics, written communication, website resource lists, etc.

Natural Support Systems

Community life centers around small groups, group-specific ministries, mentoring and discipleship programs, and other interpersonal structures that necessitate sharing life with one another. This provides natural and familiar touch points for real-life connection through which mental health needs are most likely to be demonstrated and/or expressed. Leaders and mentors within these groups have some degree of training related to mental health awareness and frontline response, and they are supported by church staff or overseers with opportunities to share concerns when appropriate.

……

We will share more about the other layers of this model - Pastoral/Lay Counseling, Professional Counseling Support, and Crisis Readiness & Response - in next month’s newsletter. In the meantime, consider your own church context - which layers are strongest and which are most needing to grow? HCC can partner with you in this process through consultation and collaboration, so reach out and let us know how we can help.

~ Matt Warren (Executive Director) for the Harbor team ~

In other news…

SCHOLARSHIP NEEDS - Things have been busy, busy, busy on the intake front at HCC with roughly 70 new requests for counseling coming in monthly. With this has come another uptick in scholarship requests for clients with significant financial barriers. We have also seen a rise in pastors, missionaries, and other church leaders seeking counseling support and utilizing our ministry discount program. All together we have 22 clients currently receiving scholarship support with the help of financial partners like you, and that number continues to grow. Every gift of $200 provides 2-3 months of counseling for someone in need of care. Would you consider adding your support today to help us continue to meet these needs? Click “YES!” to partner with us today!

Harbor Christian Counseling provides clinically skilled, biblically informed, gospel driven counseling services for individuals, couples, and families in the Greater Boston area. Our team also seeks to partner with local churches to provide training and resources that promote a more effective and compassionate ministry to mental health issues within the church. We rely on financial support from partners like YOU to keep this mission going.  Thank you for your ongoing support!