Foolish Hosey: Advent: We are told

We are told of a light in the darkness.

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Mental Health Resources

Since I write and speak about my experiences with mental health and mental illness, I think it's important to share resources for folks who are struggling:

-- Remember, the most important resource for folks struggling with mental illness is people and communities who are willing to just show up -- to listen non-judgmentally and to reduce isolation

-- If you're in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. You can find out more about the Lifeline at their website or the website of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

-- Many denominations have begun developing mental health resources for use in churches, such as the UCC's Mental Health Network and the UMC's Caring Community Program

-- Mental Health First Aid training, which I highly recommend for anyone, but particularly people -- from pastors to from security guards to church front desk volunteers to parents -- who often end up being the 'first on the scene' during mental health crises.

-- A number of organizations like NAMI and Recovery International have peer-to-peer support groups.

-- For pastors and leaders of faith communities, the best book-length resource I can recommend is John Swinton's Resurrecting the Person: Friendship and the Care of Persons with Mental Health Problems. It combines insightful research on mental health, theological depth, and practical proposals for ministry contexts.

-- Sarah Lund's book, Blessed are the Crazy, has a number of helpful resources in an appendix. Other books that have been helpful to me in my journey have been Andrew Solomon's The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression; Kay Redfield Jamison's An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness; Monica A. Coleman's Not Alone: Reflections on Faith and Depression and Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman’s Journey with Depression and Faith; and Jean Vanier's very short and easy to read Seeing Beyond Depression.

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Advent: We are told

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