A Conversation for Those Standing at the
Intersection of Faith and Mental Health |
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In a now-famous scene from the film, Jerry Maguire, Tom Cruise’s character pleads with his client the iconic words, “Help me help you!”. While not necessarily recommending the movie, I do think it’s worth noticing how the phrase has entered our cultural bloodstream in part because it resonates so deeply with our experience. Many of us have found ourselves in situations wanting to help someone but knowing we couldn’t do it without a little help from them first.
This memorable phrase came to mind when speaking recently with a woman taking a break from her church’s worship services. She had stepped away because of the church’s inability to help her when symptoms of trauma would arise certain Sunday mornings. To be clear, this inability wasn’t due to the church’s negligence. The church wanted to react in a helpful way, they simply felt ill-equipped and didn’t know how.
While this challenge could have become an insurmountable obstacle, it didn’t. Instead, both this woman and her church’s leadership wisely decided to ask different versions of the Jerry Maguire question. First, church leadership asked their congregant, “Can you help us help you?” The church recognized that they needed this woman to help them better understand what would be helpful to her when symptoms presented themselves. Second, this woman then asked her mental health practitioner, “Can you help me help them?” This woman understood her own mental health struggles but saw that she needed help knowing how to describe these struggles to her church’s leadership. Through the involvement of this practitioner and Intersect, we were then able to help this suffering woman clarify how to help her church help her. In mutually desiring to be helped so that they could help each other, both this woman and her church’s leadership were practicing the biblical call to “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Pet. 5:5b)
This situation, and many others like it, can go south quickly when pastors and parishioners isolate from each other due to challenges of ignorance and miscommunication. However, when we reach out in humility to receive help so that we can give help, relationships can be restored and healing becomes possible. So, the next time you’re frustrated with an impasse at the intersection of faith and mental health, you could do worse than looking to Jerry Maguire for some wisdom. |
David Eckert, Senior Director of Intersect |
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| Support Groups for Mental Health and Wellness Support Groups for Mental Health and Wellness (Room 112) and Family Members/Caregivers (Room 114) are offered at Souderton Mennonite Church on Thursdays from 7-8pm. Participants support each other by listening, caring, and sharing as we process our own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. All are welcome! No formal diagnosis necessary. Use the entrance facing West St. and look for signs.
Questions are welcome and can be sent to Joshua at jaj7337@gmail.com or Monica at mamamonica7899@gmail.com. |
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ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
LivingWorks ASIST is a two-day in-person workshop equipping formal helpers (faith leaders, mental health professionals, etc.) and informal helpers (parishioners, family members) to provide support to those with thoughts of suicide. ASIST offers tools to recognize when someone may be thinking about suicide, how to provide a skilled intervention, and ways to develop a safety plan with the person to connect them to further support. This workshop will increase your willingness, confidence, and capacity to provide suicide first aid. Two knowledgeable, supportive trainers will guide you through the course, ensuring a comfortable and safe learning environment.
Date: December 9th - 10th Location: Giant Willow Grove, 315 York Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090 Cost: $300 per person
To register to attend, contact Dave Eckert at deckert@accessservices.org. |
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| Theology in the Raw: What is Dissociative Identity Disorder?
Micah is a 23-year-old female who has been diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, where she has over 100 alters (what some people might think of as personalities, though this isn’t the most accurate term). Nathan, her father, is a former Pastor. Micah was diagnosed in January 2019, which began a remarkable journey of understanding and healing. This podcast episode can be helpful to people in congregations seeking to better understand the experience of DID. |
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Buxmont Counseling Center
Buxmont Counseling Center provides professional, affordable, and accessible services that foster redemptive and holistic change. We offer a safe and caring environment where emotional and spiritual healing is nurtured through the love of Christ. Our professional team delivers care with integrity and excellence, honoring each individual's dignity. We strive to make mental health care accessible to all,
embracing diversity and cultural competence. Through a client-centered approach, we desire to empower individuals to heal, grow, and thrive in body, mind, and spirit, by providing the support and guidance they need, all rooted in God's transformative love. Address: 810 Route 113, Souderton, PA 18964
Phone: 215.703.8926 |
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Looking for a way to help those in your community? |
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| Intersect Care Portal
The Intersect Care Portal recognizes the need that all individuals have to be, and feel, safe and secure. For a hearty quality of life, sometimes it is an item that brings safety or comfort. Over the past year, the Intersect Care Portal has been able to connect those we serve with a wheelchair, mattress, bike, kitchen chairs, loveseat, dresser, hanging rack with hangers for clothes, and a Bible to name a few. Most often, these items are donated by someone who wants their gently-used item to go to good use.
Driver's Needed!
While it is often possible to match the need with an available item, the challenge we often face is transporting the item from the donor to the recipient! If you or someone you know has a truck or a van and a little time, we would love to add you to a list of volunteers willing to help with loading and transporting donations.
Please contact Juli Apple at intersectneeds@accessservices.org if this is a way you would like to support the Intersect Care Portal!
Join the Care Portal to learn more about the needs of the people we serve at Access! |
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Intersect Donation Page
Intersect now has their own donation page on the Access Services website. Any donations can be designated to specific aspects of Intersect.
Funds will be used to: - Offer consultation to ministry leaders and mental health professionals
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Empower faith communities and mental health providers with trainings on faith and mental health
- Provide spiritual support and collaboration between faith communities and human service providers
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1. As a pastor, who in your congregation might you need to ask, “can you help me help you?” 2. As a practitioner, who on your caseload attends a faith community and might benefit from you “helping them help their congregation”? 3. As a person with lived experience, who could you reach out to in your faith community to “help them help you”? |
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Do you have something to contribute or a question to ask? |
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