Hope for Mental Health

  Bottom line, yes!  After thoughtful, prayerful consideration and research. I still talk with people saying they've been told they just need to pray harder!  That idea is theologically bankrupt and just plain cruel, and it tells me that stigma is still alive and well. That said, I think medication is overused in our culture because we want a quick fix, and counseling and lifestyle changes are a long term proposition.  Research shows that counseling and medication together are your best bet for recovery, as there are often unresolved issues, lack of support, and lack of education.  (Unfortunately, counseling is often not available, but that's another conversation.) I confess, I find it hugely frustrating that modern psychiatry is mostly behind the times.  Psychiatrists are the only medical specialty that rarely look at the organ they treat!  There are now ways to figure out what's actually happening to your brain and to develop individualized treatment...

  How to Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month: 1)  Take care of yourself Life has numerous ups and downs.  Some are solvable but others not so much.  When your mental health is a concern because it's interfering with navigating life,  thoughtfully and prayerfully  consider treatment.  Seek wise counsel and support from church, friends, family and mental health professionals. 2). Take care of your loved ones Check up on friends and family.  Many times, people just need a listening nonjudgemental ear and not to be alone with their suffering.  Stock up on tissues, and, really, just listen.  Offer support and encourage them to take care of themselves. 3). Talk about mental health Help de-stigmatize mental illness by normalizing the conversation.   This is one of the aims of Mental Health Awareness Month, as stigma creates delays in accessing help, funding for treatment, and research. 4) Know resources for people in crisis, ...

 Being kind of lazy today, I'll just share some information from the back cover of this amazing book: "Trauma is a fact of life.  Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat;  one in five Americans has been molested;  one in four grew up with alcoholics;  one in three couples have engaged in physical violence." In this book you will learn:  "how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain compromising sufferers' capacity for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust."  He explores "innovative treatments...that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain's natural neuroplasticity. "  As someone who had undiagnosed PTSD for decades, and owes recovery to a number of the modalities he explores, I highly recommend this book! (Currently available on Amazon for $11.40.)

If you've checked out the post about Dr. Amen's book, "Change Your Brain, Change Your life", you've discovered that his clinics offer a unique approach to diagnosing and treating mental health conditions that includes using a SPECT Scan of the brain. There are now 11 locations around the country, including the Seattle Metro area, where I went for my workup.  As much as I've traveled the Amen Clinic's website, I only recently found this page of video testimonials, which, frankly, includes a lot of young people I've never heard of.  Some names I recognized included country musician LeAnn Rimes, and Glee actress Amber Riley.  Included in the videos are NASCAR drivers, social media influencers, people from all walks of life. For a fun way to check out Amen Clinics, click this link:   Patient Testimonials

  A free workshop, 6-8pm Wednesday, March 8th at Community Life Church,  189 Monmouth Ave S, in Monmouth.   This is required training for all Warming Center overnight hosts, but it's open to anyone in the community who could benefit.  As the mental health, spiritual, and practical needs of our neighbors continue to grow, we need to be equipped to understand trauma and respond in Christ-like ways. This training is primarily secular in nature and will be facilitated by the Polk County Family & Community Outreach department, but we will come away with tools that translate into overtly Christian ministries as well. Feel feel to share the invitation and attached graphic widely.

 Physicians rarely look at the organ they're treating.  They choose psychiatric medicines for patients based primarily on symptom clusters.  It's a recipe for side-effects and failed treatment. For well over 20 years, Dr. Daniel Amen has been using SPECT scans as part of an integrative, whole-person work-up.  Spect scans can tell you what part of your brain is working too hard or not hard enough, or is functioning normally.  This information, combined with your history, and extensive labs that include tests not commonly given, can result in a truly personalized treatment plan. For those who can't come to a clinic, he wrote this book, and also has some free brain health assessments available on line.  If you would like to go to a clinic, he provides very reasonable payment plans. So, if you are scientifically inclined, put on your detective hat, and dive in.  You'll get a better understanding of what's happening in your brain, plus suggestions for treat...

  Dr. Matthew Stanford, PhD, is the CEO of Mental Health Gateway, and the author of 5 books regarding mental health issues and faith.  His latest is "Madness & Grace: A Practical Guide for Pastoral Care & Serious Mental Illness." The mission of the organization is to educate faith leaders and communities about common mental health and substance abuse challenges, as well as providing an action plan to help faith populations. To find out more about their resources for Training, Support and Education, and about Gateway to Hope in general, click on the link below: Gateway to Hope Under "Support & Education" , you will find a wealth of information about specific disorders.  Each article includes Characteristic Symptoms, Types, Prevalence & Age, Treatment & Support, and A Spiritual Perspective.  As an example, check out their information on Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar Disorder

This blog post by Jolene Philo shares her and her husbands' experience as special needs parents from the birth of her son to the present.  Her son is now 40.  Their story is full of "unexpected setbacks, victories, sorrow, and joy", and discovering their "source of strengthen in God's faithful presence. To access the complete post, and to sign up for this blog, follow this link, where you can also access the full menu of Key Ministry resources, including their Mental Health blog: Special Needs Parenting blog

  Today, I'm featuring a post from their Church4EveryChild blog .   it's written by a pastor who is the dad of a special-needs boy with non-verbal autism.  Pastor Shannon Blosser is honest about his struggles in both of his roles, and offers tips for helping churches to be more inclusive. A quote:  "I am not perfect in this.  I get frustrated and exhausted with having to constantly express that my child is a valued member of the body of Christ.  I get tired of how the church struggles to see that reaching out to people like my son is holy work." To read the entire article, and to sign up for the blog, visit: Church4EveryChild blog Key Ministry, was founded to help churches welcome families of children with hidden disabilities.  They provide a variety of educational and support services for churches and families, and have expanded to serving those with mental health issues and trauma.  To explore their wide range of services and topi...

What I loved about this book is the raw honesty and willingness to trust God in healing from suicidal thoughts and major depression.  Like many of us, it took a crisis for her to confess her need for help.   Her crisis came in the form of a break down on national TV, and resultant hospitalization in a psychiatric program. Bottom line, no more secrets!  and blessed clarity about God's kindness and faithfulness, and His presence in every moment of the process.  Say goodbye to those parts of you that may think that salvation and sanctification require you to already be who God created you to be.  It's a joyous realization that being broken and needy and relying on God IS being who He wants you to be!   This book was published in 2017, so there are used copies available on Amazon, and also copies available at the library.   Sheila Walsh is a prolific writer of both non-fiction and fiction.  I'm looking forward to exploring more of her work!

This class is open to the community!  It's provided by the Polk County Family & Outreach Department free of charge. Did you know that much like CPR or the Heimlich maneuver, the fundamentals of QPR are easily learned?  Did you know that you may be able to save a life?        By learning QPR, you will come to recognize the warnings signs, clues, and suicidal communications of people in trouble, and  gain skills that may prevent a   tragedy . QPR is not a form of counseling or treatment.  It's intended to offer hope, both to you and to someone with suicidal thoughts or plans.  You will learn how to:                           Question...a person about suicide.                         Persuade...someone to get help and,                ...

When a child dies, at any age, the family suffers intense pain and may feel hopeless and alone.  The Compassionate Friends is a nonprofit  national organization that provides comfort, hope and support.   There is a wealth of free resource and educational information on the website.  Local Chapters are to be found in the Portland area, and there is also information on the website about starting your own chapter.  There are also online chat rooms. To access the main website for more information, go to: Compassionate Friends To receive a free customized bereavement packet, go to this page: Request a Bereavement Packet To learn about all the many aspects of grief, (including psychological, emotional, physical, family & social), go this page: For the newly bereaved                          

I consider myself to be pretty emotionally literate - a career in mental health and years of therapy, right? Well, this book made me eager to learn more, and gave me language for feelings that my heart knew but about which my brain was clueless.  What a relief! According to the research shared in this book, most folks can identify 3 emotions - mad, sad, and scared.  Well, get ready to learn about the 87 (!!) shared within the covers. It is encouraging to learn about the huge range of emotions that God gave us, and to have the opportunity to explore them in all our relationships.   My favorite to learn about was "forboding joy"; that reaction to happiness that sends you running for cover.  It's that quick flutter that says 'watch out, the other shoe is about to drop', which can send you (me) imagining the worst.  As a parent, she gives the example of experiencing the joy of watching her sleeping children, and then freaking out about all the bad thi...

  Ok, pretty corny picture, but I can't emphasize enough that learning to help someone who is suicidal is a skill set!  If you can learn CPR, you can learn how to Question, Persuade, and Refer someone to appropriate help. This free 2 hour class is provided by Polk County Family and Community Outreach staff, Abby Warren.  She taught it at MCC several years ago, and I still get feedback from attendees that they have felt equipped to help a loved one or friend! This Class is open to the community.  Next month I will post a link to register.  For more information, email hmh@mymcc.cc.

Even when the holidays are joyful it can be stressful.  There's so much going on!   So whether or not you are already experiencing a mental health challenge, you may find yourself struggling to manage your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. In fact, a NAMI study showed that 64% of people with mental illness report that holidays make symptoms worse.  It can be a lonely & difficult time.  That holds true with seasonal or crisis conditions. For me, it's a mixed bag.  I don't have local family, and I may or may not feel like feasting with friends.  So, I'm grateful for all the activities at church, and  I've developed some of my own rituals to help focus on the "reason for the season".   And, I make an effort to follow these tips: 1.      Focus On What You Can Control & Be Realistic.   Even pre-pandemic, the happy perfect lives of the people in holiday commercials are fictional.   The pandemic has change...

Rick & Kay Warren are my heroes, and the inspiration for Hope for Mental Health at Monmouth Christian.  In 2013, they lost their son to suicide.  Not only did they give the gift of being transparent about their grief process, in 2015 they created  a conference, "The Gathering on Mental Health & the Church", and started a ministry . When I was studying "The Purpose Driven Life", I explored their website &, to my delight & amazement found, not only all the videos from the conference, but a package for churches wanting to develop their own ministries!  In inimitable Rick Warren style, there were steps that allowed any size or sort of church to figure out how to proceed, with or without ongoing financial support. The videos from the conference are presentations from mental health & other professionals, people in ministry, and individuals sharing their stories of mental health challenges:    The Gathering on Ment...

  Did you know that much like CPR or the Heimlich maneuver, the fundamentals of QPR are easily learned?  Did you know that you may be able to save a life?        By learning QPR, you will come to recognize the warnings signs, clues, and suicidal communications of people in trouble, and gain skills that may prevent a  tragedy . QPR is not a form of counseling or treatment.  It's intended to offer hope, both to you and to someone with suicidal thoughts or plans.  You will learn how to:                          Question...a person about suicide.                         Persuade...someone to get help and,                        Refer...someone to the appropriate resource Coming up on Saturday, October. 15 9:30am at Monmouth Christ...

  There are some amazing online mental health ministries!  From support and education, to self-directed & small group materials, these ministries are not only true to the Gospel, but practical & scientifically based!   This month I'll highlight two of my favorites. The Mental Health Grace Alliance This ministry was founded in 2011.  Their curriculums use a whole-heath approach, integrating evidence-based science (neuroscience, psychology, biomedical, etc.) and Biblical scriptures/faith experience for mental health recovery & resilience.   They have materials for individuals, churches, groups & families, plus training resources for group leaders.  Their materials are available in digital & physical form, & reasonably priced. There are also a wealth of articles on their website which answer questions in a variety of categories:  Faith and mental health, For ministry leaders, For students, Marriage & family needs, and...

Did you know that psychiatrists are the only MDs that rarely look at the organ they treat?     Did you know that it's possible to scan your brain & find out what's really going on? I'm an unabashed fan of Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist who has used brain scans for well over 20 years as part of a thorough  assessment.  Scans allow development  of an individualized treatment plan with better outcomes & fewer side effects.  Just before I turned 70, I went to Dr. Amen's clinic in Bellevue, WA.  (He has 6 around the nation.).  I was relieved to find out that I'm not developing Alzheimer's, which has been rampant on my Dad's side of the family.  Long story short, I came away with a treatment plan that was invaluable.  I also came away with the inspiration to become a Certified Brain Health Coach through the Amen Clinic. If you're interested in exploring this approach, you can contact me for more information.  FYI, they ...

Just the word 'suicide' can strike fear into my heart, and I'm a retired mental health professional!  I have to remind myself of what I know, which is that everyone, not just professionals, can learn to talk about suicide & gain skills to make a difference.   Fortunately, there are online & in-person opportunities to learn: Polk County  provides free in-person 1-2 hour  trainings in suicide prevention.   (If enough people are interested, we could once again host a training at Monmouth Christian Church, so email me at HMH@mymcc.cc and let me know.)  You can go to the Mid-Valley Suicide Prevention Coalition website, www.mvsuicideprevention.org , and for $29 you can access an online "Gatekeeper" training in suicide prevention. You can be prepared for a crisis by entering the following numbers into your phone -  They 're available to call or text 24/7: Polk Country Crisis Line:   (503) 623-9289 Psychiatric Crisis Center:  (503)...