Friendly Places: Mental Health

In this discussion paper, Professor Jim McManus, Director of Public Health for Hertfordshire, Chartered Psychologist and practising Catholic considers what the response of the church should be to the mental health needs it meets in society.

Livability have teamed up with Passionate Dementia Care to encourage churches to welcome people with dementia, and have provided some top tips on how to make your church more dementia friendly.

Notes on the Five Ways to Well-being report produced by the New Economics Foundation.

A guide put together by FaithAction that aims to improve faith communities’ understanding of the professional treatments available to treat mental health problems, particularly depression and anxiety disorders, through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services provided by the NHS. It also provides some tips on how faith groups can support access to these treatments.

The Muslim Council of Britain has worked with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to produce a leaflet about mental health.

Designed by Livability, this four-week course looks at happiness, including the meaning of happiness, forgiveness, gratitude, relationships and success, allows people to develop new meaningful relationships, and is a safe place for people to explore very tough issues.

Supported by Public Health England and the National Suicide Prevention Alliance, this guidance for people who have been affected by suicide has been authored by individuals who have been bereaved by suicide themselves.

The Judith Trust has released an interactive handbook that contains tips, information and activities to ensure that people with learning disabilities or mental health issues aren’t excluded from the Jewish community.

The website Keeping Health In Mind is set up to support churches and Christians in the area of mental health. The site has advice, articles and audio clips about different aspects of faith and mental health. There is also a booklet to download, A Brief Guide To Faith And Mental Health.

Launched on the 12^th March 2015 by the National LGB&T Partnership working with the Department of Health, this document highlights the significant impact of discrimination on LGB&T people’s experiences of care and support and outcomes for their wellbeing.

PHASE works with schools and staff in Hitchin, Hertfordshire to address everyday issues faced by young people and improve their wellbeing. It was set up by a group of churches. PHASE has a produced a video, Let’s Talk, which is designed to encourage conversations about difficult topics such as mental health and self-harm, to improve access to support. It is available on YouTube and the page also has contact details for PHASE.

The National LGB&T Partnership has produced several resources regarding mental health services in relation to LGB&T people – one to help service providers and practitioners understand the needs of LGB&T people, and one for LBB&T people looking for mental health support.

A short, helpful booklet looking at stress management from an Islamic perspective, produced by the Muslim Health Service.

Maslaha is an organisation tackling the immediate social issues affecting Muslim communities. They have produced a series of short films in partnership with AT Medics, examining common concerns about depression, anxiety and support amongst Muslim communities.

These films are available in Urdu, Somali, or Bengali/Sylheti. They can be viewed online or you can order a free DVD from the website.

Designed by Livability and Mind & Soul, the Mental Health Access Pack is a collection of resources for churches looking to help people who are struggling with mental health issues.

Mental Health Matters is a web resource on mental health for the Church of England, containing information and resources for parishes, dioceses, chaplaincies and church community groups.

Developed by LifeLine Church, this guide lays out principles which will help a church to be well-equipped to offer support to those affected by mental health problems, both those suffering directly and their friends and family.

A website with a variety of videos, articles and podcasts on different aspects of wellbeing in the Muslim community.

The Muslim Community Helpline provides a listening and emotional support service for members of the community in the United Kingdom.

The Methodist Church of Great Britain has developed web-based resources to raise awareness about mental health, including bible notes, drama, prayers and suggested songs.

Public Health England has released guidance on promoting children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing.

The guidance, produced in partnership with the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, contains eight evidenced based principles informed by practitioner feedback on what works. If applied consistently and comprehensively they will contribute towards helping protect and promote student emotional health and wellbeing.

It’s really important that people wishing to provide any services in mental health should receive some training. You might want to host a training course at your church, using professionals and service users.

This excerpt from the Church of England’s 2005 document “Promoting mental health: a resource for spiritual and pastoral care” has some important tips and recommendations.

Website aiming to increase awareness of mental health issues in the Punjabi and Sikh community, with links to resources and research.

SAMHAA is a new non-profit community network engaging, educating and mobilizing the BC South Asian community around issues related to mental health.

Check the website for upcoming events, forums and lectures.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists have produced a fact-sheet concerning how spirituality can have a positive impact on mental health.

The national spirituality and mental health forum website is full of interesting talks, articles, research and publications exploring the complex world of spirituality and mental health.

Time to Change have produced a report around attitudes towards mental health in the South Asian community in London.

The report includes some tips on how you could best reach people, in order to tackle fears and stigma around mental health.

Developed by Disability Rights UK, Taking Charge is a guide for people who have been diagnosed with a physical or mental health condition, providing guidance in planning and managing their life.

Time to Change has produced a toolkit full of practical advice on how to run an event that helps to change the way that people in your community think about, and behave towards, people with mental health problems.

A resource for churches from Livability, to follow up its ‘Lifting the Lid – 6 Bible Studies exploring God’s heart for Mental Health.’ Together For Good is a course which explores five key topics: Abundant Life, Keys to Success, Richer Relationships, Creating Community and Finding Meaning. It invites churches to see that growing wellbeing isn’t just an individual practice, but also a call to a way of living as a community.

Best Colleges, an American resource for college students, has put together a guide looking at mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, that are common in higher education.

A Community Care article around the importance of understanding faith when treating patients.

A website raising awareness around mental health and dementia issues, where you can get involved with upcoming conferences and request to host a workshop in your church.

The Women’s Health and Equality Consortium has published a report on women’s mental health, entitled ‘I am more than one thing: a guiding paper by Imkaan, Positively UK and Rape Crisis England and Wales’.

This report builds on existing evidence to highlight women’s experiences of poor mental health and wellbeing and their interactions with the mental health system.  It also aims to identify support needs or barriers that women encounter in the process of seeking support across the voluntary and statutory sector. Whilst there are several factors that impact on women’s mental health, this guiding paper focuses on women’s mental wellbeing within the context of the effects of sexual violence, as well as different levels of social exclusion or marginalisation that may be experienced by black and minority ethnic (BME) women, and women affected by HIV.