Lorie Johnson

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Before the #pandemic, the number of #Americans struggling with #mentalhealthissues including #suicide was already high.  Now, two years later, the number of people suffering from #depression, #anxiety, #substanceabuse, #domesticviolence and #suicide is even greater than it was pre-#pandemic.  

#Mentalhealthexperts and #Christians alike are taking a closer look at how to help people in the #church address difficulties they may be experiencing with #mentalhealthissues.  

Dr. Thema Bryant, an ordained minister and clinical #psychologist, knows firsthand how #Christians can spiral into despair. 

"These things happen in the #church," she told CBN News. 

In her book, Homecoming: Overcome Fear and #Trauma to Reclaim Your Whole, Authentic Self, Dr. Bryant describes overcoming her #trauma from #sexualassault while keeping her faith by using therapeutic approaches which she now shares with her own clients, including one of her favorites, dance therapy, which is similar to praise dance. 

"Some survivors get to a place where they hate their bodies because it's the place of the violation," she said, "but this is really a gift from #God. And so to be able to reclaim it, to honor it, to move our bodies to dance to the glory of #God, has been a wonderful part of my healing."

As President-Elect of the #AmericanPsychologicalAssociation, Dr. Bryant says the #church needs to create a culture where people can admit they're struggling and seek help. 

"I know at my #church tradition when people say, 'How are you?' the usual answer is, 'Blessed,' or, 'I'm blessed and highly favored,'  and so we want to get to a place where people can say 'I'm blessed and...' What is the rest of the story? What is the fuller story?"

The tide is starting to change. While more churches are signaling to their members that it's OK to struggle with #mentalhealthissues, some are taking it a step further by developing ministries to help people with these types of problems.

One example is at New Life Church in Virginia Beach. Cyrus Williams III, Ph.D., is a member of the #church and also serves as a #counselor at Rapha Counseling Services, a faith-based #Christian Counseling practice. Rapha Counseling entered into a partnership with the #church whereby Dr. Williams and his team treat people in the comfort of their own #church building. 

"That's the unique part about it," he told CBN News, "We do the counseling here in the #church. So we try to take away that #stigma."

Demand is high, given the growing number of those struggling with #depression and #anxiety.

"And then we get into addiction counseling," Dr. Williams said. "We may go into #trauma that people are dealing with, whether it's spiritual #trauma, #sexualtrauma, any kind of violence, and then #suicide is a big issue." 

While the counseling is affordable for many, the goal, Williams said, is to make it available for all who need it. 

"To get to a nominal pay, we need really donations for people to donate salaries," he said. "If we have money for salaries we could see so many more people." 

#James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleOrder your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife:From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy

www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com

#Pastor Tina Davis told CBN News after years of trying to normalize #mentalhealthstruggles from the pulpit and erasing the shame often associated with these issues, the pastoral team wanted to do even more. 

"As #pastors, we recognize we're not clinicians. We don't provide #mentalhealthcare," she said. "But we do recognize that it is an essential part of being whole before the Lord. And so we want to partner with those who are professionals, just like we would partner with a #doctor who is a professional at dealing with cancer or other sicknesses."

New Life also hosts #mentalhealth forums and seminars.

"We wanted to make sure our congregants, our leaders, were equipped to be able to recognize symptoms of people who were struggling with #mentalhealthissues and could then refer them or get them the help that they need," she said.

So while #mentalhealthproblems within the #church can still be considered #taboo, more #Christian leaders are trying to do away with the #stigma so people can get the help they need. 

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https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-erasing-the-stigma-of-mentalhealthproblems-in-the-church/