What does mental health have to do with learning disability?
A learning disability is not a mental health problem.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a vital emotion, warning us of possible future risks or problems.
We all have moments when we struggle to like what we see in the mirror. But for someone with BDD, a conviction that something about their body is ugly, disfigured or just wrong has become so strong that it starts to take over their life.
Dementia is a growing problem, but the church is equipped to help.
Dementia affects 800,000 people in the UK. This will almost double by 2050.
Three talks for church leaders on mental health from Edinburgh, March 2024. Audio and Video
Leaders increasing need to show vulnerability to get the most out of their teams.
Will highlights the need for greater equality in mental health provision while emphasising the role of local communities, including churches, in promoting mental well-being.
Will Van Der Hart
Essential resources to empower educators in addressing mental health challenges in the classroom and beyond.
Dr Rob Waller
Beyond just the person with the eating disorder is their entire carer network - the 24/7 role of a carer watching someone you love suffering this cruel illness. An illness that sweeps through entire homes, families and keeps you awake at all hours.
Hope Virgo, Author and Founder of #DumpTheScales
Part II of our long read exploring why we need to stop trying to treat cultural anxiety and look for the causes instead.
Rob Waller
Part I of our long read exploring why we need to stop trying to treat cultural anxiety and look for the causes instead.
Rob Waller
Paul’s understanding of prayer teaches us that when anxiety comes, if we approach God, ask Him to meet our needs and desires, and give Him thanks for His grace and provision, then we will receive His peace.
Joy Hunter
A statement from the Mind and Soul Foundation about this issue
Kate Middleton
We all find it hard to rest, here Sam and Sara unpack a vision for rest and worship
Sam and Sara Hargreaves
Our finances can often be a hard thing to talk about - here is Stephan from Crosslight with tips for if you're struggling.
Stephan Wiedmer
Let yourself and your world NOT be perfect. And why not take a moment in the early days of 2023 to deliberately remind yourself of God's presence in those spaces.
An Advent reflection from Jayne Manfredi
Jayne Manfredi
Heading off to Uni can be a daunting thing. Here are some top tips from Fusion's Sam Brown
Sam Brown
It can feel paralysingly hard to know how to love and care for someone with trauma. Whether it's a refugee or someone in your family here are our top tips on how to safely support someone struggling.
Taking the time to process our experiences is so important. Here's some advice and prompts on how to do it really well.
Sarah Crittenden
On this day of National Reflection, Kate Middleton unpacks the effect the pandemic has had on our emotions and how we can process and recover well.
Kate Middleton
In this personal and raw account Jayne tells her story of living with disordered eating and how she's found hope in Jesus.
Jayne Manfredi
Leaving home and starting University can stir many emotions which can be hard to know what to do with. Here are some practical tips from Fusion's Sam Brown.
Sam Brown
This Ash Wednesday, Will unpacks what it means for us to pay attention to what we live for, and gives some practical tips to help us engage with what we see on the news.
Will Van Der Hart
In the busyness of life it can be hard to stop and be present to ourselves, and to God too. Olivia Shone offers tips on how to practice this.
Olivia Shone
Why is Wordle taking the world by storm, and what we can learn from this nifty game?
Dr Kate Middleton
How do we help our kids stay calm in spite of the chaos they may feel surrounds them?
Sometimes not knowing what to say or how to help can feel paralysing, but it's important that reach out to those who are struggling. Who can we reach out to for the good of their mental health?
Dr Selina Stone helps us understand the different racial and gender microgressions which are often experienced in places of work, and gives some helpful tips for if you're feeling anxious about the return to work.
Dr Selina Stone
I know that whilst my attempts to retain my wellbeing might be overwhelmed, God’s hand will never let me go.
Will Van Der Hart
As a society we learn to rank things from an early age, right from our first school report cards. In this article Will shares our need to break out of this need to rank everything and everyone.
Will Van Der Hart
To be spiritually grounded infuses our whole physical and inner life, making our whole existence a spiritual and sacred affair.
Olivia Shone
Recent news coverage has reported that the rate of psychosis has increased over the last year during the pandemic. Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya gives some practical advice.
Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya
The question 'where is God when it hurts?' can be one of the hardest parts of faith. In this article Rachael Newham shares her testimony and explores the power of lament for helping us find joy again.
Rachael Newham
Many of us are all too aware of how stressed and worn out we are. What do you do when a season of stress just keeps on and on - and you can't stop?
Kate Middleton
As we consider the costs on mental health to those suffering deprivation, poverty, isolation and prejudice, Will Van Der Hart encourages us not lose sight of the simple medicine of welcome.
Will Van Der Hart
If we want to live richer, fuller lives then we need to live through our bodies as well as our minds. In this article Olivia looks at how we can value our body as part of our spirituality.
Olivia Shone
In this article Clare Luther, author of The Little Paws Hotel stories, describes how finding time to connect with your young children about their emotions through stories can have a positive impact on their emotional well being.
Clare Luther
At the start of a new term we often feel like we need to hit the ground running, but how can we do that when we feel an overwhelming sense of exhaustion?
Will Van Der Hart
Rosie reflects how she's experienced God whilst parenting a daughter with serious mental health conditions.
Rosie Lambert
Starting university this year? In this article Rich Wilson, movement leader of Fusion gives his top tips for stepping into this next chapter post-pandemic.
Rich Wilson
The story of our lives that we live in can help us understand our purpose and who we really are. But sometimes our stories can feel skewed. André Radmall looks at how we can live into God's story for our lives.
André Radmall
Music is a powerful tool for us both psychologically and spiritually. In this article we take a look at why this is, and discover a new group of musicians helping us to create space to process the pandemic.
Kate Middleton with Nick Evans-Pugh
A review of: "I love Jesus But I Want to Die" by Sarah J Robinson. A book exploring how we can find hope in the darkness of depression.
Anonymous
Find yourself strangely reticent to get back to normal life? Trying to work out why?
Kate Middleton
In the pain and darkness of depression George Parsons explains the ways which he's found his faith to have been strengthened.
George Parsons
Levels of anxiety and distress have been significant as people contemplate what release of restrictions means for their own circumstances.
Kate Middleton
In this article Helena explores how to support those with OCD in a practical, faith-filled way.
Helena Tarrant
When walking through challenging seasons of life we often struggle with our faith. In this article Olivia Shone shares how we can give space to God in those places, in a new way.
Olivia Shone
It’s never nice being unwell. But what do you do when a period of ill health turns into something more long term? Here’s 5 things you might not know about long term illness
As lockdown restrictions ease how can we protect ourselves from the Fear of Missing Out?
Florence Gildea
With children playing more games than ever over this last year of pandemic, many parents and carers are concerned about the impact this will have on their development and mental health.
Andy Robertson
In psychological diagnostics things aren't always straightforward. In this article Will explores the nuanced nature of our psychological experiences and approaches to recovery.
Will Van Der Hart
How spending time outdoors can help rejuvenate and replenish us.
Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya
Engaging in healthy and sustainable eating habits as lockdown lifts.
Gaynor van der Burton
One of the toughest things we’ve faced as parents is not being able to be in control of our children and teens situations. We’ve had our own reactions to that, hitting in a time where many parents are themselves struggling.
Coming out of lockdown is going to be psychologically challenging for many people. Even those who can’t wait to restart normal life might be surprised by some feelings of anxiety as the new normal starts to change.
Andre Radmall
This last year has stolen our control away in so many of those areas so we have not always been able to even decide when we leave the house. So how DO we manage when things are going on that are outside of our control?
Is there a more optimistic message about the way pandemic has shaped our children than the ones we may have heard?
Katharine Hill
Paul speaks to his friend Kelly about going back to work and how Permitted Work can help
Paul Warwick
A year after the first lockdown, has apathy kicked in, and have we lost the ability to empathise and show kindness to each other at a time of great challenge and vulnerability?
Chi Chi Obuaya
For the majority of people this pandemic year has made us aware of our personal vulnerability in a new, stark, sometimes even brutal way.
It strikes us how much of the last year has simply been unsettling; that the ground beneath us has become fractured and unfamiliar.
Will Van Der Hart
Living under huge pressures, how do we restore ourselves, how do we move beyond a sense of burnout and into a life that feels whole and balanced?
Kieran Murphy
How do we get through the rest of this working-from-home-season with your sanity and relationships intact?
Kate Middleton
People suffering with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders often seek to control their weight when other parts of their life seem out of control, and there’s nothing like a global pandemic to show you the limits of your mastery.
Florence Gildea
Why antidepressants prescribing is soaring.
Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya
A new book to bring comfort to those suffering with mental illhealth and an introduction to faith and Bible reading
Steve Tash
The practice of solidarity within Christian churches can make a real difference for people with mental illness
Anne Jamieson
Many people enjoy a healthy sex life. Sadly, for about 1 in 15 adults in the church the picture is very different. For them, while they know what they are doing goes against everything they believe in and hold dear they do it anyway.
Peter Watts
The issue of professional burnout is a major concern at this time within the health and care professions.
Chi Chi Obuaya
New Year again - just how do I make those changes and resolutions stick?
We cannot escape reality this year...But these things do not blot out the presence or reality of good. Good things to come, good promise ahead, and even moments of light and life and pleasure in the midst of all the mayhem.
Kate Middleton
When the magic disappears, we are forced to create or find the wonder in new ways.
Laura
Covid-19 exposed and then amplified existing inequalities facing children, meaning those children already facing the worst life chances have felt the greatest burden from the virus.
Andrea Zanin
Let’s not be ashamed to put up our hands, reach to others and ask for support, prayer and guidance. That’s what friends are really for.
Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya
Keeping your festive sparkle at Christmas can be a real challenge, especially within the context of the Covid pandemic.
Will Van Der Hart
The text was from NHS Track and Trace saying please self isolate immediately. As I read the text out I felt shocked. My Dad wisely backed away further down the drive…
Caroline Stephens
A poem written in a time of crisis - and what helped
Ewan McLean-Foreman
Isolation isn’t easy, but if we can help our minds comprehend it better, we can remove some of the difficult emotions from it. And there ARE things we can do to manage isolation better.
Kate Middleton
Ewan shares his grief and bereavement journey after the death of a child
Ewan McLean-Foreman
How do you just keep going? It's a question a lot of us are asking right now.
Kim Latif
A registered mental health nurse and CAP counsellor speaks about her own experience.
Jane Fisher
This World mental Health Day is unusual in that rather than having a specific theme it is simply entitled, ‘Mental Health for All’. Covid has had the most profound impact on global mental wellbeing of any single event since WWII.
Will Van Der Hart
Burnout is a complex set of experiences and reactions, and perhaps the most challenging thing about it is how hard some of those loops are to break out of.
Why do we join and stay in churches?
Simon
As adults, it can seem overwhelming to help our children deal with their emotional response to the coronavirus crisis, when we may not even know how to handle it for ourselves.
Sara Hargreaves
How one church started a running group to combat the mental distress of COVID-19
Anna Gordon
As I write, I am sitting on a ferry. It seems like the perfect time to write about transitions, not just because I am between countries, but also because I will be entering quarantine when we arrive home.
Perhaps one of the most poignant aspects of lockdown, particularly as we’ve continued to journey through the various phases of it, has been the effect it has had on our children and teenagers - now being described by some as the ‘Coronavirus generation'.
Kate Middleton
How to deal with a society that is fixated on thinness and dieting.
Hope Virgo
We should all be mindful of the challenges faced by people with established eating disorders and other difficult relationships with food that are more commonly associated with significant weight loss, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya
How has Covid 19 impacted the mental health of new mothers and mums to be?
Natalie Blake
When so many are experiencing the same distress or difficulty at what point do we stop calling it illness and recognise a shared experience we need to process?
Kate Middleton
The 21st Century world is vibrant, dynamic, exciting and inspiring - full of potential and possibility! But there’s plenty of pressure too - and real concerns for the rising generations who are showing increasing signs of mental and emotional ill-health.
While racist bullying was previously confined to those environments, social media permits 24/7 access to images, posts and threads and now can extend into the bedroom, provided a young person has access to a smartphone.
Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya
As of 24 July, face coverings are compulsory in shops in England. What do you do if issues with anxiety, panic, past trauma, or mental health challenges make wearing a mask very difficult for you? Here are 5 steps to wearing a face-covering without fear.
How do you find hope in longer-term challenge? How do you find splashes of colour in yet another grey day? how does your brain sometimes make you feel things are much worse than they are in these moments?
Will and Louie Van Der Hart share their news of new beginnings in London...
Will Van Der Hart
One of my many concerns is that young people will operate out of a position of fear; a fear that they will at some point risk being dragged down and their reputations destroyed when they inevitably make mistakes.
Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya
With school still out for many, it's been described as a ‘national disaster’. But how much impact will this time out of school really have - and what can we do to minimise any negative effects?
This is not another story of forgetting and pushing down but rather a distressing acknowledgement of the reality of so very many people.
Sarah White
A Hymn Writer and Poet shares words from one of her song’s on mental health
Ruthie Thomas
A great new free online mental health course from Sanctuary Ministries
Whether it's gnawing fear, cycling worries or just a vague dis-ease at the thought of going out, as the rules that have governed our lives are lessened, have we swapped FOMO (fear of missing out) for FOGO (fear of going out)?
Kate Middleton
How do you intentionally and safely release and express the least welcome emotions like grief, sadness and loss? What do you do if an emotion feels so powerful that allowing it headspace might mean it overwhelms you?
Kate Middleton
There are medicines, therapies, treatments, and groups, but nothing universally changes the lives of people who are struggling with their mental health more than kindness.
Will Van Der Hart
Can we use theses trying times to collectively 'wake up' and undergo a rite of passage?
Fran Jeffes
What have I been doing? I have been so busy doing what my schedule dictates that I have not considered the divine interruptions God has been offering me.
Will Van Der Hart
Postnatal depression came as a shock for me. I was so excited for our baby to arrive and for my son to have a little sister.
Amy Lines
Postnatal depression came as a shock for me. I was so excited for our baby to arrive and for my son to have a little sister.
Amy Lines
Your mind will do anything to get away from uncertainty. There is almost nothing that troubles the human brain more than, ‘just no knowing’.
Will Van Der Hart
I have never travelled less and yet I have never felt more tired. Honestly, I am struggling to get past 9:30pm and It’s not a regular gentle sleep, but a sort of brutal exhaustion that comes down like the final curtain on a West End play.
Will Van der Hart
The Christian faith offers tremendous support and help in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
Ron Bushyager
A couple of weeks into lockdown, it’s starting to sink in: this way of life is going to be for a while...
Kate Middleton
This isn’t the time for triumphalism or for simplistic anecdotes. Equally, it's not the moment to close our eyes to the ways in which we are being reformed in vulnerability, humility, gratitude, compassion, and community.
Will Van Der Hart
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all having to adapt to ever-changing circumstances in a way and at a speed that we’ve never had to before.
Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya
One of the things I am helping folk with during this Coronavirus pandemic is how to handle heightened anxiety and stress. As a Baptist Minister, contemplative and psychotherapist I know this can be approached spiritually and therapeutically.
Shaun Lambert
Imposed social isolation probably wouldn't be anyone's choice - but it needn't be totally out of control. Here are 5 steps we can take to help us emotionally if we're having to isolate.
Kate Middleton
If you're of an anxious disposition the Corona Virus outbreak is an emotional nightmare come true. How can we be both faith-filled and do everything we can to avoid getting sick?
Will Van Der Hart
Finding God’s Peace in a Place of Psychosis. Why it's hard and 5 things that can help.
Sharon Hastings
Dementia Friendly Churches are churches that include and welcome people with dementia. They offer people with dementia respect and dignity, and promote knowledge and awareness about dementia within the local community.
Trevor Adams
"Most of all, we need pastors and church leaders willing to admit that the Church doesn’t have all the answers."
Shaley Hoogendoorn
One woman's journey from losing her father to cancer aged 10.
Jo Bradbury
"I know it isn’t going to always be plain sailing but I know with God by my side I will always be okay."
Hope Virgo
Mundane is the same old reliable, familiar solid stuff that we take for granted. If you are going to make a resolution for this New Year, how about giving thanks for the regular stuff, the everyday, the routine. It's amazingly good!
Will Van Der Hart
Do challenges around accessing good treatment and care mean happiness and health feel out of reach to some? What does an often unhelpfully quoted gospel story have to teach us about creating a culture where everyone gets the chance to thrive?
Kate Middleton
...between Severe Mental Illness and Demon Possession
Sharon Hastings
Finding peace amidst Christmas business.
What could you give this Christmas to someone who will be stuck on a mental health ward?
A friend asked me about what the difference was between scars and wounds this week. We were discussing what healing looked like for people with mental health issues.
Will Van Der Hart
This Bible Study is designed to be used in a small group, maybe as a way of introducing the topic in your church.
Martin Hird
Long term illness is understandably hard - but what is it about this cruellest of life's challenges that can have such a powerful impact on our emotional and mental wellbeing?
A new book about suicide and hope. "Some books change lives: this might save them." - J John
Jo Johnson
How your church can help build resilience in your local community
A theology of mental health is rooted in 'The Suffering Victorious Christ'.
Will Van Der Hart
What do you do when you can’t feel emotions at all?
The shame of suicide is literally killing us. We cannot be passive about suicide any longer and we cannot wait in the vain hope that the most vulnerable in our communities will change the culture for us.
Download audio and video from our 2019 conference
A new book from IVP by a doctor who lives with psychosis
Responding to his recent death, Will explores how people might react
Will Van Der Hart
Label people - or is there a better way?
Chris Murray
What is resilience and how can we develop it? Do you need adversity to develop resilience?
8 months ago, I was admitted to psychiatric hospital with a severe physical manifestation of anxiety and depression. My brain slowed down to a crawl, my short-term memory was completely shot, I could barely speak and was slurring my words, and when I read
Alex O'Byrne
Monsters often catch us in those quiet moments, and the night when we are exhausted and alone is the worst time to be ambushed. Here are 5 ways to manage them.
How humans change, what happens when we don’t or can’t change, and some ways to move forward
Rob Waller
We often see stories of people being sent hundreds of miles away for inpatient care. Is there a better way?
We are made for relationships, for connection and to be in community with one another. This isn’t always easy but it’s reassuring to know that whatever we have been through others have also been through too...
Patrick Regan OBE
What makes a church mental health friendly? Some criteria to measure yours by...
Mind and Soul Team
Over 1300 women experience PP each year in the UK (1 to 2 in every 1000 deliveries). It can be hard to find high quality information about PP.
Naomi Gilbert
What works [and doesn't work] for Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Figures released for Mental Health Awareness Week show so many people struggle with issues around body image. But is self love alone a solution? What does the Bible - and the song 'This is me' have to do with this?
Kate Middleton
‘Some say that you’re a Christian, so you shouldn’t feel depressed. But I guess, they haven’t read the Psalms in depth’. A video for Mental Health Awareness Week
Nizam Speaks
How do we grow and find out who we are? Psychological and Spiritual models. Notes from our seminar at the HTB Alpha Leadership Conference.
In essence; people worry about failure, then feel desperately guilty when they perceived that they have failed and determine to get everything right from there on (perfectionism).
Belongingness is a glue that our society desperately needs if we are to overcome our isolation. It is God’s gift to us; to know that we uniquely belong to him and within the world and it’s our most potent weapon in the fight against loneliness.
As a psychotherapist and church leader I have often found that therapeutic spaces can be safer for people with mental health issues than church. Church can seem like an environment where only certain ‘Christian’ behaviors are acceptable...
Andre Radmall
Top university swimming coach and friend of Mind and Soul Foundation Steve Lazaraton shares his long battles with depression and anxiety whilst achieving professional success.
Steve Lazaraton
Recovering from my depression has given me a new sense of empathy for the mental health of those around me.
Andrew CD
Slides from Rob's talk at the National Mindfulness Day in Edinburgh
Rob Waller
A new 'course in a book' from Sol Skaff developed over many years
Sol Skaff
When your body is flooded with too much anxiety it is hard to know what to do. Here are a few thoughts and ideas on how you can turn things around...
Will Van Der Hart
A pastor from the US speaks about his depression and what he told his church
Ronald 'Dee' Vaughan
Check out this new book by Will Vanderhart and Rob Waller - a must read!
Kate Middleton
Are voice hearers responding to illness or hearing the voice of God. This new book maintains that an easy distinction is probably not possible.
Rob Waller
A series of talks by Dr Kate Middleton given at Soul Survivor Watford on emotions and how to manage them, as well as other aspects of mental health such as sleep, confidence and resilience
Dr Kate Middleton
How to lead and line manage others who experience mental illness. Seminar and Slides
Wearable tech and apps are increasingly popular when it comes to monitoring activity, sleep and even eating. But are there some things we need to be cautious about with these apps when it comes to our mental health?
How are you feeling with the new yaer having started. For most of us, the old anxieties are still there!
Rob Waller
One Day training and a course from Mercy UK
Rob Waller
Skills Paul has learnt from over 25 years on medication
Paul Warwick
For Christians, depression can feel distinctively ‘spiritual’ and will provoke significant anxiety around the quality of a person’s faith. Here are 5 common ‘spiritual‘ lies that we see forming in a depressed Christian…
Some people believe they are Jesus because they are ill. Some people just don't believe the Truth
Rob Waller
Dealing with unemployment and uncertainty led Richard to explore Christian Mindfulness
Richard HH Johnson
Find the right card to send to someone who is emotionally distressed
Information and booking links for two events we are part of on Christian Mindfulness
There has been some significant shifts in Christian culture towards a more sympathetic narrative around mental health but there is still a long way to go. Mental health is certainly not treated with parity to physical health issues...
Will Van Der Hart
A video to challenge unhelpful ways to pray. How then shall we pray?
John Sutherland has served as a Metropolitan Police officer for 25 years...He was the outstanding recruit in his training school intake and rose through the ranks to become a highly respected senior officer. John had a breakdown 5 years ago...
John Sutherland
Audio is now available from this Conference
The Mind and Soul Team
How could churches help prevent mental distress and reduce it when it is present?
Anon
Mind and Soul helped recruit participants for a research project looking at how church leaders manage the emotions of those they pastor.
Amanda Brown-Bennett
Our three talks from the National Mindfulness Day for Christians in May 2018 are now available for download
New figures suggest as many as 1/5 of teens have self harmed - but what is self harm, why do they do it - and how can we help?
Thoughts after a sister lost her life
John Anders
How to lead for the long haul and stay emotionally healthy as a leader
Mind and Soul Associate and founder of Think Twice Rachael Newham launches her brilliant new book Learning to Breathe. It is her story into, and out of, the darkness of depression and how God can find us and rescue us even in the most desperate of places.
Rachael Newham
Why one Pastor wrote some Biblical Meditations for people dealing with depression
Ronald D Vaughan
A resource written for churches and the story behind it
Stuart and Lindsay Gilmour
Self care is a new buzz word and a great antidote to stress. But what is it and how do we do it?
Emillie Wright.
The male suicide crisis and coronation street
Rachael Newham
Other mentally ill people see me as I really am and there is no hiding! It is humbling but ultimately helpful...
Alexander Crispin
We live in an age of stress, exhaustion and loneliness. Rates of anxiety and depression are higher than ever. Many people live in a perpetual state of ‘overdrive’, never feeling they have enough time.
Jared Watson
Shame And Disempowerment are core themes that can be addressed
Rebecca Mitchell
This Easter I was made redundant after a long period of mental ill health...
Rich Young
How wonderful it would be if we could we follow Jesus in His compassion, and show acceptance, care and love.
Lorraine Gibbard
Is God up there and out of touch, or down here and out of ideas? Or is He neither - but in both places? What does the Easter story tell us about how to understand mental illness?
Rob Waller
This Extended Story describes Ruths journey and also offers some advice that has been helpful to her. Updated in 2018
Ruth
I have lived with OCD for 21 years. Over that time it has tricked me, screamed at me, threatened to leave me, lied and twisted the truth, sulked for days on end, kept me awake fearing the future night after night after night. It has kept me prisoner...
Charlotte Gompertz
I developed an eating disorder when I was 13. No one told me how, and at the time I didn’t even know that it had a label. I was going through my puberty stage and had tons of emotions and feelings. I remember going to my dad and telling him...
Hallie Koltra
A key element enabling her to cope with her illness for so long has been her very strong Christian faith
Veronica Burton
It's #TimeToTalk about mental health in church! Here are 6 conversations we hear about a lot....
Paul looks back on some of the odd things he did and though when unwell. Humour is a way of coping.
Paul Warwick
Information on some people and ministries that we have a relationship with
Six free Bible Studies about mental health - developed by our partners at Livability
The Mind and Soul Team
A moving and honest account of one family's experience of severe depression
anonymous
Planning changes is easy - but sticking to them is much harder! How do we make changes that last - especially when it comes to physical and emotional health?
Sharon Bell
Dieting, overeating, family... This may sound like a recipie for disaster, but there are things that help
Jean Hart
Christmas is a time of incredible joy as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, at the same time the festivities themselves can cause real emotional turbulence. Suddenly the normal rhythm of life is overtaken with an array of impending challenges...
How picture books can help children understand mental health issues
Bethany Bennett
OCD can really get out of control during stressful periods. Help is available at Christmas time
Will Van Der Hart
Are you planning your own talk on mental health and Christianity? Our ready-made slide set could help
Does having a mental illness make you more likely to be violent towards others as the media suggests?
Jared Wilson
Take the time to learn about the mental health journeys people have so you can understand them better...
Christy Wimber
Self harm can become a vicious cycle - but recovery is possible. Hear Liz's story of life after self harm.
Liz Edge
Writing and filmmaking are therapeutic to Paul and help him cope with his schizophrenic illness
Paul Warwick
Are there any reasons to be more optimistic about mental health within the christian community?
A practical and helpful course for your group. Do you have the skills?
Debra Green
A local group in Norwich - sharing everyday experiences of mental health
Andy Bryant - for the Diocese of Norwich
A mental health journey through depression, anxiety, mania and psychosis working towards recovery
Rev. Rachel Noel
A poem about recovery from the wilderness of acute mental illness
Sophie Ballard
We talk about suicide as a crime - perhaps even the unforgivable sin - but what does the Bible really say about suicide?
A theology graduate is admitted to an acute psychiatry ward. And tried to make sense of it...
Sophie Ballard
Mindfulness is increasingly used in mental health settings. This article looks at the research and clinical practice
How can our chaotic, ordinary little Toddler Groups help in this fight for peace of mind and to address the silent poverty which can push parents to the very edge of coping? Could they be front line defence against depression and anxiety in young mums?
Claire Key
Healing is often prayer for, but what if you don't get healed? Mindfulness can help us understand the process.
Richard H H Johnston
All these unhelpful and unintended things have been said to people with mental health problems. Can we do better?
Alan and Amanda Stephenson
Theos have published a new report on 'mental health and Christianity'. It asks 'what next?'
Rob Waller
Trauma is a much misused word; it actually emanates from the Ancient Greek term meaning an injury...psychological trauma breaks through our normal defenses...
Dr Richard Castle
Psychological fist aid is recommended and supported by the World Health Organisation, including special guidelines for children
Dr Lynne Taylor-Consultant Psychologist CAMHS NHS
Do you find that you are more stressed with your phone or without it? Do you start your day with coffee or with emails? In a busy world managing your phone time can have a big impact upon your mental health...
Alex Nicholson
In all of the growing discussions, I hear little, if any, discussion about mental health as experienced by older people...
Dr Fi Costa
In this 45 minute Q and A that took place at St Alban's Church, London, Will Van Der Hart tracks through the journey of MASF as well as addressing many of the issues facing Christians with Mental Health issues.
Depression asks the believer to grapple, even wrestle with aspects of their faith. And sees growth.
Jon Grogan
Sometimes life with a mental illness can just be about getting through the day. But life with God is about more than survival.
Mental health recovery is not a linear experience, take small steps every day. Expect hard days as well as good days and try to take a recovery view over months not weeks. Remember to be kind to yourself, recovery ins't a race!
Will Van Der Hart
MindEd is a free educational resource on children and young people's mental health for all adults.
Rob Waller
A personal story of how faith and church has helped one person on the road to recovery from mental health problems
Niamh Gold
An inviting and safe environment to ‘just be’ express and explore ways to look after your own emotional well-being and mental health
Sarah Milligan
Can you praise God when you are suicidal? It is possible to move from thinking of killing yourself to thinking of worshipping the Almighty?
Rob Waller
Moving on from a suicide attempt with the help of the Lord. The before, during and after.
Rather than focus on illness, this course focusses on being happy - which is something you can work towards more than you might think
Livability
2008 was not my year. I endured loss of a job, rape, and my first psychotic episode at Disney World, of all places! This is my story.
Catch up on BBC Radio 4's Beyond Belief Program featuring Mind and Soul
Mind and Soul Team
Rural communities can be wonderful - but also isolating. Farmers face increasing pressures and have high suicide rates. What helps?
Lorna Murray
In times of real emotional distress it can be so hard to know where to turn, for help. This is a piece I have written about Psalm 42.
Will Van Der Hart
Self-Help Strategies To Weather The Storms Of Addiction Withdrawal
Anne Foy
How to get help when someone you know might be experiencing a psychotic illness
With the onslaught of New Year hopes and expectations - how can we cope with things don't seem to be any different.
Learning to apply the grace of God in the midst of a distressing anxiety disorder.
And it all begins again... In my mind. Raindrops on the skylight. Will the terror ever end?
Lorna Murray
Have you ever wondered why some of our best known and best loved Christmas songs are a little, well, melancholy?
Do the words Happy Christmas make you cringe, or worry that you are far from happy? Joyeux Noel is a different persepective
Rob Waller
An autobiographical essay in the creative non-fiction style explaining my last decade of pain in and out of church, aged 25-35.
How my relationship with anxiety and depression evolved this year through secular Mindfulness courses. How a retreat at Chester Cathedral helped me explore Mindfulness in the Christian tradition.
What does it really mean to 'walk alongside' someone when they're struggling? A reflection on the journey on the Emmaus Road.
Great truths from Scripture can sometimes leave us feeling more guilty and worthless than you did before
Richard HH Johnston
The pastoral encounter is a complex transaction. The 'meeting of the waters' is an illustration to help us
Will Van Der Hart
Could it be that sabbath is the antidote to stress?
Many clergy are seriously impacted by the volume of pastoral relationships responsibilities that they carry. We are teaming up to research this more deeply and we would love your help. If you are a minister in the Church of England please read on...
Kathryn Kissell
This World Mental Health Day - how can you #OfferYourStory?
A visit to Dr Google can become a dangerous obsession with reassurance that leads only to further doubt and fear. Here are a few ideas of how to keep it under control.
This course was written in 2012 with the Eden Network. We now have new resources
The Mind and Soul Team
An interview with actress Ann Akin about her work raising mental health awareness through drama
Shaun Lambert
We might think that the question of what recovery is is easily answered. But what really IS recovery and how might our theology influence our understanding of it?
Alice Mills
Marking #WSPD16 - How can we break the silence on suicidal thoughts?
Whether Olympian or Church Leader, relationships impact our well-being in both positive and negative ways, increasing stress or enhancing resilience.
Kathryn Kissell
How are your sports blues going? Does sport bring out the best or the worst in you?
Rob Waller
This book reviews the place of the creative arts in recovery from mental health
Kirsten Coulter
Exploring Christian Contemplation is a new Online Course enabling you to explore mindfulness of God and relationship with the God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Richard H H Johnston
The important role churches and Christianity have to play - and the need for education and an end to ignorance and stigma
Rob Waller
Bridges as often used as a metaphor for caring ministry. Whether you are caring for others or just trying to look after yourself better, here are a few thoughts about the importance of health boundaries.
Change, whether it be personal or political, universal or individual is hard.
The relationship between mental health and the church is made infinitely more complex by the tendrils of shame that so easily grip different aspects of our communities.
Will Van Der Hart
Mindfulness gets a mixed press but some recent reports have claimed it could sometimes be harmful. What is the truth about mindfulness, and how should we approach it if wanting to give it a go?
Shaun Lambert
Is the Orlando Massacre sickening evil or can we join the press in blaming it on 'Bipolar Disorder'? Mental Health Stigma at its worst...
The Mind and Soul Team
A story of how faith and family helped me learn to talk
Julie Hollock
What OCD is, why those suffering may find church challenging or distressing and some ways for churches to change
How often do we live as though we are unforgiven people? How often do we live by guilt? Jesus offers us the miracle of forgiveness that leads to freedom in Him.
Borderline personality disorder is a misunderstood illness. We need to stop being ignorant. This is my story
How prayer and writing can help you recover from mental health problems
Anne Perks
How can you be a friend to someone with mental health problems?
Rachael Newham
How do we keep going when it feels like every step forward is followed by an inevitable slide back into depression? Kathy shares a picture which has helped her during recovery.
Kathy Troughton
Christy wants to encourage more and more church leaders across the UK and US to get pro-active in ministering into issues of emotional and mental health.
Christy Wimber
Recovery from psychotic illness takes patience, courage and medication. Jedd reflects upon the things that helped him to recover from a serious psychotic breakdown, including his Christian faith.
Jedd Gatz
With the news that self-harm is the leading cause of death for 20-24yr olds - how can we respond?
Rachael Newham
Book review: A Christian’s guide to surviving Breakdown and Depression.
Jon Grogan
Why do we struggle with perfectionism in the church, what impact is it having on our leaders and how can be receive grace more easily?
Will Van Der Hart
I’m very pleased I embraced the controversial, that I realised I couldn’t fix myself by myself…
Hannah S
Many leaders struggle to minister to those suffering with mental health issues because they feel that they cannot relate. But is that a good reason to hold back?
Christy Wimber
Tracing the story of Holy Week and the hope it brings.
Rachael Newham
Tracing the story of Holy Week and the hope it brings.
Rachael Newham
Tracing the story of Holy Week and the hope it brings.
Rachael Newham
The first rays of spring sunshine brought a sudden awareness of just how much the winter had taken out of me this year. Stepping out of winter is a tricky transition...
Will Van Der Hart
Using inspirational stories and creative techniques to guide the reader through a virtual retreat, this book explores ways to finding a more fulfilled and meaningful life.
Helen Warwick
Being emotionally healthy in Christian leadership is no small task. Here are a few important reflections on the current situation and a few simple things to get right...
Will Van Der Hart
Christy Wimber explains...God has given us a great opportunity to show his love to those who are suffering from the impact of mental illness. Will we turn towards it?
Christy Wimber
With the leaked mental health taskforce report, we ask how we can respond.
Rachael Newham
A new course looks at the benefits of self-awareness for our own growth, and our relationships.
What are the pitfalls to practicing mindfulness as a Christian? How should we respond?
Richard H H Johnston
Recovering from Bulimia and helping others recover
A diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder destroyed my life and my relationship with God, but then Jesus turned my life around...
If Jesus came back today are we ready to meet him? Is our life in order the way that he would wish it to be?
The story of a man who became ill, suffered and then recovered from mental illness. it is a story of hope.
It is Blue Monday and its freezing out there! Here are my top ten tips for keeping the winter blues at bay!
Will Van Der Hart
A reflection on the recent BBC documentary and how you can deal with loneliness.
Rachael Newham
Having children can be incredibly hard - read how one woman began to cope with depression
Caz Hamilton
Barry Pearman from Turning the Page, NZ asks Richard Johnston to explain some aspects of mindfulness and Christian Mindfulness.
Richard H H Johnston
A Survivors Story and Testimony -- I can’t really remember the first time I self harmed. I just remember why I was driven to it.
A journey using my sat nav illustrating getting lost, following wrong directions, being in a hurry etc......then bringing it round to realising that God should be my Sat Nav.
Self sacrifice has the power to comfort those in extreme emotional distress
Struggling with self harm for almost 25years is not only embarassing, it leaves you in a very difficult place with God.
Hamish Edmunds is an inspirational guy. Through his struggles with mental health issues he has got some great advice to share.
Will Van Der Hart
What is Lectio Divina and how does it relate to mindfulness?
Richard H H Johnston
Is addiction a chemical problem - or more to do with connection and love? Missi Davis gives us an intro to some upcoming theories
Missi Davis
Reflections on Professor Green's Documentary and how we can respond.
Rachael Newham
Christian Mindfulness offers Day Workshops, an Online Course, 1-2-1 Skype Sessions and an 8 Session Presented Course exploring mindfulness from a Christian and Biblical perspective.
Richard H. H. Johnston
Access audio, video, slides, handouts and transcripts from our past conferences. Free of charge, with minimal copyright restrictions.
This year the 24/7 Prayer Movement wrote a special prayer for those working in or affected by mental health. www.24-7prayer.com
Pete Grieg
Tears are often seen as shameful - and yet the Risen Lord was first seen through tears.
Rachael Newham
Paddy's story gives you an insight into the devastation caused by un-diagnosed mental illness. Separated from his father and moved between hostels with his mother Paddy reflects upon his painful childhood.
Paddy (Surname Withheld)
One of the key concepts involved in developing mindfulness practice is non-judgmentalism. Why is this such an important aspect and is it compatible with Christian faith?
Richard H H Johnston
It's World Mental Health Day again, but do we really need it? With the launch of the 'Peeple App' in November 2015 I would say so....
Paul shares a document he wrote for his employment adviser on the pressures of being asked to work again.
Paul Warwick
Full programme available - London Sat 10th October 2015. Another resource from the Mental Health Access Pack
Mind and Soul Team
The church often prays for healing for those with physical illness but has it overlooked those with mental illness? Read about Christy Wimber's journey and her inspiring belief that this a significant time for the church, mental illness and healing!
Christy Wimber
How can we bring hope when people are facing suicide?
Rachael Newham
Carers need to be cared for too, so here are a few practical ways to reach out.
Rachael Newham
New Podcast - Katharine Welby Roberts shares her favourite Bible verses and reflects on how they show God as a God of the suffering and anxious
Things Unseen
A practical and pastoral book about suffering and blessing . How can we hear the promises of God when it seems they are not being fulfilled?
Kate Patterson
As new Pixar animation 'Inside out' hits the cinema screens, what do our very own psychologist and her ten yr old daughter think of it? Does it accurately portray the emotions of a tweenage girl? And should you go to see it?
Kate Middleton
This a a fantastic technique to use when struggling with floating worries and troubling thougts. Based on the biblical model of watchful prayer it is a powerful tool in your armoury.
Will Van Der Hart
Can you help build the mental health team at Tumaini in Kenya - part of Africa Inland Mission?
Mind and Soul Team
One lady talks about her recovery from personality disorder
Caroline Sheila Hill
Don't punish yourself for the way you feel: asking somebody who is depressed to believe in themselves is like asking a blind man to see
Heather and her husband Raul share about mental illness in their marriage and how Raul has loved Heather faithfully throughout their marriage
Heather Palacios
Find out more, with some helpful illustrations, facts and stories
Dr Joss Bray
A short introduction to addictions, and how it relates to our faith and ways to get help and change
Dr Joss Bray
Results from a PhD project asking some of the Mind and Soul website users what their church thought of depression
D Joy Allen
A testimony of my journey so far, the purpose in the pain...
One Bradford Church's story of recovery from addictions and how the Gospel matches with the famous 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
Rob Waller
A story of how one Christian volunteered with a local mental health charity
Anneka Weston
Ste Casey writes about how he has grown in his ministry since learning about Biblical Counselling and using it day to day
Ste Casey
By engaging in dialogue with the Inner Critic, you may find that you can get it onto your side. For more on how to do this, read this article by guest blogger Mel
Mel Vale
I didn't know that digestion could disrupt mental health - until it happened to me. Read Clare's story about her food, her faith and her mental health
Clare
It is this thought which buzzes in my brain like an incarcerated wasp - how can He watch the agony of the starving, the acts of cruelty, the needless deaths and lives ravaged by mental illness?
Rachael Newham
Why should you use your vote if you suffer from a mental health issue? How can you distinguish between main parties on their approach to mental health should they win the election.
Will Van Der Hart
What makes Biblical Cousnelling biblical and different to other forms of counselling? Learn more about BCUK and CCEF
Steve Midgley
This article explores how faith can be a help and not a hinderance for Christians struggling with depression.
This article looks at 3 principles a church can consider in providing safe and consistent pastoral care.
Heather is a Pastors wife from America who experience a manic episode
Heather Palacios
Eating Disorders are more than a preoccupation with food - they can be chronic and life threatening mental illnesses
Check out this opportunity to train to run the Living Life to the Full course in YOUR community
Kate Middleton
A testimony of God's power in bringing freedom in Christ
Psychiatrist Kate Webb introduces the differing classifications of eating disorders and how to approach treatment.
Kate Webb
Compassion has an important overlap with the mindfulness process. Can we learn to love ourselves and others better?
Shaun Lambert
My experiences of equipping and supporting friends of people with mental health problems.
A [very long] list of all the tags we have for articles on this website
A poem of encouragement during a difficult time. A reminder that Jesus walks the journey with us.
What do you do when life falls apart and it feels as though God has left you? How do you keep going when your faith has been rocked to the core?
Patrick Regan
Two stories drawn from personal experience of mental distress.
Fiona Linday
We all face grief and loss at some point on our journey through life. How can Christian Mindfulness help?
Richard H H Johnston
A personal account of receiving anti-psychotic medication for treatment. How it affected lifestyle and jobs - and also how it helped.
Tim James
The simple things have often the greatest power - my hands.
Sarah White
Based on CBT principles for anxiety and depression, run this course in your local area or complete individually online
From many years of experience, two GPs share how they integrated their faith and their medical skills.
Trevor and Marian Griffiths
Produce by Keeping Health In Mind - a course you can run in your churches, to fee people to live in fullness
Rob Waller
M-Power training days will help your church address and engage with emotions and signiticant mental health issues.
Mercy Ministries
Thursday 5th February is 'Time to Talk Day' - how cold you improve someone's day in five minutes?
Rob Waller
There were miles to go before I slept... but I wasn't sure I wanted to walk them.
Rachael Newham
An overview of self harm and links to other related resources on this website
Kate Middleton
For every 100 studies into depression there is only 1 on happiness. But is the first question we need to answer actually, "Does God want us to be happy?"
Shaun Lambert
“Change yourself – change your life”
“Spring Clean! De-Clutter for the New Year”
Rachael Newham
A discussion of how a Christian worldview and Grace can be explicitly contained within Mindfulness Based CBT
Shaun Lambert
The Virgin Mary was really quite a revolutionary. The Christmas Story cannot be tamed - what waves can you make for justice and hope?
Rob Waller
Christmas brings everything into focus; it is a time of heightened emotions; it can be harder to cope than at other times. Putting the Christ back into Christmas makes sense of it all.
Why is someone sectioned? Do you have to be mentally unwell? Do you have to break the law?
J Grant
This article looks at a few ways to manage and think about those difficult relationships that many of us will experience this holiday season.
A definition of learning disability. The causes, common challenges and how the church has responded
Jonathan Clark
Most churches are unprepared to welcome people with disabilities, and do not know how much they have to offer. This book will help practically
Through the Roof is a national, pan-disability, Christian ministry. Since 1997 they have been seeking to ensure that the good news of the Christian message is accessible to everyone.
That Gods Word says we have a sound mind and a superabundant life. But how do we begin to live this kind of life? The article explores the power of our words.
Christmas is a joyful time, but there can also be much sadness. How can we look after others at Christmas and can the Christmas story help us to offer pastoral support during this season?
A new resource from the Christian Medical Fellowship, designed to help you think biblically about these and other matters of health and wellbeing.
A Christian Psychiatrist shares how the Gospel can be good for your mental health
Ken Yeow
An overview of worry and an introduction to extensive resources on this site
The choice is overwhelming. Christian or not? What training should I look for? What does a bad therapist look like?
Thomas Yap
Being hurt by church leadership can be a devastating experience. This article looks at a few strategies for thinking about the situations where this hurt is caused.
Significant forgiveness is a process that can take time. These are some thoughts when you are finding it hard to let go.
A task of every leader is to get their vision right. This article offers some thoughts on vision and what can get in the way of seeing clearly.
Leaders benefit from developing the skills of self-awareness. This article offers a few tools to get started.
Listen to Will Van Der Hart's seminar from The Worship Central Conference 2014. (PDF of talk slides also available here.)
My mind, body and spirit cannot take any more. Is this preventable? Yes. We can avoid burnout in the first place - and this book will help you, wherever you are on the slope towards it.
Andrew and Elizabeth Proctor
The traditional part-time schedule of church family meetings doesn’t allow much opportunity for genuine pastoral care. Could yet more be done?
David Pattison
There is more to each and everyone of us than meets the eye. What assumptions do we make about people - that turn out to not be true...
An overview of psychosis - illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder. What helps, what doesn't help, and how it relates to faith
Rob Waller
Feeling trapped in debt can cause major mental health problems. Many people feel suicidal. Christians Against Poverty address this in their campaign.
Rob Waller
Download audio and slides from our Emotions Confernce on Sat 11th October 2014. On perfection, stress, worry and guilt - and how to live a better life.
It's so easy to feel we have to do 'big things' in order to help people. But what are the 'little things' that can make a massive difference?
Kate Middleton
Hazz writes about her story with suicidal acts and thoughts, about how God brought hope and a degree of peace.
Hazz
Society is changing its attitude to emotional abuse but is the church lagging behind? Emotional abuse is often overlooked in the church but what we say and how we say it really matters.
Will Van Der Hart
An overview of Depression - signs and symptoms, treatments, and challenges. How it relates to the Christian faith. Links to relevant parts of this website.
The Mind and Soul Team
A post to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.
Silence is suicides’ greatest ally.
So let’s break the silence.
Rachael Newham
How I have been told that my ongoing battles with emotional and mental distress and trauma are an affront to God because they are a sign of my spiritual weakness
Alma Johnson
Book review: the second book from Emily Ackerman - looking at reclaiming life in the context of chronic illness
Emily Ackerman
This months 'Psychiatric Bulletin' offers free access to lots of research on reducing stigma. What can the church learn?
Rob Waller
Will Robin Williams' suicide awaken us to our isolating society? Is the church offering an alternative? What is suicide telling us about our culture, prejudice and stigma?
Will Van Der Hart
This review appeared in the September 2014 issue of Christianity Magazine - 5 stars
Catch up with what was a really powerful series of teaching on life transitions including managing; Desire, Expectations, Change, Disappointment and Success...
Will Van Der Hart
The stress of war - after 100 years, we remember those with amputations and scars, but the psychiatric casualties are just as numerous.
Rob Waller
The side effects of a lot of anti-psychotic medication can be horrible, but we shouldn’t just focus on this side of things, but should be grateful for and acknowledge the positive aspects of medication.
Christophrenic
Shaun Lambert writes a response to a believer who is concerned about mindfulness and whether it is 'Christian' or not
Shaun Lambert
I have struggled so deeply with suicide because of my mental illness, and it is only by the grace of God that I sit here and write this
Ashley Null has worked as a Sports Chaplain for many years. as the Commonwealth Games start, he asks us what drives us to win and what emotional cost that might carry.
Ashley Null
Can men be mindful? Or is it seen as weak, passive and hence useless? Or is it a skill menreally need to [re]learn?
Shaun Lambert
An introduction to emotions. What they are, why we have them and what to do with them. Find out more at our next conference too.
Kate Middleton
My experiences of equipping and supporting friends of people with mental health problems.
Claire Wong
Understanding spiritual experiences when you have bipolar affective disorder – was that the voice of God, or my illness speaking? How to tell the difference and how to have faith.
Rob Waller
Spirituality and Mental Health is a wider topic than just looking at Christian aspects, but there are lots of opportunities and synergies with other faith groups - as well as some challenges
Rob Waller
An article on the importance of self-acceptance and self-compassion.
Richard H H Johnston
Premier is partnering with Public Health England and the Alzheimer’s Society to seek to recruit one million Dementia Friends, who will help people with dementia to live well for longer.
Jonathan Clark
The Dementia Friendly Churches Initiative offers a range of services / resources to support churches to become more accessible and inclusive for people with dementia and their carers.
Livability
The 14th Century book - The Cloud of Unknowing - is now often quoted by Christians who are interested in understanding and exploring Contemplative Prayer
Richard H. H. Johnson
Should christians feel comfortable using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy? This is the recommended NHS treatment for anxiety and depression. A new publication reviews the debate
Rob Waller
This is the title of a popular topic in our forums - reproduced here for you to read. The problem is still very much understood.
The Mind and Soul Team
Living as a Christian with depression and learning how the Lord has used it to make me better and stronger
Lucy Dimbylow
Anxiety is a good thing. It can save lives and propel us forward. Seriously. Anxiety is a good thing. But like all good things… it can get corrupted, and become a bad thing.
Rachael Costa
Over the past 8 years people have regularly asked me about my struggles with anxiety and particularly if I am still suffering with it. I want to share my story with you and some tips to help...
Will Van Der Hart
William Cowper tried to commit suicide several times, yet wrote some of the most sublime hymns. David Brainerd set the bar so high, yet his mood was so low. What can we learn from these men of history?
John Piper
Have you ever felt wronged and been unable to do something about it. Jesus understands because he has been there and felt the helplessness of love at the first Easter
Rob Waller
A blog to mark Depression Awareness Week 2014, focussing on friendship and depression
Rachael Costa
Leadership for the long haul is one of the most elusive goals for any one who steps out in front. What are the right motives? How can the right direction be maintained?
Pablo Martinez
Read this testimony of how someone found help and encouragement from the Mind and Soul podcasts. Which podcasts might you find helpful?
Loved by God
Some tips and suggestions on how to handle stress and worry from a biblical perspective
Stress, anxiety and burnout are in the news for all the right reasons, and also for all the wrong reasons. In November 2013 the English cricketer Jonathan Trott returned home early from the Ashes series...
Shaun Lambert
We have teamed up with Faith Action to come up with a multi-faith pledge for places of worship to be friendly. Can we do more?
The Mind and Soul Team
If I had the words to speak I would tell about the trauma of mental illness...
Anon
We have taken the decision to close the forums on this site. They were being used very infrequently. Here we have reproduced one of the most popular forum threads that really seems to connect with people.
Rob Waller
A London-based five-week course is intended for people suffering from depression.
What are you feeling guilty about right now? Not spending enough time with God? The family? Not achieving enough? Eating too much? Chances are, there’ll be something, and you’ll probably feel it most acutely during Lent...
Will Van Der Hart
Being given a diagnosis can be extremely helpful as it gives a name, support and treatment options. However diagnosis or ‘having a diagnosis’ can have many unwanted effects.
Dr Emma Pierce
Was Jeremiah an impotent bystander who watched as his nation fell? Or can he tell us a lot about fear - and how to cope with it?
Andy Scott
Feb 6th is a national mental health awareness day. Lets talk about it!
Here are some myths and facts you might like to share with people at work.
The Mind and Soul Team
With compelling stories and raw honesty, this book describes a re-entry to "normality" after two years on the mission field of Mozambique.
Suzanne Johnson
When the Verve complained the drugs didn't work, they were (I assume) talking about illicit drugs. But what about antidepressants (and other psychiatric drugs in general).
Rob Waller
As usual there's a lot in the press at the moment about how to eat healthy. But what does emotionally healthy eating look like? And does it really involve fasting two days a week?
Kate Middleton
The thought of jumping in front of a train as it approaches. The unswerving thought that you definitely have AIDS. We all get intrusive thoughts...
J. Grant
While online consultation and social group activities have their uses, sometimes the only way to effectively address a problem is through face-to-face, one-to-one communication.
David Pattison
We are whole people, not divided into mind, body and soul but integrated; therefore when we suffer with a mental health issue, not surprisingly it means every part of us
Cathy Wield
Short of new year magazine copy? We have made this free magazine article available on the subject of what makes a Mental Health Friendly Church. Please use it in your local church magazine or newspaper.
Rob Waller
Christmas lights, another fight, tears we cry, a flood… I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams… It’ll be lonely this christmas without you to hold…
Rachael Costa
If depression is being tied to the PAST and anxiety is being tied to the FUTURE, how can we spend enough time in the PRESENT to enjoy the other Present that Christmas brings?
Rob Waller
Mindfulness is a core component of the so-called 'Third Wave' of CBT. Can it be integrated into a Christian Context? Read about its development and ideas for the next steps
Sarah Plum
Does your son or daughter self harm? MASH is a new blog with resources for mums who want to share, talk and pray with other mums; and bring hope to others in their communities
ASHA
I have OCD. In fact, I’ve got what they call Pure O which is just the obsession without the compulsion. I have very inappropriate intrusive thoughts that cause me a lot of distress, doubt and fear...
Tamna
The following extended testimony is my perspective as a carer on dealing with a family member who has mental health problems.
Amanda Stevenson
There are few people that one meets in life who have confronted death as starkly as Nigel Mumford has, and who can then describe their experiences for the benefit of others. This book is a remarkable testament to the triumph of spiritual healing.
Nigel Mumford
Men can be reluctant to talk about feelings. But is the alternative to bottle it all up until it is too late? Learn how to talk with men, and how to get a bit beyond the football banter
Rob Waller
We all know about mental health stigma - but what happens when the person you feel most stigmatised by - is yourself.
Rachael Newham
It's been a big week in the world of mental health - let's take a look at how we went from the 1200 killed by mental patients to #worldmentalhealthday trending worldwide.
Rachael Costa
World Mental Health Day is about the whole world. Read about what other countries are up to in the area of faith and mental health.
Rob Waller
A poem: In overdoses of hurt, love reigned – His burden being purity in light.
Anon
Supporting teenagers? Want to know what is going on in their brains? Watch this video of Kate's recent talk from the youthwork summit.
Kate Middleton
Whatever you think about todays media fuss over a 'mental health patient' costume, the real issue is that it contributes to the 'them' or 'us' attitude that just isn't true!
Kate Middleton
Do we need to deliver people with mental health problems, or the less than helpful churches they can find themselves in...
Anon
This book is about finding true significance in a culture of self-esteem. The roller coaster of 'self-esteem' and boosting yourself up has left us hollow.
Glynn Harrison
The second blog to mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2013.
It has long been assumed that the biblical view of suicide is that it is both condemnable and unforgivable.
Rachael Costa
Within psychology, a very strong argument is being made for the importance of the narrative perspective as part of our self-understanding....
Shaun Lambert
I often feel overwhelmed at two points in my year, September and March. It sounds weird but over the years I have just come to know myself...
Will Van Der Hart
"What have you got to be depressed about?”
The question is a tenacious one.
What have I got to be depressed about?
Dave Meldrum
My candid (and I'm told) often humorous memoir demonstrates that things don't always go as expected – particularly with three kids in tow and an oft-absent husband.
Laura J Stephens
“you have searched me and you know me” (Psalm 139, verse 1)
How do you read that?
There are so many ways.
Do you take comfort in being searched, known, understood?
Dave Meldrum
I don’t know about you, but when I was at school I used to hate sports. Especially ‘team’ sports. Anything where you’d get lined up against the wall feigning nonchalence whilst inwardly screaming at some leggy blonde athlete, PICK ME!!!!!
Emma Scrivener
In Troubled Minds Amy Simpson, whose family knows the trauma and bewilderment of mental illness, reminds us that people with mental illness are our neighbors and our brothers and sisters in Christ, and she shows us the path to loving them well...
Amy Simpson
Many leaders I meet have denied the impact of ‘the smoke’ of ministry for a long time. They have become cynical to the work of God, suspicious of anything new and hard towards the broken.
Will Van Der Hart
I have met Will Maule - he is super cool, gifted, musical, trendy and young. Just more proof that anyone can get an anxiety disorder.
Will Maule
An amazing, horrifying and encouraging story of one woman's experience of the dark and hidden world of anorexia, honestly and compellingly told.
Emma Scrivner
A response to BBC3's “Don’t Call Me Crazy”, a documentary looking at the inside of one of the few adolescent psychiatric units in the country.
Rachael Costa
How can we strive for growth? Look for growth in Grace, Relationships, Overflow, Wisdom, Truth and Health
Rob Waller
Most of us turn to our doctor for help with our health many times during our lives. Shouldn’t General Practice care include spiritual care?
Ross Bryson
Pray, be strong, lean on your friends, stand your ground. You too can beat giants!
Andy Scott
Resources for Leaders - for those who lead, especially in churches, but also in other areas too. Strength and Vulnerability. Maintaining hope and love.
I didn't think I had to live with depression anymore, I thought I could just speak and write about it. Relapse is reminder not to take recovery for granted.
Rachael Costa
Shaun is a 'Mindfulness' expert and author of The Book of Sparks. Here he considers what it is to be on the edge of something good but never quite give in to it....
Shaun Lambert
Living with retrograde amnesia is a hard thing, but with God, all things are possible.
Suicide so often can feel like a solution - Yes, suicide lies.
A poem I wrote one day having realized that I dont turn to him, and wondered why.
I have never come across better life advice than Jesus teaching, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” This is The Seed...
Will Van Der Hart
Ellen Langer is famous for her research on mindfulness without meditation. She came up with the term ‘mindfulness’ independently of its introduction to psychology from Buddhist thought and practice, and without herself being influenced by this
Shaun Lambert
Pigeons dont usually swim. Even if you shout at them or pray for them. Maybe we need to think our attitudes to illness in our churches and community life...
Lorna H Murray
This article gives a range of ideas that churches can implement to make themselves more mental health friendly and helpful. Key Message: Simply for church leaders to accept and recognise mental illness and encourage people
John Campbell
Dementia Friendly Churches include and welcome people with dementia and build on recent government policy towards dementia friendly communities.
Trevor Adams
Dementia affects 800,000 people in the UK. This will double by 2050. This article gives an overview of dementia and how the church can help.
The Mind and Soul Team, with Livability
Christian Blogger, Adrian Warnock, has been putting together a series on mental health. Read a sample article from this series on a new book by Amy Simpson.
The Mind and Soul Team
Emotions are here to stay - like it or lump it. This helpful book gives a positive way of using them, focusing on their God-given benefits, but also how to manage the bad ones.
Graham Benyon
Rob Waller was on BBC Radio 4 this weekend talking about the place of faith in the doctors consulting room, especially from a psychiatric point of view
Rob Waller
Mindfulness within the Christian perspective is about not forgetting the things of God but remembering them. But also about remembering them in the right way
Shaun Lambert
I know a man who had to take some time off from his job in a church. A working relationship had broken down to the point of him becoming ill, experiencing a serious bout of depression...
Dave Meldrum
We don’t want to talk about it. I’ve written a dissertation on it, and I still find myself struggling for words to understand, to help others understand...
Rachael Costa
I’ve heard suicide called giving in to being a victim. I don’t think that’s fair or true. It can feel in the moment like the only way of transcending the moment. That’s not to say it’s the right thing to do. It’s not. Of course it’s not. But...
Dave Meldrum
There is much we can learn from national studies of suicide. It does not take away from the pain of an individual event, but lessons that benefit others can be learned.
Rob Waller
I rarely serve up a strong warning on the pages of Mind and Soul, but I have to be clear that this practice is desperately misguided and has the potential to cause untold psychological damage to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Will Van Der Hart
Each Year, the 10th September is World Suicide Prevention Day. Read about some resources that will help you make a difference
Cathy Wield
That, as the hymn writer says, though things may get very, very dark, it is still well with my soul...
Dave Meldrum
When looked at through the lense of the New Testament we see that to ‘Choose Life’ is to choose Jesus and to walk in his ways, obeying the command that runs right through the New Testament ...
Rachael Costa
Bradley Cooper is a teacher returning from a stint in a mental health facility having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder; we find out early on this was precipitated by his violent assault on the man his wife was having an affair...
Dave Meldrum
'Emotional Intelligence' is a four session presentation. It introduces core concepts in emotional understanding and provides a framework for further work.
Will Van Der Hart
Have you seen Channel 4's show...Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners? No better not! Everything that is wrong with a mental health TV show...complain...yes I do!
Will Van Der Hart
Making Church Accessible to All is a new book that provides a strong argument for rethinking the way we present church, working from the biblical basis for including people with disabilities.
Jonathan Clark
Today (Fri 1st March) is Self Harm Awareness day. But what is self harm and why do people do it? And what does it have to do with blowing up a balloon?
Kate Middleton
The story of how one woman went from an eating disorder and regular self harm to working for the national organisation Selfharm.co.uk
Rachel Welch
I realised I was actually angry with God and I needed to admit that to him in order for him to help me.
Angela
On Sunday February 3rd 2013 at 11.30am something very special happened. One of the most highly regarded Christian leaders in this nation spoke vulnerably and personally about his emotional health in public.
Will Van Der Hart
Recovery is a journey more than it is a destination. It's about taking small steps every day and continuing to hope on to hope. Ten things I have learnt.
Emma Scrivner
Richard Lucas (Son of Jeff Lucas) seemed to be the last person to be struck by crippling anxiety...
Richard Lucas
Earlier this year Paul Hammond of UCB UK Christian radio interviewed Shaun Lambert about silence, contemplation, meditation and mindfulness
UCB Radio
Is mindfulness the property of any special group or rather a generic ability of the human mind?
Shaun Lambert
This great bit of audio by Ian Smith covers all the thing your church needs to do to be mental health friendly. Oh, with a serious bit of tongue in cheek...
Ian Smith
Artist Charlie Mackesy challenges how we think about the love of God for us when we are in an emotional mess and nothing is neat or ordered in our lives...enjoy....
Charlie Mackesy
Naomi Gilbert writes another excellent article on Postnatal Illness and how the church can respond. Personal, practical and powerful, this is one not to miss....
Naomi Gilbert
Think Twice shares the story behind its iconic butterfly logo and some personal insights into its journey into being....
Rachael Costa
Is mindfulness an eastern concept to be feared, or rather a universal human truth, rooted in christian history
Shaun Lambert
How does one praise God in the depths of insanely hurt drenched tears that fall from the face of one who has been betrayed and has lost the love that was promised?
Anon
Having collapsed exhausted across the finish line of the last year, the worrier is almost offended by the prospect of having to do it all again from the beginning. Their anticipation is about what might go wrong an
Will Van Der Hart
Writing in response to a popular article in Childrenswork Magazing and online at www.childrenswork.co.uk Will wonders whether we are too wowed by success...
Will Van Der Hart
It's OK to be 'bad' and have some bad bits you have no fixed yet.
Emma Scrivner
Advent is meant to be about anticipation and waiting. For those who worry it can heighten insecurity and doubt. The Worry Book is to be released in the USA...
Rob Waller
A short Video and some information about this difficult to discuss and treat problem. Things are changing for the better!
Rob Waller
A new web resource to encourage the Church’s pastoral ministry in the area of mental health, Mental Health Matters, was launched today at a fringe meeting during this week’s sessions of the General Synod at Church House, Westminster.
eChurch Blog
What if many things were different about the assumptions we make about the causes and consequences of mental illness?
A Christian Service User
The 7th November is National Stress Awareness day - what are you doing to raise awareness of stress?
Shaun Lambert
Edinburgh Saturday 3rd November 2012 - our first scottish conference
An article on Depression and Counselling for Christians
Thomas Yap
I wonder if we need to 'grow up' or 'grow down' in our approachto mental health. Maybe we need to start observing the accepting outlooks of our kids over the judgementalism of our adult minds,
Will Van Der Hart
Read the Baptist Times feature on Mind and Soul for Wold Mental Health Day
Shaun Lambert
The noise of depression can make it hard to hear friends, but in a place of silence we can begin to heal.
Emma Mavin
What does miraculous healing look like in the realm of emotional and mental health? Do we sometimes risk missing miracles becuase we are looking for the wrong thing?
Kate Middleton
Are you feeling stressed? According to this week's news, there's a good chance the answer is 'yes', with stress levels up for all sorts of reasons. Mindfulness can help.
Shaun Lambert
This is a story of hope... And yet it begins with an almost complete lack of hope.
Rachael
My journey and experiences of church during recovery from mental illness - a psychotic depression. An amazing testimony.
Anon
I recently came out of a horrible depressive episode and wrote this to remind me God was with me.
Be Father Lord, when I turn to run away from your embrace; Catch me in your strong, sweet caress should I turn from the race...
Anon
I am passionate about poverty. But what about social poverty, what about the stigma and exclusion suffered by those with mental health issues? How can we increase inclusion within our church settings?
Will Van Der Hart
Audio now available too - as well as information, handouts and powerpoint for three seminars for this summer's HTB Focus
Rob Waller
A look at how to distinguish a vision/voice from God from an episode of psychosis.
Emma Mavin
Mark 5:1-20 tells a troubling story. A man violently self harms, he screams, he cannot be bound. He has a demon. Then Jesus comes.
Emma Mavin
Western science privileges matter over mind, giving us not just bad science but also care systems and even a society that is at risk of becoming “soulless”
Martin Seagar
Youth Mental Health is an issue of national significance with 1:5 young people suffering from a clinical disorder. Christian youth workers can make a big difference if they believe this is an area worth investing in.
Will Van Der Hart
What it is and how to do it - and more importantly how not to do it. An overview of the main issues and challenges and a suggested method.
Rob Waller
Dr Rob Waller spoke on two panels at the HTB Leadership Event in London at the Royal Albert Hall. You can download the audio from their site or listen online
Rob Waller
We have archived our old Directory so you still have access to the resources it contained.
You may have seen some terribly distorted 'Christian' views of depression on UK TV recently - 4ThoughtTV. This is my response to what I think to be the worst of them. I hope you find it helpful...
Will Van Der Hart
Written in response to four questions asked by an Oxford church, this article looks at some common issues Christians and church leaders face when helping people with mental health problems
Rob Waller
Book review: 'Clinical depression is an illness, a medical condition. This means two things. First, we do not need to blame ourselves. Second, we can get better.'
Andrew and Elizabeth Proctor
Being ill brought me to God. A testimony from biploar illness.
Emma McCarthy
This new book comes out of one man’s personal journey of transformation. Shaun Lambert weaves the ancient disciplines of contemplation with his modern understanding of psychology to unlock a Biblical wisdom.
Shaun Lambert
For those of us who are dealing with mental illness, coming into faith or maintaining faith can seem, without an instant miracle, like a mountain too high to climb or a journey to long to endure.
Anon
One ladys story of a long struggle from depression and how she was able to make use of both medical and spiritual approaches
Cathy Wield
What will you be eating this Easter - sweet sickly chocolate, or something that more accurately captures both the pain and the promise - perhaps a tension you feel in your mental health as well.
Rob Waller
An overview of creative arts including drama therapy and the special place it has within how we can understand and deepen our faith. His body and our body...
Sarah Milligan
Many people struggle to make decisions because thy are anxious or uncertain about making the 'wrong' choice...here are some thoughts that might help
Will Van Der Hart
We have had a number of queries about 'DID' and this article from the PODS website [Positive Outcomes for Dissociative Survivors] is a first response.
Rob and Carolyn Spring
Can you start a local support network, empowering and engaging the local church and enhancing mental health services?
Mental health consultant Mike Bush explains why trainers and employers must work harder to protect and promote the mental health and resilience of social workers
Mike Bush
When people leave cults, it can be very damaging. But does this also happen in main stream churches? And how common is it? Read about a recent debate.
Rob Waller
How your personality affects the way you pray. First published as 'Prayer Life' some years ago.
Pablo Martinez
In early 1987 I was sectioned under the mental health act. I was admitted to hospital to be diagnosed. It was a terribly lonely time
Anonymous
A conference jointly with Soul Survivor at their church in Watford, London, looking at "the mental health of tomorrows church"
Matthew 1 includes the lengthy 'Genealogy of Jesus', often skipped over in Christmas talks but it has some essential things to say to those who have suffered 'Father Wounds' in the past...
Will Van Der Hart
Sometimes the hardest thing about life is the waiting, especially when things feels out of control or you don't know what is going to happen next. If life is tough this Christmas take a moment to think about Mary, who knew exactly how that feels.
Kate Middleton
The Church has a wealth of tools, traditional and modern, at its disposal to meet the challenges of mental dis-ease and to find ways of being community that exclude no-one. There has never been a more urgent need for us to step up to this task than the pr
Revd Eva McIntyre
Has physical embrace got a part to play in emotional healing? Are we missing an important God given mode of restoration?
Will Van Der Hart
Slides and information from a talk given at the Scottish Christian Medical Fellowship day conference on perfectionism, and why it can be a particular problem for Christian doctors
Rob Waller
Testimony of a Christian who was diagnosed with a Mental Illness. from being in control to understanding grace. Thoughts from the Psalms.
Has science lost sight of the soul in its search for certain types of hard evidence and in doing so overlooked the large amount of data that exists.
Jerry Kroth
What happens when we lose our focus on mental health as sickness, or on Christianity as a gospel. Some thoughts on walking the line...
Rob Waller
Diet can make or break your mental health. Read more about this and learn how to find a nutritionist in your area.
Sarah Jones
A psychologist colleague tells me that mental hygiene is a lot like dental hygiene in that staying content and mentally/emotionally well doesn’t just happen, you have to put conscious time and effort into it.
Heidi - a Christian Psychologist
For some personality types change is very costly indeed. Very often these individuals have suffered from more significant period of anxiety or depression in the past and they have become very self aware, perhaps hypersensitive to, the possibility of a rec
Will Van Der Hart
Self Harm, its causes, and consequences. Ways to respond and alternatives to permanent damage. A longer article.
Being a Christian is wonderful, but it is also tough, when I try to live for God, I fail so much. Having Bipolar disorder is a nightmare. I have prayed so much for healing.
Grace68
Dave's just come back to work after being unwell with mental illness. Chad, his colleague decides to ask him how he is. How will Dave react?
Rob Waller
With all the street violence this week, should we be looking to blame or help those who behave like this. Where does the responsibility lie, and who should be blamed.
Rob Waller
All the phone-hacking stuff makes it hard to trust anyone! However, trust is a vital part of being mentally healthy. Here are ten things it is helpful to know about trust.
Rob Waller
A look at our attitudes towards food...
Rachael Costa
It is a must read book for all those who are single, widowed or divorced, who are hoping to meet someone new. It also contains advice and stories from some of those hundreds of members of New Day who have met their marriage partner through
Sue Saxon
With hose-pipe bans threatened, are there not similar droughts of love and compassion? What can you do to channel God's love, and receive a blessing too?
Rob Waller
MUCH OF today’s worship and prayer seems to be a closed system which does not allow for the validity of silence and solitude. I have been in that place myself where people told me silence and solitude were important...
Shaun Lambert
My experience of depression and the church, of therapy and books that helped
Multimedia Resources to accompany The Worry Book, talks on worry and related topics. Audio files.
Will van der Hart and Rob Waller
Downloads about worry - rating scales and worksheets and slides, to accompany The Worry Book
Will van der Hart and Rob Waller
List of articles and information about worry - what causes it and how to get help. Some Christian, some general
Will van der Hart and Rob Waller
Book review - What can Christians learn from psychological sciences? An uneasy partnership, or a relationship that will enhance both our theology and our faith?
Everett Worthington
What determines who we are, how we think and how we react? Here's a story which will really make you think about the old nature vs nurture debate.
Kate Middleton
The Christian Fellowship of Healing existed for many years in Edinburgh until 2012. We have made available a large number of their resources on this page in the hope that you will find help, comfort and direction.
Mind and Soul Team
'Public Minds' is a series of short films which tackles this head-on, presenting very practical advice given directly by young people, mental health practitioners, youth workers and counsellors. Developed by the leading charity 'Young Minds'
Rich Smith
What has the royal wedding taught me about social anxiety? And how can the church help people who find social situations - and church - really challenging?
Kate Middleton
Teaching and compassionate ministry in a safe and confidential place to aid the removal of blockages to spiritual growth. Help for Christians struggling with emotional, relational, sexual issues, lack of self-acceptance etc.
Randall Staley
Do you want to see your local hospital chaplaincy service cut. They are vital for mental health and a large number of other areas.
Rob Waller
The aim of this policy is to enable the Church to address domestic abuse both within its own community and wider society. Also to work through how to deal with domestic abuse issues in today’s world.
Natalie Collins
A reflection on headship and Jesus' teaching. What does it mean to give it up? What does it mean to truly serve?
Natalie Collins
An article looking at the reality of abusive Christian leaders by 'Restored'
Natalie Collins
How Restored came into being - a global Christian alliance to transform relationships and end violence against women
Natalie Collins
It's the question every parent dreads... 'do you think I am fat?' But it's not one I expected to encounter quite so soon.
Kate Middleton
How can we best understand growing up and the problems it presents? How should Young Adult Mental Health Services be set up to fit with this?
Rob Waller
A recent blog details 5 emotions 'invented' by the internet. How can the internet sometimes generate difficult or unpleasant emotions? And what can we do to avoid them?
Kate Middleton
The start of the year can offer us a sense of new beginnings but how helpful is this really? Are we stuck in the past or overly keen to begin a new future?
Will Van Der Hart
With X factor over, your attention may have moved to the Strictly Come Dancing final due this weekend. But how is recovery like learning a new dance, and what can we learn from Strictly?
Kate Middleton
A church is a small community and this means that news spreads fast - good or bad. How can people struggling with emotional problems be particularly vulnerable to the many headed beast of rumour?
Kate Middleton
December is fast approaching and the challenge of staying emotionally positive over the festive period need to be considered now. Here are a few thoughts and pointers for the month ahead.
Will Van Der Hart
Many people suffer from sensitivity to sound in the form of distressing Tinnitus or other classifications of auditory disorder. Finding peace in the 21st centruy world is a real challenge.
Will Van Der Hart
See the video from the start of the Telford Mind and Soul Conference. Do you know what is going on in your city?
Rob Waller
Psychiatrist and Minister Dr Sankay Jain describes his understanding of the causes of and solutions to mental illness, based on his own experience of depression
Sanjay Jain
The challenge of facing up to food and losing weight
Jonathan Clark
Looking back on 2010, The Beautiful Mind Conference was definitely one of my highlights...here are a few thoughts about how it happened...
Will Van Der Hart
There is a wide range of alternative therapies on offer today. Do they help and should Christians pursue them?
Rob Waller and Jonathan Clark
A course by Richard Johnston enabling you to explore and engage with mindfulness from a Christian perspective.
What are the five most important things I can do to stay emotionally healthy? This is our ‘agony aunt’ list.
Rob Waller
If you were to see a therapist who did not share your faith position; what would you want them to be like, and what tips would you give them?
Rob Waller
God has designed us as relational beings. Adam and Eve knew relational paradise as well as physical. This relational paradise was lost can it be found?
Jonathan Clark
This was run in Telford on Friday 22nd October 2010 alongside the Christian Resources Exhibition
As the old proverb says, a stitch in time saves nine. But what does it
mean to live with half an eye on the future. How is it possible to do
this well, and how is it possible to do this very unhelpfully?
Rob Waller
Acceptance is a very powerful tool in the face of anxiety, yet it feels passive and like giving up! How can we be accepting but also battle anxiety
Will Van Der Hart
Last week, I was able to listen to Thomas Szasz and David Goldberg in the same day, Some will know these names, and their views on the benefits of diagnosis vary hugely
Rob Waller
Praying for people with the aim of healing is something Christians have always done, but is it effective and what does current research say? In this article, Anne Douglas summarises the current understanding and explores how local groups can develop
Anne Douglas
If you ask Christians who they would like to see, most will say they would prefer a Christian health professional, all other things being equal. But that is the rub - are all other things equal?
Tara Gormley
Patience is such a important part of the healing journey, but a difficult one to grasp in our hight speed culture.
Will Van Der Hart
Art can be an important way of looking at difficulties with fresh insight and in a manner that keeps you [fairly] sane
Rob Waller
Responses made in small groups at conferences or online, collated into various themes about what makes a mental-health friendly church
Mind and Soul Team
Spirituality is a crucial but sometimes overlooked aspect of mental well-being and psychiatric care. This book explores the nature of spirituality, its relationship to religion, and the reasons for its importance in clinical practice.
Chris Cook, Andrew Powell and Andrew Sims
Uncertainty and doubt form a painful undercurrent in many peoples lives. Often the desire to escape them just makes them more powerful. How then can we find a deeper peace.
Will Van Der Hart
Is church sometimes a difficult place to come to? How can we help people who don't find it easy - and what exactly should our welcome be aiming to do?
Kate Middleton
A list of encouraging Bible verses straight from God himself. He is able to help us because He understands!
Christian Mental Health
Mindfulness has a bad press in Christian circles, with many people thinking it to be somehow Buddhist or occult. However, it is a powerful way to deal with stress and in particular recurrent depression - about which there is a growing
Phil Monroe
Content and Downloads from the Holy Trinity Brompton conference looking at theology and mental health.
Being a church leader is a real challenge and it is essential to realise that the task is endless, the needs definitely outstrip supply and the difficulties are persistant. The challenge of spotting and supporting people who are
Will Van Der Hart
Is there ever such a thing as a 'hopeless case'?
Kate Middleton
What are you doing to keep your mind open at the moment? What have you heard, seen or read recently that has challenged you? How have you changed?
Rob Waller
Are some things just too difficult to forgive? Like child abuse at the hands of a trusted family friend? Greta Randle's story [in this new book] shows us that forgiveness is not only possible, but that it is hugely liberating for the victim.
Greta Randle
In this lively and engaging volume, Trystan Owain Hughes suggests that learning how to suffer and how to wait patiently may be the secret of finding joy in our lives.
Trystan Owain Hughes
Have you ever been in a situation where you have visited a place, seen or heard something and then suddenly memories flood back and you are taken back to a time , a place and an experience which you thought was long time past and dealt with?
Jonathan Clark
I have been thinking recently about the way in which our faith in God provides so much strength in times of mental anguish.
Will Van Der Hart
Premier Lifeline, this year celebrates its 15th birthday and has taken over 750,000 calls. However, the last few weeks has been a time when a shockwave has hit the Helpline world. The trust of the public built up over decades has been
Jonathan Clark
I had never taken any interest in C. H. Spurgeon until a few weeks ago when I went to the Premiere of the new film “C. H. Spurgeon - The People’s Preacher” and the launch of the accompanying book by Peter Morden.
Jonathan Clark
If you can run a first aid course for physical illness, why not one for mental illness? A great way to train and equip your church teams
Each year Anorexia/Bulimia Care sends a campaign to churches and Christian organisation in order to raise awareness of eating disorders and increase understanding for those affected and their families. Last year together with
Mind and Soul Team
Aspergers Disorder - a condition which straddles the boundary between Mental Health and Learning Disability.
Jonathan Clark
Recently as I sat in the chapel with my staff I was aware that we all were suffering in our own ways. We could have been very typical and passed over our burdens with an, ‘I’m alright Jack’ approach.
Will Van Der Hart
What makes a church a good one to go to if you are struggling with your mental health? Is it possible to say? We want to know your views
Rob Waller
Kate's story of how her faith and church worked along side a good mental health team to help her recover from anorexia. Read some of the poetry she has written since.
Kate Le Page
18/12/2009 -As I look back at the year that is coming to a close I am left with that feeling that it both seems to have gone very fast and yet so much has happened that events in the Autumn already seem a long time ago.
Jonathan Clark
An article in The Daily Telegraph on November 7th 2009 stated, “This country is the most individualistic society in the world…levels of depression and anxiety among Britons are also some of the highest in the world”.
Will Van Der Hart
From an abusive childhood and the depths of suicidal despair to a life of hope and freedom. Healing from personality disorder.
Sarah Shaw
A way out of anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating. Written from her own experience as an ex-anorexic and as a counsellor, she offers insight and hope to sufferers, their families and carers, and to professionals involved in eating disorder treatement.
Helena Wilkinson
what does it mean to work as a psychologist in a church setting with non of the usual boundaries that psychologists are used to having?
Kate Middleton
How do you care for people's emotional health in a large church? Change the culture is the only answer.
Will Van Der Hart
For anyone who has experienced depression the passage in Psalm 23 v.4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” may have particular meaning.
Jonathan Clark
20/10/2009 -For most people their vision for wellness comes from the past and not the future. They look back and say, “I just want to be like I used to be!”
Will Van Der Hart
Chronic complaints don't kill us but don't let us live as we wish. How can we live life to the full?
Rob Waller
Finding Strength and Hope amid Chronic Suffering... Pablo's newest book is written from his own perspective of suffering from a chronic eye disease for many years, but also his wisdom as a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and
Pablo Martinez
A review of Lucy Whitman’s new book “Telling Tales About Dementia” where Carers of those experiencing dementia share their stories.
Jonathan Clark
Last month I broke my collar bone - and I am finding it hard to do what i usually do. My self-esteem has been affected...
Rob Waller
It's a beast, but one that can be tamed. I have suffered at different levels of severity and in different ways for the past 18 years.
Anon
Imaging two life rafts bobbing around on a stormy ocean. Both rafts were deployed from, ‘The Ship of Health and Wellbeing.’ Which sadly hadn’t stayed afloat for long!
Will Van Der Hart
It is estimated that 45 percent of adults live alone. The Christian church has already arrived at this statistic - almost half of church members are single, widowed or divorced.
Helena Wilkinson
The “Trauma Industry” has become big business on the High Street and a diagnosis originally used for the Armed Forces in relation to Shell Shock or Combat Stress is now being used to justify insurance claims for thousands of civilians.
Jonathan Clark
As we face social stress as part of the recession, how can we build resilience - how can we make people more likely to be effective? A faith perspective has key things it can bring
Rob Waller
What makes someone go from working as a psychologist in secular practice to working for the local church?
Kate Middleton
Have you ever thought, “Stop the world I want to get off?” Or felt that life was a treadmill, which seems to insist on an ever-increasing speed.
Jonathan Clark
How do you grow from being an emotionally fragile baby who cries at the drop of a hat to being an emotionally stable adult who can tolerate a large degree of distress?
Rob Waller
16/07/2009 -In 2 Corinthians 10:5 it says "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
Will Van Der Hart
This year has been a strange one. My fellow Directors of Mind and Soul have spent 2009 getting used to being Fathers for the first time with their first-born children being born just a few days apart.
Jonathan Clark
We keep on saying that spirituality is essential for your mental health - but what if you don't believe?
Rob Waller
About ten years ago Britons used to scorn our therapy loving neighbours across the pond. Famous for our stiff upper lip and British reserve, the values and benefits of talking appear to have eluded entire generations.
Will Van Der Hart
Material and programme from the Abundant Life Church [now called Life Church]
In polite society we can wear masks so easily. Do we need a dose of reality to make us find a better way of life?
Rob Waller
Health Talk Online, the UK's largest online collection of real-life health stories and shared experiences of health and illnesses, has launched a new section that gives a unique voice to people who have been bereaved by suicide
Mike Bush
Do you feel alone? Are there others working along side you? There are, even if you can't see them, and we want to point them out
Rob Waller
Christine Chapman shares her vision of a fully inclusive society for those of all ages. John Wattis shares his experience as a Quaker and a Professor of Old Age Psychiatry. Audio file to listen to.
Christine Chapman and John Wattis
You may be a sinner but let me ask you a question - do you tend to feel more guilty than you need to?
Rob Waller
Anyone who has experienced anorexia or bulimia can describe that tantalising paradox as it offers everything you feel as if you are looking for, and at the same time steals your life from you and robs your future hopes. One-sufferer describes
ABC
Research carried out at events and conferences found that 90% of church members knew someone who was suffering with an eating disorder. 70% of them knew someone in their own church. The majority said that their church was not able to offer
ABC
Recovery is something you may find yourself thinking about a lot when you are struggling with an eating disorder or if you are caring for someone with one. Maybe it’s something you fear – or something you long for. For sufferers it can be both
ABC
Since 1980 Anorexia and Bulimia Care has helped thousands of sufferers and their families care for and cope with eating disorders through the illness to
ABC
Mental distress in whatever form it takes triggers a whole range of responses from people. When I ask a group of people to list any words, terms or phrases which in some way relate to mental disorder the list is surprising long.
Jonathan Clark
People were streaming down Oxford this week in an almighty surging snake that reminded me of the Leviathan of Chaos in Psalm 74:14. Ok that might sound like a little bit of an odd association but I think a helpful one.
Will Van Der Hart
Do you drink a lot of Port? This could be a very seasonal question with the answer “yes, with stilton…” but this is a question I have been asked countless times
Jonathan Clark
To write love on her arms - is better than her carving HATE into her skin. Read about self harm and a new charity that wants to help
Rob Waller
The carols promise Joy, but what if you are not participating in the Joy of Christmas? Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder are not about being a Humbug or a Scrooge
Rob Waller
“I feel stressed, I am stressed out, I am under pressure, I just wish this stress would go away. I can’t cope with this stress any longer.” When people talk about stress it invariably comes across as a negative. However, I am well aware that
Jonathan Clark
Anyone who has watched the recent series of television programmes will be aware that an experiment was conducted with 10 people living together in a house being watched by a team of mental health professionals
Jonathan Clark
How does the church deal with people whose behaviour presents a challenge - to the running of services and the safety of others? We need to be wise in managing risk but also loving. This article offers a framework for managing and reducing
Rob Waller
'Broken, desperate and humiliated, I entered the house. When I saw Steve and Katherine, my heart felt like it was going to explode in agony. They did not deserve this madness in their lives ...' Cut off by a dense fog of post-natal depression
Hazel Rolston
The clocks go back this week, signalling the end of the summer and the beginning of what has been an already turbulent Autumn.
Will Van Der Hart
Our logo is a snail. Find out why and learn from this wise beast!
Rob Waller
Jung said psychiatrists are the new priests, but are they really and do they want this role?
Rob Waller
People often ask my why they always seem to find their fear trigger in every situation.
Will Van Der Hart
Allie's personal story of how she overcame anorexia and bulimia and her addiction to exercise illustrates clearly how she used food and sport to mask her inner pain. She tells how psychology helped with some of the symptoms
Allie Outran
When am I dispensing pearls of wisdom and when am I merely enjoying the sound of my own voice? And how can I tell...
Rob Waller
Because of the uphill battle the poor and the mentally ill face, do we need to make the slope run downhill for them? Did Jesus?
Rob Waller
When we have something to say, we had better make sure we are not sharing it from a position of fragile and false superiority. We have so much to learn...
Rob Waller
Intrinsic and Extrinsic are two words used in researching spirituality - the man who embodies his religion vs the man who practices it. Is one more useful for mental health than the other?
Rob Waller
The beattitudes require you to be something, not do something. For some barely being alive is a struggle, so this is good news
Rob Waller
Over the summer I came across two really painful contrasts in the church, those who had seen or were expecting miraculous healing and those who were sceptical or sorely disappointed by the lack of healing that they received.
Will Van Der Hart
My mental health is affected by my religiosity [behaviour], my spirituality [beliefs] and my personal relationship with God - which is paramount?
Rob Waller
Here I am feeling totally stressed out, time is short, too many things to do, bombarded from every direction and trying to juggle as many balls as I am being given, but the more efficiently I seem to do this the more are thrown at me.
Jonathan Clark
Loneliness is part of life and can help us discover the true value of relationships. Elizabeth lost her husband away on a missionary trip and has written a number of books about her experiences. Many of us run from loneliness
Elizabeth Elliott
25/07/2008 -London psychiatrist, Dr Gaius Davies, tells the stories of ten famous Chrstians from the last few hundred years who battled with mental health problems. For many it was actually a key to their knowing of God and their genius in their ministry.
Gaius Davies
The title says it all - this is what most Christians believe. However, the way most people understand this makes them guilty and their depression/anxiety worse.
Chris Williams, Ingrid Whitton and Paul Richards
What is Christian Counselling? When should we use a Christian Counsellor and when should we use a secular counsellor? This is one of the clearest, most balanced and most helpful books onk the market.
Paul David Tripp
A serious summary of a lot of the foundational research into religion and mental health. Reports the results of several thousand research articles looking at how religion and spirituality relate to mental health problems and treatments.
Harold G Koenig
Looking at how the local church can include and care for people with dementia, this is a groundbreaking book on a little-discussed subject. They may be in a 'strange land', but have not some of us as well?
Malcolm Goldsmith
It can be very hard to know when you have done all you can and things are now getting out of hand. This article explains some of the key things to look for in preventing suicide.
Mike Bush
So many Christians struggle with incessant self condemnation. This self condemnation can be a product of mental health issues or it can be a contributing factor towards their development.
Will Van Der Har
Depression is a common illness in both general practice and hospital settings. Its severity ranges from mild to severe. The more severe cases certainly warrant treatment.
Peter Davies
Depression can present with many symptoms. As a rule men tend to get angry to cover their grief and sadness, whereas women tend to get sad and tearful to cover their anger. Anxiety overlaps significantly with depression
Peter Davies
There are a number of sources of help available. Start with this testimony about how one person came back 'out of the ashes' and worked through their problems - with God's help. There are also some links to helpful online resources and books.
Mike Bush
I have spent the last 24 hours in Newcastle studying anxiety disorders, in particular how people keep living according to their own internal logic because in some way this makes sense to them.
Rob Waller
I was talking with two Christians recently who disclosed that they felt very distressed by they constant desire to ask God for forgiveness.
Will Van Der Hart
I have had quite a few requests recently for information on panic attacks from younger Christian people so I thought I should have a go at explaining things and putting them in a bit of context -
Will Van Der Hart
It is very common for people to go and see their GP with common mental health problems like anxiety or depression. We see two or three new cases of depression most days.
Peter Davies
There are so many counselling options available - how do you know which ones to go for? Most people identify three levels of counselling: support, counselling and therapy. This can be biblical, 'nouthetic' or person-centred.
Rob Waller
Should mental health professionals be 100% healthy? Should they have had a personal experience of mental illness? Should they have 'sorted themselves out before they try to help others? What does Christianity have to say about this?
Rob Waller
Students leave home, move town, lose support and friends and start a major academic challenge all in the space of Freshers Week! Some thrive, but many really struggle.
Rob Waller
Most stress workshops explore the flight and the fight alternatives. And there certainly is a right time to do one or the other. Joseph ran from the seductive Mrs. Potiphar (Gen 39); Moses confronted Pharaoh (Exod 5-11). But there is a third
R Paul Stevens
Stress is about two things. One is force, the second is ability to withstand that force. The term was originally borrowed from engineering where it is a key concept in assessing the strength of metals. In medicine we tend to focus on stress
Peter Davies
People with mental health problems often find themselves on the outside of society and rejected by friends. Why is this? And why this is not an option for Christians.
When the stranger says: "What is the meaning of this city?
Rob Waller
I was listening to U2's great new album yesterday - "How to dismantle an atomic bomb". It seems to be everyones favourite 'music for the journey' right now. The first track to get my attention was track 3. Bono is talking about his
Rob Waller
When I first meet a new patient/client, I want to make sure that i have identified all the things that are important to them. I ask about housing, relationships, symptoms, etc. For a lot of people, spirituality is an important part of who they
Rob Waller
The process of therapy or coming to a true understanding of ones-self is painful, usually because it involves coming face to face with some stuff that we had been hiding from for many years. Yesterday I was reading John's Gospel chapter 21
Rob Waller
I was asked by a lady at a conference yesterday what my views were on Multiple Personality Disorder.
Rob Waller
I have spoken to a number of people over recent weeks, all Christians, who have been troubled with intrusive thoughts. These are often sexual or violent in nature and, whilst recognised as the persons own thoughts, they are not the thoughts
Rob Waller
There seem to be so many out there... I mean, should I look analytically at my self, socially at my relationships and work, psychologically at my thoughts, biologically (with drugs) at my brain chemicals, naturally at my links to nature, exist
Rob Waller
Some of us are really bad at seeing the signals that indicate things are not going very well. Because of this it is really common to find that life takes on a new speed or intensity that we cannot really handle.
Will Van Der Hart
How one church leader came to terms with his difficult upbringing and learned more about his emotions
Anthony Rose
Mercy Ministries have written this book as a unique approach to dealing with the root of many eating disorders. Contains many testimonies and advice on where to go for help. It is part of their 'Mercy for...' series.
Nancy Alcorn
Finding hope through poetry and writing music, Jane continues to come to terms with her depression
Jane
Easter egg hunts are great, you know that when you go on one there is going to be something nice and chocolaty at the end of it.
Will Van Der Hart
Here are some ideas for help with problems we have not covered in detail elsewhere on the site. This page contains extracts from another website - the Student Counselling Centre at Royal Holloway College in London [©]. They have written some
Royal Holloway College
For most people a vision for their wellness comes from the past and not the future. They look back and say, "I just want to be like I used to be!" This is actually a real problem for anyone who wants to become well.
Will Van Der Hart
This book, written by a former psychiatric nurse and new testament lecturer, gives an invaluable summary of common mental health problems and their management in the church setting
Marion Carson
Slides and audio from our first conference at St Mary's Bryanston Square. Over 600 attended this launch event.
To get to where we want to be, we sometimes need to push beyond our goals to settle back to the right place
Rob Waller
When churches cause problems: "Mental illness? No thank you, not in our church!" Heard that before? I have.
Pepper
It is common amongst the emotionally sensitive to dwell on negatives and to take criticisms very personally.
Will Van Der Hart
There is a strong link between financial stress, debt and mental health. Listen to a day of teaching for Christians Against Poverty
Rob Waller
I think I am still reeling from the incredibly insensitive journalism that surrounded the publication of research by Professor Kirsch of the University of Hull, questioning the benefit of anti-depressants.
Will Van Der Hart
I was at a debate recently in which a very eminent Atheist pointed out that people's belief in God was good for them.
Will Van Der Hart
I like the idea of having a theory. It sounds important, like it is something I worked out wearing a white coat in a science lab somewhere.
Will Van Der Hart
A new psychology of hope, love and spiritual values. One of the classics.
M Scott Peck
Not eating, not talking. Anorexia affects men too. Read this story about over-exercising and under-eating and self-esteem.
Anon
Why do I do what I do? What gives me the energy to get up and go to work? How do I know when I am doing enough and not too much? When will I know I have finished?
Rob Waller
Why do famous people often seem so unhappy? It is an issue to do with identity, aspiration and a need to keen on achieving
Rob Waller
In my work with clients repetitively traumatized in childhood, I am continuously struck by how frequently the various thought processes of the inner critic trigger them into overwhelming emotional flashbacks. This is because the PTSD-derived
Peter Walker
Reviewed by the counselling team at Bradford Abundant Life Centre as: the best book we have ever read on this subject and would recommend it to sufferers, carers, counsellors, and indeed anyone who wants to understand more about the effects of depresion
Sue Saxon
I have been thinking a lot about healthy boundaries. What struck me was that people who are suffering from emotional disturbance are often too good at keeping strangers away, their problem is isolation and not overbearing community.
Will Van Der Hart
When it is right to talk and when it is right to take a tablet? And when is it right to do both?
Rob Waller
From staring in Neighbours, being addicted to drugs and alcohol to being one of the key worship leaders in the UK at Life Church, Bradford - Mark tells his story of how God broke into his life to change it completely...
Mark Stevens
Did you know that most people's anxiety is focused and preoccupied with 40% of things that will never happen, 30% of things relating to the past that can't be changed, 12% of things...
J.John
Mike tells of how he overcame the loss of his father from suicide and his subsequent depression. He now campaigns for suicide prevention.
Mike Bush
Paul tells his story of abuse, anger, alcohol and personality disorder and how he came to hope and healing with Jesus as 'the Boss' of his life.
Paul
Mercy Ministries have written this book as a unique approach to dealing with the root of many eating disorders. Contains many testimonies and advice on where to go for help. It is part of their 'Mercy for...' series.
Nancy Alcorn
From drugs and addiction, to freedom and a suprise encounter with God. Now ten years of a new life.
Anon
Ali Martin from Soul Survivor talks about her experience and gives a real life real faith account of her experience of depression back in 2002.
Ali Martin
Practicing psychiatry, talking to patients. The story of how one psychiatrist's faith affected how he related to his patients - grace, truth and creativity. And, where appropriate, conversation.
John Wattis
Sue explores her journey into faith and mental illness and how she has learnt much about life and recovery. Read some of her poetry
Sue Holt
Friends, Church - and psychology. How are these related? How are they different?
Barbara Geomatix
I was talking with two Christians recently who disclosed that they felt very distressed by they constant desire to ask God for forgiveness.
Will Van Der Hart
I saw this amazing (if unpleasant) sort of bull fighting on TV whilst on holiday in Portugal this summer. One little man, designated by wearing a green hat walked out into the ring and stared a huge great bull in the face.
Will Van Der Hart
Loneliness affects large numbers of adults and children. In our disjointed world many are at a loss to know how to overcome the problem of loneliness.
Helena Wilkinson
A young girl’s fight to survive anorexia. As a young teenager Helena Wilkinson suffered from anorexia nervosa, which almost claimed her life.
Helena Wilkinson
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