By: Katie Dale

1. The first place Christians with mental health issues go for help is to their church

Think about 25% of your church. One in four Americans suffers from a mental health challenge in their lifetime. If the staggering number of 1 in 4 doesn’t quite hit home, think about times in your life you have had a meltdown, a breakdown or an experience of large enough proportion that you couldn’t function 100% because of an emotionally and mentally challenging time. Then think about the guidance many of us seek out from our pastor or other church member who appears to have it more “together.” According to a Lifeway Research poll, the percentage of churches that are actually equipped to respond to such distress is 3%.

The church is a beautiful body of redeemed souls, yet our minds are still subject to the effects of sin in our fallen world. This is a truth we can’t ignore. Which is why it is so crucial that the church proactively and appropriately responds to hurting members that are in need of attention and proper treatment of their mental health conditions.

Fresh Hope for Mental Health is such a way to assist in the healing process. Having a Fresh Hope group in place in your church will empower participants to live a full, rich and faith-filled life in spite of their mental health challenges.

2. Fresh Hope empowers your church to reach out and minister many at one time

Fresh Hope groups are offered through local churches and online mental health support groups sponsored by local churches and ministries. As part of their mission, Fresh Hope also supports and encourages faith leaders to help their faith community through resources for pastors such as webinars.

Churches that facilitate these groups are trained and certified by Fresh Hope in a 8-hour online training course with quizzes followed by a personal interview. They also offer free phone and online support and a facilitator website to help troubleshoot problems and receive peer advice on leading a group. They provide promotional materials (videos, press releases, sample articles) and curriculum for facilitators and participants. New content is offered regularly to help empower group participants in their recoveries.

Groups usually meet weekly for up to an hour and half each session and are not limited to a specific number of participants. Both those with a diagnosis as well as their loved ones attend the group together for the first half of the meeting.

3. Fresh Hope leads to healing and a better quality of life

The proven track record of Fresh Hope groups’ success is shown in that:

• 96% of weekly participants attribute their participation as the reason they now feel more hopeful than prior to their participation in Fresh Hope
• 92% who have attended other mental health support groups say that Fresh Hope has been more positive and helpful in their recovery than any previous groups
• 86% of those who were suicidal prior to coming to Fresh Hope report that they have not been suicidal since participating
• 88% say that Fresh Hope has been extremely important in their recovery
• 71% who have been hospitalized prior to attending Fresh Hope have had no returns to hospitals since attending the support groups

 

4. Fresh Hope is created by a pastor who has been there, experienced that

Pastor Brad Hoefs was diagnosed with Bipolar I himself, and drawing on his first-hand experiences, has been able to relate to lead others to a place of healing through six tenets that he has composited based on Scripture that have been foundational for living well in spite of a mental health diagnosis.

The tenets are for both the person who has the diagnosis and the loved ones of those who have a diagnosis. Each tenet is based upon a Scripture, read at the beginning of each meeting. They are not “steps,” but rather building blocks of wellness. They have not been created by a doctor or therapist but by Pastor Brad Hoefs who “discovered” these faith-based principles on his road to wellness.

5. Fresh Hope is facilitated by peers who have mental health issues

Fresh hope support groups are peer-led, where members encourage one another under the guidance of a facilitator, and have up to 4 facilitators, with at least one with a mental health diagnosis. The meeting format includes both a large and small group experience, where members can share as little or as much of their “journey” as they desire.

6. Fresh Hope is more than just a peer support group – they are not a constant vent session

Fresh Hope has a high regard for the processing that goes on in a support group that is not curriculum-driven (considered as short-term interventions which research shows is only helpful in the short term) but rather is an ongoing peer-to-peer support which allows people to actually process together mental health recovery approaches as adults truly learn through interaction, not being taught. (If recovery could be taught in 12 weeks, A. A. would have been doing that years ago).

They also have a high regard for how the majority of adults learn and that is by them interacting, which is what happens in an authentic safe support group setting. While venting is a necessary thing in recovery, it cannot be the only thing; otherwise those in the group simply get worse and not better.

7. Fresh Hope has proven success

Self-reported results of those who attend Fresh Hope groups meetings for six weeks showed that:

• 78% of the participants say they are extremely hopeful about being able to live a full and rich life in spite of their mental health diagnosis since coming to Fresh Hope. Another 22% say they are “becoming” more hopeful about living a full and rich life. 0% say they don’t feel hopeful since attending.
• 97% say that the fact that Fresh Hope is faith-based is extremely important to them
• 94% report they have a better understanding of their diagnosis since attending Fresh Hope
• 96% report being more compliant to their medical treatment and using wellness skills in their recovery since attending Fresh Hope

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the types of groups offered?

• Fresh Hope for Mental Health groups
• • • Churches or local ministries start and sponsor these groups
    • Facilitators are trained and certified by Fresh Hope
    • Local and online groups are offered

• Fresh Hope for Teens (FreshHope4Teens.com)
• • • Churches or local ministries start and sponsor these groups
    • Facilitators (usually young adults) are trained and certified by Fresh Hope
    • Parents meet in a separate group
    • Teens may bring their friends with them

• Fresh Hope for Living Free (FreshHope4LivingFree.com)
• • Fresh Hope for Living Free is both a curriculum that can be taught within the correctional setting and also includes a group that is on the “outside” for when inmate/prison is out of jail/prison
  • Chaplains in local jails, prisons, correctional facilities may use the curriculum and a local ministry or church starts the “outside” support group for those getting out of jail/prison along with their loved ones

Who can start groups?

Local churches, ministries (homeless shelters, half-way houses, etc.) start our groups

How to start a group?

Email us at info@FreshHope.us

Katie Dale is the mind behind BipolarBrave.com and the e-book GAMEPLAN: A Mental Health Resource Guide. She works full time at a behavioral outpatient clinic, ministering to those with mental illness. She can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

By Jamie Meyer

The most dreaded question anyone with a difficult mental health disorder wants to hear is:  What do you do for a living?  In that moment it feels like the wind is sucking right out of you.  Every possible answer that courses through your mind is laden with shame:  Shame that I live on disability. Shame that I was let go for missing work too many times.  Shame that I couldn’t finish college. Shame that I had a great job that I loved but then illness took it away.

So why do we feel this sense of shame about having a mental health disorder?  For one, we live in a society that values achievement, acquiring possessions and living independently.  The shame creeps in when we evaluate ourselves as being less than those around us. We make comparisons and then draw the conclusion that we hold little value in our community.

We also live in a culture where busyness is expected.  If we don’t have anything on our calendar, if we even have one, we may accuse ourselves of being lazy or that we don’t care to be with people.  I can’t tell you how many years it took to stop calling myself “lazy” as I struggled through days with no energy or motivation. Instead of adding things to my calendar I mostly cancelled what was already there.  

While we know that good self-care is critical to our mental and emotional stability, people shame us as being selfish.  I was working nearly full-time when depression overwhelmed me. I was allowed to adjust my schedule to work just three days a week instead of five, but I paid a hefty price for those long days: complete exhaustion.  

I also learned that people we work with can be jealous and resentful when we take care of ourselves.  One morning my co-worker casually asked me what I did on my day off and I told her I went for a massage.  She later told others in the office that I was bragging, rubbing it in that I only had to work three days a week and got to do fun things on my days off.  If she only knew.

So how do we go about ditching the shame we feel about ourselves and begin to accept that we have value and worth?  We do that by using a different measuring stick. The true measure of our worth is the word of God and not the words and impressions we receive from the world around us.  Could we dare to see ourselves in terms of who we are and not what we do? 

I find it significant that when Jesus walked this earth he spent a great deal of time reaching out to and healing the broken and rejected.  He drew close to those who were shunned due to a physical illness like leprosy or for being blind or lame. Mental illnesses were often attributed to demon possession.  Many in that culture believed sin was the cause of many illnesses (see John 9:1-3).

So whether it’s a mental or physical illness that causes you to feel inferior to others, Jesus considers you worthy of his love and care.  When thoughts of shame or worthlessness creep in, take a moment to look at yourself through His eyes: 

• You are my beloved child.  I chose you! (John 1:12, 15:16)
• You are my workmanship, my beautiful creation  (Ps. 139:13-16)
• You are free of all condemnation and shame  (Romans 8:1-2)

 

• Your life has purpose and meaning  (Eph. 2:10)

 

• I have good plans for your life and I work all things together for your good  (Jeremiah 29:11, Rom. 8:28)

The next time you’re tempted to belittle yourself and feel ashamed, be reminded that God’s word, his Truth, is your true measure.

 

Fresh Hope is a faith-based non-profit that empowers people to live well in spite of their mental health challenge.

YOUR gift will provide a person with God’s Fresh HOPE for daily living. Click here to donate, today.

One of my favorite things to do is to collect inspirational sayings that resonate with me. I find short inspirational quotes to be simple ways to remember important truths in learning and remembering how to live well in spite of having a mental health diagnosis.

So, I thought I would share with you some new quotes that I have found to be helpful:

• “To get somewhere new, you must first decide that you are tired of being where you are.” Unknown
• “You can’t change someone who doesn’t see an issue with his or her actions.” Unknown
• “A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves you a hundred moments of regret.” Unknown
• Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys. Rita Schiano
• “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” J.K. Rowling
• “Busy is a drug that a lot of people are addicted to in their lives.” Unknown
• “Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.” Unknown
• “What defines is not our past. Rather, how well we rise after falling.” Unknown
• “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change: I am changing the things I cannot accept.” Unknown
• “Two things prevent us from happiness; living in the past and observing others.” Unknown
• “Your past does not determine who you are. Your past prepares you for who you are to become.” Unknown
• “I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” Unknown
• “Never trust your tongue when your heart is bitter.” Unknown
• “Failure isn’t final unless you quit.” Unknown
• “Just because the past didn’t turn out like you wanted it to or expected it to, doesn’t mean your future can’t be better than you ever imagined.” Unknown
• “Let’s stop believing that our differences make us superior or inferior to one another.” Unknown
• “Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us.” Unknown
• “I refuse to please others at the expense of my emotional well-being. Even if it means saying no to people who are used to hearing yes.”
• “Faith is the art of holding on to things in spite of your changing moods and circumstances.” C.S. Lewis
• “You don’t protect your heart by acting like you don’t have one.” Unknown
• “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” Winston Churchill
• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill
• “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
• “Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out.” Unknown
• “No one can go back and make a brand new start. However, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” Unknown

Do any of these quotes speak to you? If so, why? Do you have any favorite inspirational quotes that have been helpful to you in learning how to live well in spite of a mental health diagnosis?

Fresh Hope is a faith-based non-profit that empowers people to live well in spite of their mental health challenge.

YOUR gift will provide a person with God’s Fresh HOPE for daily living. Click here to donate, today.