The Presbyterian Serious Mental Illness Network (PSMIN) welcomes those who advocate in the church and greater community with and for those who have been touched by mental illness. We work for equity, justice, human dignity and full acceptance, inclusion and participation in the life of the church.
Join PHEWA and take part in this ministry
Download a PSMIN information card
Maintaining mental illness awareness
Pathways to Promise reminds us that while the designated time for Mental Illness Awareness Week has passed for this year, any week is most appropriate for congregations to observe this emphasis, through worship, education, and beyond. Families and individuals sitting in every pew are waiting and praying for their congregation to join in ending the stigma around mental illness. Excellent resources are available from the following partner organizations of PSMIN/PHEWA. Also consider using the PC(USA) 2008 policy statement and study guide, Comfort My People: A Policy Statement on Serious Mental Illness, downloadable below.
- NAMI FaithNet
- National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI)
- Mental Health Ministries
- Pathways to Promise
- Find your local Mental Health Association
Celebrate Mental Illness Awareness Week 2011
Oct. 2-8, 2011
From the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
In 1990, the U.S. Congress established the first week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) in recognition of NAMI's efforts to raise mental illness awareness. Since 1990, mental health advocates across the country have joined together during the first full week of October in sponsoring many kinds of activities.
MIAW has become a NAMI tradition. It presents an opportunity to all NAMI state organizations and affiliates across the country to work together in communities to achieve the NAMI mission through outreach, education and advocacy.
The MIAW Idea Book suggests activities that can be incorporated into planning for the fall. Stickers, posters and a web banner to use on websites or in documents are available for download in English and Spanish.
The National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding is Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. This day of prayer was initiated by Angela Vickers of NAMI Florida and PSMIN’s Gunnar Christiansen of NAMI California in 2004. It has had widespread support by individual congregations and National Faith Community Mental Illness Networks. Special resources for outreach to faith communities also can be downloaded.
Start your MIAW preparation now and begin changing attitudes, changing lives!
Reaching out to faith communities
From NAMI FaithNet: National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness NAMI FaithNet training modules
Reaching Out to Congregations is a four-part training tool provided by NAMI FaithNet, an educational outreach to faith communities of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The goal of Reaching out to Congregations is to better equip NAMI members and leaders to build bridges with local faith groups. The content was written in response to common questions like: Why should we reach out to faith communities? How do we handle differing views of mental illness or stigmatizing remarks? How do I get started?
The long-range goal of NAMI FaithNet outreach is to promote supportive faith communities where awareness, welcome, inclusion, support, and spiritual care for individuals and families facing mental illness is provided.
Four Parts of Reaching out to Congregations
- Laying the Foundation provides basic information about NAMI FaithNet, its interfaith dialogue approach and religious diversity. This section also explains the value of outreach to congregations and the community impact of untreated mental illness.
- Opening the Door explores the impact of mental illness on individuals and what basic spiritual care encompasses. Suggestions are offered for starting informal conversations with people of faith and building advocacy, awareness, and support within a congregation.
- NAMI FaithNet: Sharing Your Story provides training for those who want to more effectively tell their story about mental illness and the role of NAMI and the faith community in their journey.
- Looking Ahead & Following Up offers tips on the team approach and how to respond to stigmatizing remarks, differing beliefs, and other challenges unique to faith community outreach.
Reaching Out to Faith Communities is offered via PowerPoint and intended for self-study while viewing with the NOTES function. While the four sections are designed to be used consecutively and as a whole, they each can be studied independently. In addition, the material is also presented via a two-part webinar series. Support documents referenced in the curriculum are also included. It is available on the NAMI FaithNet website.
PC(USA) policy statement on serious mental illness with study guide
Comfort My People
This policy approved by the 218th General Assembly (2008) uses the biblical theme of exile to describe the challenges experienced by persons living with a serious mental illness. Order from the Church Store.
Read personal stories of living with mental illness
My life as ministry
by Nancy Lee Head
Serving dinner to homeless women at Sarah House took on the same, awesome dimension for me that I would imagine serving the Lord's Supper to a congregation would be for an ordained minister. And washing the lice off of Ernestine's back with healing waters, in God's name, reminded me of God's grace just as I would imagine baptizing a child would for an ordained pastor.
Created in the image of God
by Cathy Smith
I am a member and an elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I serve on the Task Force on Disability for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. I also have Bipolar I with psychotic features, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Congregation: A Community of Care and Healing; Mental Illness Awareness Resources
While this 26 page basic resource manual was last updated in 2000 and is now out of print, this partnership between PSMIN, the then PC(USA) Office of Human Services, and Pathways to Promise contains much timeless information for getting started in this ministry on a congregational level. Worship aids and education models for the congregation are included.
Read the PSMIN theological and scriptural statement
The source and ministry of PSMIN is in Jesus Christ. He healed mentally ill persons. Jesus called the sick to arise and to take part in their own healing. We are called into community with Jesus for healing, nurturing and enabling wholeness. By God’s grace, each of us helps to heal, nurture and make whole the community of believers.
Visit these websites
Pathways to Promise
Pathways to Promise is an interfaith technical assistance and resource center which offers liturgical and educational materials, program models, and networking information to promote a caring ministry with people with mental illness and their families. The Presbyterian Church (USA) and PSMIN are partners in this vital ministry.
NAMI FaithNet
NAMI FaithNet is a network composed of members and friends of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). It facilitates the development within the Faith Community of a supportive environment for those with serious mental illness and their families, points out the value of one's spirituality in the recovery process, educates clergy and congregations, and encourages advocacy to bring about hope and help for all who are affected by mental illness.
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Thank you, Jose Montenegro, for being in touch with us. I have replied to you via email, with Presbyterian and interfaith contacts who i believe will be helpful. We will be interested to learn more about your Spirituality Initiative and survey. Glad to know of this work. susan stack PHEWA Program Assistant susan.stack@pcusa.org
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Hi, Page: In case you are reading here, i have not been able to get past your email "spaminator" in my attempt to send to you the resources you requested. Our IT staff person says that the problem is with your email provider. I forwarded my reply to the Rev. Emily Rose Proctor, hoping that she may be able to get it to you? Know that we're trying! susan
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Thank you so much for sharing this word, Page, of the work being done at Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church around serious mental illness. If you are willing/able to share with us your sermon, and the model you are using that led to your Adult Education series and follow-up initiatives, i am sure that others would find this very useful. Your request for resources reminded me of how behind we are in transitioning pieces from our former web site to the redesigned sites, and updates will appear here soon. In the meantime, i will be in touch with you via email to furnish some resources that i think will be of use to you as you move forward in this exciting ministry. We are anxious to hear more! Thank you very much, Page, susan stack PHEWA Program Assistant susan.stack@pcusa.org
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I co-chair the Diversity Committee at Brown Memorial Park Ave. Pres. Church in Baltimore. I am a member of PHEWA. Recently, our Committee sponsored an Adult Education series on Serious Mental Illness and I also presented a sermon on the topic. Now we want to follow up with additional adult education and possibly form support groups for those affected by serious mental illness in our congregation. We are also interested in preparing to welcome children with mental disabilities such as autism. Are there any resources to help with these initiatives? I heard about something called "Model Ministries" but cannot find the pdf. Thanks, Page Campbell
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Greetings, I work for the Riverside County Dept. of Mental Health Cultural Competency. My Manager has given me the task of finding a Survey that we can use for our Spirituality Initiative. This would help us to understand the thoughts, Ideas and concerns the Faith based community may have with Mental Health.