Organizations & Other Resources
Organizations
ASMH promotes interaction, collaboration, education, research, care and advocacy in the domains of spirituality and mental health. We strive for diversity, with members from across Canada and other countries, as well as various faith and ethnic groups, various disciplines, representing both consumers and mental health professionals.
NAMI FaithNet is a network of NAMI members and friends dedicated to promoting caring faith communities and promoting the role of faith in recovery for individuals and families affected by mental illness.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities. Link to eSolutions Newsletter regarding Spirituality and Health from June 2014.
Other Resources
This site contains information on a number of programs to help and engage individuals with mental illness or brain disorders. It offers information on how to start an outreach program; also, how to start a compeer program to act as a friend to those with mental illness. It offers information on how to start a support group for family, friends, and caregivers to those who are mentally ill. Additionally, it offers information on how to become your congregation's representative to the Lutheran Network on Mental Illness/Brain Disorders, and what this involves. Finally, it offers extensive information and articles concerning mental illness and brain disorders.
Our mission at Recovery.org is to connect people and their families with the information and resources to help them recover from substance abuse and behavioral disorders. We are a private resource and do not receive funding from any state or government programs, working instead with some of the country’s most respected treatment organizations who support and sponsor our efforts. We are real people who have had experience with addiction and recovery—some of us firsthand, with others having seen the havoc it can wreak on family and friends. We have come out of the other side stronger for it, and firmly believing that recovery is possible for everyone.
This journal publishes peer-reviewed papers that examine the latest research findings and best practices in mindfulness. It explores the nature and foundations of mindfulness, its mechanisms of actions, and its use across cultures.
The creator of the CommonGround Program of shared-decision-making shares her thoughts on personal medicine and recovery from a personal perspective.
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. These resources are used by people at all levels of faith group structures from local congregations to regional and national staff.
This is an example of one of the links found at the site above (The Presbyterian Health, Education, and Welfare Association.) It offers news, resources, a list of advocacy efforts, and online discussion groups.
David Lukoff is a licensed psychologist and core faculty member at Sofia University. Areas of expertise include treatment of schizophrenia, transpersonal psychotherapy, spiritual issues in clinical practice, and case study methodology. He incorporates transpersonal approaches in his clinical work including meditation, compassion training and guided imagery, as well as leading groups on spirituality. He is author of 70 articles and chapters on spiritual issues and mental health, co-author of the DSM-IV category, “Religious or Spiritual Problem,” co-president of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, founding board member of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology, and also maintains the Spiritual Competency Resource Center. He also writes a blog addressing his own journey and spiritual emergency at Spiritual Emergency.
This site offers information and tips on how to incorporate individuals with mental illness into the life of your church.
Since 1988, the Center for Mental Health Research and Innovation has improved the lives of people with psychiatric disabilities through the design and testing of new mental health practices and the dissemination of information through training, workshops, conference presentations, consultation and technical assistance and articles in scholarly journals.
Founded in 2002, the Centre on Behavioral Health was set up under the Faculty of Social Sciences of The University of Hong Kong. The Centre cares about the society and aims at promoting holistic health in the community.
See Section on Holistic Perspective, p.1 and Professional Social Work and Health sections.
Carole Wills, M.A.R. challenges faith communities to move beyond the silence, ignorance, and prejudice that so often characterize congregational members in their relations with persons who suffer from mental illness. She has developed an extensive and fully annotated list of more than one hundred mental health ministry resources.
SEN provides individuals that are experiencing difficulties with psychospiritual growth a therapist referral and support service that is staffed by trained graduate students. In a culture which has not understood issues surrounding spiritual development, the gift of being heard and understood by a knowledgeable and supportive listener can be life-altering. We can provide referrals to licensed mental health care professionals (often in the caller’s area) who may be of ongoing assistance. All members of SEN’s National Referral Directory are licensed and insured and specialize in or have been trained to deal with many psychospiritual issues.
Twelve Step programs are well known for their use in treating addictive and dysfunctional behaviors. The first 12 step program began with Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) in the 1930s and has since grown to be the most widely used approach in dealing not only with recovery from alcoholism, but also from drug abuse and various other addictive and dysfunctional behaviors.
