Mental Health: How To Effectively Renew Minds

MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

How To Effectively Renew Minds & Transform Lives

BY DR ROBI SONDEREGGER

THE ESSENTIAL THINGS EVERY MINISTRY LEADER MUST DO TO EFFECTIVELY HELP PEOPLE IN A ‘POSTPANDEMIC WORLD’.

Just when you thought things were slowly but surely getting back to normal, think again! Following on from the past 18-months of border closures, lockdowns and restricted church gatherings, anyone would be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief and thinking, “Now that church is back, we can all get on with our lives”. However encouraging and optimistic such thoughts may be, this sentiment may be a form of ‘survivorship bias’; a common logical error that leaders tend to adopt either during or immediately following crises. It may sound counter intuitive, but the lifting of restrictions will not only bring delight, but also despair. The reason why is that the release of heavy burdens also tends to trigger the release of pent-up emotions. Amid crisis, people tend to bunker down and brace – waiting for the storm to pass. But as the dark clouds of calamity start to part, people start to get a glimpse of the devastating impact and consequences of COVID. The process of reflecting on the ‘outer pandemic’ can, in turn, trigger a kind of ‘inner-pandemic’. This is typically when ‘the wheels fall off wagon’ for people. For this reason, ministry leaders need to get prepared now to know how best to work with people who may struggle in a ‘postpandemic’ world. BRACE FOR IMPACT Even before COVID, mental health issues were already ranked as the second leading contributor to the global disease burden, with depression listed as the world’s leading cause of disability. Yet surprisingly, 35 to 50% of people weren’t receiving effective therapeutic intervention for their concerns. Even as awareness and spending on mental health increased in recent decades, mental health problems have continued to escalate. And now with COVID, the world is facing a new pandemic. In what should have been a warning to the rest of the world, as soon as the world’s first lockdown was lifted in Wuhan, China, applications for divorce surged (doubling in number from the previous year). As a result of COVID restrictions, Relationships Australia also found the number of couples experiencing relationship-distress soared by 42%. Combined with the closure of schools and childcare facilities, increased stress is also being linked to an extraordinary rise in family and domestic violence. In Australia, reports of physical and sexual violence, coercive control, emotionally abusive, harassing or controlling behaviour in the home, has skyrocketed (both during and following lockdowns, with 2020 being the worst >

Domestic violence is now being described as ‘a pandemic within the pandemic’.

Clinical modelling (following COVID) now predicts an increase rates of suicide as high as 145%

year on record). States with the most extreme or prolonged social restrictions now report some of the worst statistics in Australia’s history, with the Department of Communities in Western Australia unofficially declaring a ‘state of emergency’. In fact, domestic violence is now being described as “a pandemic within the pandemic”. If that’s not challenging enough, the British Medical Journal has recently reported on the serious deterioration in population mental health. The full picture is still unclear, but clinical modelling (following COVID) now predicts an increase rates of suicide as high as 145%. Australia is bracing for a mental and relational health crisis on a scale that’s never been seen before.

DON’T MISS THIS How a person reacts to adversity has less to do with the actual adversity and more to do with their pre-existing thought process. The way a person responds to hardship, financial pressure, social restrictions, illness, loss, or frustrations is for the most part pre-programed. That’s why, as the mental and relational fall out of COVID continues to unravel, the Christian church is presented with a tremendous opportunity to help renew minds and transform lives. Churches on the frontline of ministry are now upskilling their leaders to help congregation and community members make a resilient comeback. To help equip ministry leaders with the most essential knowledge and skills to effectively help people in a ‘post-pandemic world’, we have put together a special online training for ACC church-teams nationwide. This intensive 3-part online training for ministry leaders examines God’s blueprint for transformation. Specifically, ministry leaders will learn how to mobilize and motivate, set realistic objectives and work towards helping cultivate the kind of kingdom mindset that results in sustainable change. This training will also showcase the latest innovative ‘pastoral-care’ solutions developed by industry experts (in collaboration with churches around the world), and unveil what ministries are now doing to empower the congregations and communities they serve. If you’re a ministry leader, this is a training you don’t want to miss.

Dr Robi Sonderegger is an internationally recognised Clinical Psychologist known for taking psychology ‘from the frontline to the home front’®. Dr Robi has worked with governments, corporations, churches universities/schools and humanitarian organisations in more than 25 countries.

ESSENTIAL 3-PART ONLINETRAINING FOR MINISTRY LEADERS

presented by dr robi sonderegger

COMMENCING 12TH JULY 2021 ENROL NOW

FREE registration for ACC churches nationwide Suitable for Pastors, department heads, chaplains, connect-group leaders, teachers, prayer counsellors.