Training
Mental Health First Contact
MHFC was developed in response to the need for mental health training for pastors and church staff. The pilot run was launched in October 2022. MHFC is a one-day foundational training that equips pastors, church staff and lay ministry leaders with the skills and understanding to be a loving first contact for individuals and families with mental illness.
Training Objective
To help participants:
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Be more aware and understand mental illness better;
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Develop simple skills to be a loving first contact who can encourage and support members;
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Be a bridge to connect individuals and families to seek further help should the need arise.
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Participants are not expected to do any form of mental health assessment or evaluation and are not trained to be lay counsellors or professional counsellors.
Training Outline
1) Define Mental Wellness and Mental Illness
2) Learn and Practice Skill 1: Respect
3) Learn and Practice Skill 2: Asking Questions
4) Learn and Practice Skill 3: Two Reflections to One Question Dialogue
5) Learn and Practice Skill 4: Ask About Suicide
6) Overview of specific Mental Illnesses
7) Application of 4 Skills and Case Studies
8) Contextualizing to Ministries
9) Review Referral Sources
10) Self-Care
Trainers
Our team of trainers are Christian Mental Health professionals with many years of counselling experience and are knowledgeable in the area of mental health. They are volunteering their time in this training for the equipping of the Church.
