“This workshop gave me permission to listen to my body and rest when I need to -- to resist the temptation to be "super-minister" and also to take regular retreats. This will enable me to minister to others more effectively, because I'll have the reservoir within myself.”

—Rev. Bonnie Brown, chaplain

In the process of giving care to others, care givers often overlook tending to their own self-care. For example, in the face of a growing concern about clergy health -- physical, emotional, social, and spiritual -- recent research shows that while clergy depression is only slightly higher than the general population, there is a significantly higher percentage reporting periods when they feel depressed and or "worn out" some or most of the time.

Through peer dialogue around three presentations on care giver's mental health, this seminar provides an opportunity to reflect on self-care and to explore approaches for staying mentally healthy as a care giving or ministry professional.

Presentations (one per week):

• "The Minister's Mental Health During Crises: Dealing with Disorientation When You Cannot See" by Charles Chandler, D.Min.

• "Casualties of Sadness" by James A. Hyde, Ph.D.,
  and John J. Schwab, M.D.

• "The Strength to be Human: A Theology of Mental Health"
  by John Swinton, Ph.D.

1. Define mental health.
2. Identify their own spiritual/theological perspectives regarding human dignity, values, and mental health.
3. Assess their own mental health status in light of their definition of mental health.
4. Practice self-differentiation and avoidance of triangulation as skills for self-care in a professional context.
5. Recognize systems thinking as a practice of self-care.