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Suburban Chicago Interfaith Mental Health Coalition

SPONSORS THE CONFERENCE:

“MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF YOUR FAITH COMMUNITY: HOW TO RECOGNIZE, RESPOND, AND REFER”, NOVEMBER 9, 2010, 8 AM - 4 PM

Conference Location: Second Baptist Church, 1280 Summit St., Elgin, IL 60120

The target audience for the conference is clergy and people in pastoral and spiritual care provider roles such as parish nurses, Stephens Ministers, deacons, companions, befrienders, mentors, and people of faith with an interest in the topic of mental health.

Goals of the conference are to build skills in how to:

1. Recognize mental health problems (reduce stigma, identify, screen, set priorities)

2. Respond (how clergy and their faith community can minister to those with mental health problems)

3. Refer (knowing resources for referrals and building personal connections to referral resources)

Keynote speakers are:

Dr. Mark McMinn (9 – 10 am morning keynote address) gives a presentation titled "Mental Health and Religious Professionals Working Together: Look Both Ways Before Crossing"
Synopsis: Health requires a substantial amount of listening and learning from others, which means that collaboration between mental health and religious professionals is most effective when both parties are active participants, open to learning from one another. This requires spiritual awareness for mental health professionals and psychological awareness for religious professionals. Both will be considered in this presentation. Topics will include the health benefits of religious and spiritual values, problems in congregational life related to mental health issues, and knowing when to refer. In conclusion, exemplars of effective collaboration will be described.
Outline:

1. Collaboration: What it is and what it isn't

2. Spiritual Mindedness for Mental Health Professionals (including understanding our client's religious and spiritual values, the health benefits of religious and spiritual beliefs, religious and spiritual issues in assessment and treatment)

3. Psychological Mindedness for Religious Professionals (including problems in congregational life related to mental health problems, symptoms of major mental health problems, knowing when to refer)

4. Conclusion: Envisioning the Possibilities of Mutual Collaboration

Mark R. McMinn is Professor of Psychology at George Fox University, where he teaches and serves as the director of faith integration in the Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology. Mark holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University, is a licensed psychologist in Oregon, and is board certified by the American Psychological Association (APA) and a past president of the APA's Psychology of Religion division.
Mark has been awarded teacher-of-the-year awards both at George Fox and at Wheaton College, where he taught from 1993-2006. He was recently awarded the 2010 Graduate Researcher of the Year award at George Fox University. Much of his research and all of his clinical work in recent years has focused on clergy health and finding effective ways for mental health professionals and clergy to work well together.
In addition to writing over 120 chapters and articles, Mark has authored or co-authored ten books and co-edited three more. His past books include Integrative Psychotherapy: Toward a Comprehensive Christian Approach (co-authored with Clark D. Campbell), Finding Our Way Home: Turning Back to What Matters Most, and Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling.
Mark's wife Lisa is a sociologist and author. They have been married 31 years; together they raised three daughters, who are now grown. Mark and Lisa live in rural Oregon where they attend Newberg Friends Church, tend honeybees, and run a small Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm.

Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder (1-1:50 pm afternoon keynote address) gives a presentation titled "Mental Illness as a Spiritual Journey: Creating Caring Congregations"
As a consumer and a member of the clergy, Re. Gregg-Schroeder brings the wisdom of her ongoing journey and struggles with depression to offer universal truths about spirituality during difficult times. In sharing six gifts of the shadow, she encourages others to discover opportunities for growth, change and transformation.
Rev. Gregg-Schroeder will also provide a brief history of how mental illness has been understood since Biblical times, suggests ways to integrate spirituality into the treatment and recovery process and presents a five step model of ministry to help congregations begin or expand an outreach to persons with mental illness and their families. See http://www.mentalhealthministries.net/
Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder founded Mental Health Ministries in 2001 to provide educational resources to help erase the stigma of mental illness in our faith communities. As a consumer, she also educates doctors, therapists and other mental health care providers to understand the important role a person's spirituality can play in the recovery and healing process.
As Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries, Susan has produced media and print resources addressing various mental health issues from a spiritual perspective. The DVD set, Mental Illness and Families of Faith: How Congregations Can Respond, offers eight video clips with a discussion guide. Each show presents information on a mental health issue, has persons sharing their story and offers a message of hope. Susan is also an author. Her best known book is In the Shadow of God's Wings: Grace in the Midst of Depression, published by The Upper Room. This book shares her very personal story as she has struggled with severe depression.
Susan has been active with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and currently serves on the NAMI Faithnet Advisory Committee. She was awarded NAMI California's Clergyperson of the Year award in 2003. Susan is also a member of the Pathways to Promise Board of Directors and a member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC).
Susan is a native Californian and has been married to her husband, Stan, for 41 years. He works for a community college district overseeing grants for job training. They have two grown children and two grandchildren. Their son, Matthew, lives in San Diego and their daughter, Sarah and family, live and work near San Francisco.

Schedule for the Conference:

Workshop Track 1 is for clergy and faith leaders.
Workshop Track 2 is on developing a ministry to those with mental illness and their families.

8:00 - 8:45 am Registration and continental breakfast
8:45 - 9:00 am Welcome and introductions
9:00 - 10:00 am Morning Keynote Address - Mental Health and Religious Professionals Working Together: Look Both Ways Before Crossing - Dr. Mark McMinn
10:00 - 10:10 am Break
10:10 - 11:00 am
Session One, Track 1: What is Mental Health First Aid; Mental Health Problems in the USA; Understanding Depression; Mental Health First Aid Action Plan for Suicidal Behavior, Depressive Symptoms (All Track 1 Mental Health First Aid Workshops are presented by staff from McHenry County 708 Mental Health Board)
Session One, Track 2: Spiritual Struggles in Mental Illness: How Congregations Can Help (Speakers: Mark Pedigo - Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Center, Michelle Lowery - Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, Susie Piasecki - NAMI Connections)
11:00 - 11:10 am Break
11:10 - noon
Session Two, Track 1: Mental Health First Aid Action Plan for Non-Suicidal Self-Injury; Understanding Anxiety Disorders; Mental Health First Aid Action Plan for Panic Attacks, Traumatic Events, and Anxiety Symptoms
Session Two, Track 2: Effective Mental Health Advocacy and Support Models Within the Faith Community (Speaker: Rev. Patricia Lindquist - First Congregational Church of Elgin)
Noon - 1 pm Lunch
1:00 - 1:50 pm Afternoon Keynote Address - Mental Illness As a Spiritual Journey: Creating Caring Congregations - Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder
2:00 - 2:50 pm
Session Three, Track 1: Understanding Psychotic Disorders; Mental Health First Aid Action Plan for Acute Psychosis, Aggressive Behavior, Psychotic Symptoms; Understanding Substance Abuse Disorders; Mental Health First Aid Action Plan for Overdose, Withdrawal, Subtance Abuse Disorders
Session Three, Track 2: Building a Faith Based Volunteer Mental Health Mentoring Program (Speaker: Mark Pedigo -Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Center)
3:00 - 3:45 pm
Session Four, Track 1: Understanding Eating Disorder; Mental Health First Aid Action Plans for Acute Crisis, Eating Disorder Symptoms; Using Your Mental Health First Aid Training
Session Four, Track 2: Carrying It Forward: Building a Collaborative Faith-Based Response to Mental Illness (Speakers: Philipp Reed - 2nd Baptist Church, Danise Habun - Hanover Township Mental Health Board)

Sponsors or exhibitors so far include:

Platinum Sponsors
Advocate Health Care
Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital
Association of Community Mental Health Authorities of Illinois, Inc.
Linden Oaks at Edward

Silver Sponsors
Aurora Chicago Lake Shore Hospital

Central DuPage Hospital Behavioral Health Services
Meier Clinics
Maryville-Scott Nolan Center
Timberline Knolls

Exhibitors

Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health
Association for Individual Development
Clearbrook
Community Crisis Center of Elgin
ELCA Suicide Prevention Ministry
NAMI DeKalb, Kane South, and Kendall Counties
NAMI DuPage County

NAMI Kane County
Northwest Center Against Sexual Assault
Northwest Community Hospital
The SHARE Program
Special Education Advocacy Center
Suicide Prevention Services