Wellbeing and Getting Help

Mental Health and Wellbeing

One in four people experience a mental health problem at some point in their lifetime. This is as true for those in the church as anyone else. The effects of mental health problems can be huge. Given the newly challenging times we are living in with coronavirus, it’s even more important that we take steps to support good mental health for ourselves and others, both reactively and proactively.

The Church of England has created prayers and service plans to highlight mental health and wellbeing .

Key Web Resources 

Emergency mental health help and support

• Local Authority information for emergency help and support for people suffering and carers, with specialist links
• The Mental Health Foundation brings together a brilliant range of national organisations to contact, or read their resources.
• The Hub of Hope brings local, national, peer, community, charity, private and NHS mental health support and services together in one place  – it’s really easy to find local services near your postcode.
• Ubuntu Counselling Services is currently offering a specially targeted service for BAME communities across Devon (following Covid-19).
• Pete’s Dragons is a Devon charity that  provides free professional bereavement support services to families or anyone affected by the suicide of a loved one.
• The Children’s Society has a helpline/email service, and excellent webpages on particular issues for children & young people
• Our Coastal and Rural page has links for charities working with farming and fishing communities.

Proactive Wellbeing

• The NHS’s new “Every Mind Matters” campaign launched in April 2020 is well presented with useful links & videos. Read the 10 Top Tips if you’re worried about coronavirus, Looking After Children & Young People During The Outbreak, and a Mind Plan ‘quiz’ which generates tailored wellbeing ideas for this period.
• Our Covid-19 wellbeing page – with links to quiet day resources, thoughts on coronavirus ‘trauma’, pastoral care counselling, etc.
• The Church of England’s new ‘Supporting Good Mental Health’ downloadable booklet – this has reflections and ‘have a go habits’,  including pages on isolation, loneliness, use of time, talking, focus, sleep, mourning, worry, etc. It is also available in shareable segments here.
• The Church of England’s 10 top tips for ministers and other offering pastoral support, and to help look after ourselves, during Covid-19.
• The Church of England’s Minority Ethnic Mental Health Toolkit – to raise awareness and provide information for church leaders, workers and chaplains.
• Top tips for looking after yourself while home-working – watch this short video from Mental Health First Aid England
• 5 great resources on supporting people with dementia (and yourself as carer) during lockdown (and generally) from Alzheimer’s Society

Help for clergy and those working for the Diocese of Exeter

If you work for the Diocese of Exeter and want to know what support is available to you, please visit our Wellbeing for Clergy and Staff page.

Awareness & Mentoring Training

• We have been funding and promoting  ‘Mental Health First Aid’ introductory awareness training – 3 hours, online, with an excellent pre-sent handbook – for all Christians, lay and clergy, Anglican or other denominations – every month since July 2020. We encourage as many Christians as possible, lay and clergy, to do this course, so that we can all best understand issues faced by others in our churches and communities, listen and act well, and signpost to services as appropriate. Led by qualified trainer Ben (husband of Wiz, rector of Pinhoe), and very generously subsidised by his consultancy, fiveways Devon, this is a national best practice, secular course, framed by Ben in a Christian context. See his brilliant reflection on the parable of the Good Samaritan, and our Do’s and Don’ts guidance. For more detail and to book your place, please click here!
• The Children’s Society give talks at church services on issues facing children & young people and the work they do to help them. If you would like more information please click here.
• Initiatives in Christian Education (ICE) run a Transforming Lives for Good (TLG) mentoring scheme where churches partner with schools to mentor young people. Approximately 3 children in every classroom are struggling with their mental health leaving them at risk of being excluded from school. The team are looking for more mentors who can spare 1 hour per week to spend with a child who is at risk of exclusion. Full training will be given. Watch the video for more information and download an application form here