Mental Health Ministry
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio: 1-888-628-945
Following Jesus Christ as our teacher, the Mental Health Ministry gathers our wisdom and resources, reaching out to parishes and schools, to create welcoming communities of compassion, support and education to reduce the stigma of mental illness.
Resources
National Catholic Partnership on Disability - Council on Mental Illness
--NCPD: Pastoral Response to Persons with Mental Illness
Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers
University of San Diego Catholic Institute for Mental Health Ministry, Worship and Liturgy
Catholic Community Services - Seattle Counseling
Emmaus Counseling - Christian Counseling
Samaritan Center of Puget Sound - Christian Counseling
Spiritual First Aid: A Step-By-Step Disaster Spiritual & Emotional Care Manual
Podcast - Grieving a Loved One's Loss to Suicide
Suicide Awareness Month - Prayers of the Faithful
National Catholic Mental Health Campaign - Novena for Mental Health
Stations of the Cross with Reflections on Mental Illness
Stations of the Cross for Persons with Mental Illness and their Families & Friends
Webinar - A Future with Hope: A Conversation with Bishop James Conley on Mental Health
National Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK
Suicide Crisis
Text HOME to 741741
A Parent's Guide to Suicide & Self-harm Prevention
National Council for Behavioral Health
President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
American Association of Suicidology
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Local Resources
WA Recovery Help Line: 866-789-1511
Teen Link (6pm-10pm daily): 206-461-4922
New Beginnings (24-hour domestic violence hotline): 206-522-9472
Dementia Friends of Washington
National Alliance on Mental Illness:
Navigating the Mental Health System in Puget Sound
Sound Health - King County Counseling
Compass Health - Snohomish County
Fairfax - Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment
Ryther - Child/teen Mental Health Counseling
Seattle Children's Hospital Psychiatric & Behavioral Medicine
Resources for Cultural Communities & Different Languages
Suicide Prevention Lifeline - Ayuda en español
National Institute of Mental Health (en español)
NAMI Compartiendo Esperanza: Speaking w/Latinos about Mental Health
NAMI Sharing Hope: Speaking w/African Americans about Mental Health
National Latino Behavioral Health Association
Black, Indigenous and People of Color Mental Health Resources
Washington State Sea Mar Community Behavioral Health Services
US Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Minority Mental Health Resources
Hispanic American Mental Health Disparities Report
Las Disparidades Raciales en el Tratamiento de la Salud Mental: Investigación y Recursos
CLASSES & PROGRAMS
From the National Alliance on Mental Health - Washington
Family-to-Family
An 8-week course for families, partners and friends of individuals with serious mental illness. The course focuses on the emotional responses families have to the trauma of mental illness.
Peer-to-Peer
An 8-week recovery education course open to any adult with a serious mental illness. Peer-to-Peer emphasizes recovery from mental illness as a feasible, supportable goal and challenges the stigma associated with mental illness.
Homefront
A six-week course for families, caregivers and friends of active duty military members and veterans with mental health conditions. Based on the national recognized NAMI Family-to-Family program, NAMI Homefront is designed to address the unique needs of family, caregivers and friends of those who have served or are currently serving our country.
Family & Friends
A 4-hour seminar that informs and supports people who have loved ones with a mental health condition. Participants learn about diagnoses, treatment, recovery, communication strategies, crisis preparation and NAMI resources.
In Our Own Voice
A unique public education presentation that offers insight into the hope and recovery possible for people living with mental illness. Trained individuals living with mental illness lead a brief, yet comprehensive interactive presentation.
Ending the Silence
Helping middle and high school students understand mental illness makes a big difference. We can teach them about the warning signs for themselves and their friends. NAMI Ending the Silence helps raise awareness and change perceptions around mental health conditions. Through this 50-minute classroom presentation, students get to see the reality of living with a mental health condition, from the experience of a young adult living with mental illness and a family member.
FILMS
Like
LIKE is an IndieFlix Original documentary that explores the impact of social media on our lives. Technology is a tool. It is here to stay and social platforms are a place to connect, share and care, but what's really happening? Are we addicted? How do we stop? Where do we start? What do we need to know? By understanding the effects of technology and social media on the brain, on our lives and on our civilization, we can learn how to navigate it more safely together.
Our goal for this film is to inspire people of all ages, especially kids, to self-regulate. It is not about blame. It is about looking in the mirror and empowering ourselves to create balance in our lives and to learn to be there for each other.
Click here to book a screening of LIKE.
Angst
Angst is an IndieFlix Original documentary designed to raise awareness around anxiety. The film includes interviews with kids, teens, educators, experts, parents and a very special interview with Michael Phelps.
Our goal is to help people identify and understand the symptoms of anxiety and encourage them to reach out for help. Angst screens in schools, communities and theaters around the world. The film and corresponding materials provide tools, resources and above all, hope.
Click here to book a screening of Angst.
SCREENAGERS: Growing Up in the Digital Age
Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time - friction she knew all too well.
In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids' development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.
Click here to book a screening of SCREENAGERS: Growing Up in the Digital Age
Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER
In Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER, we follow Delaney as she finds herself at a loss on how to help her own teens as they struggle with their emotional wellbeing. She sets out to understand these challenges in our current screen-filled society, and how we, as parents and educators, can empower teens to overcome mental health challenges and build emotional agility, communication savvy, and stress resilience.
We witness Delaney as she finds her way from ineffective parenting to much-improved strategies. We follow other personal stories of families from an array of backgrounds with a spectrum of emotional challenges. We also observe approaches in schools that provide strategies relevant beyond the classroom setting. Interwoven into the stories are surprising insights from brain researchers, psychologists, and thought leaders that reveal evidence-based ways to support mental wellness among our youth. The impact of social media and other screen time is incorporated in all the topics raised in Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER, how it may be impacting our teens' mental health, and what we can do to help foster youth in the face of struggles.
Click here to book a screening of Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER.
When a Loved One Dies by Suicide Film Series
The film series features stories of Catholics whose loved ones have died by suicide. If you have experienced suicide loss, this resource will encourage you to reflect on how our Catholic faith can facilitate spiritual healing, provide comfort in the midst of ongoing grief, and inspire both hope and service. When a Loved One Dies By Suicide explains Church teaching on suicide and offers prayers of comfort and support.
Click here to access When a Loved One Dies by Suicide
NEED HELP? CONTACT INFORMATION
St. James Cathedral Mental Health Resources Brochure
MENTAL HEALTH TIPS AND RESOURCES FOR YOUTH
The Zones of Regulation (ENG - SPA)
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS AND YOUTH
Things Families Can Do to Cope with Trauma (ENG)
Things Families Can Do to Cope with Trauma (SPA)
Preventing Suicide in Youth - For Parents
Parent Prayer for Mental Illness
When Abuse Affects the Community - For Parents
Upcoming Events
Training & Events
Mental Health First Aid Training for ADULTS
Mental Health First Aid for Adults teaches people how to recognize signs of mental health or substance use challenges in adults ages 18 and older, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person toward appropriate care if necessary. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, psychosis and addictions.
Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders.
Suicide Assessment, Intervention & Treatment Training
How do you determine if someone is suicidal and what can you do to help? In this training, you'll learn how to recognize the warning signs of suicide and assess the safety challenges of suicide and suicidal behavior. We'll explore approaches to suicide management that anyone can use to more effectively communicate with individuals in crisis. Meets state requirements for social workers, mental health professionals, nurses, marriage and family therapists, naturopaths, osteopathic health professionals, physicians, physicians assistants and psychologists.
ASIST - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
ASIST is a two-day, skills-based training in suicide first aid. Like CPR, training in suicide intervention develops skills that reduce the immediate risk of death until other resources can be mobilized. ASIST provides practical training for caregivers of all kinds including: first responders, mental health professionals, teachers, social workers, community volunteers or anyone concerned about family or friends.
In this training, you will learn practical tools to monitor your own temperature when situations are intensifying. You will learn both verbal and nonverbal techniques to ease volatile encounters, and have a chance to practice these in class. The training introduces ways to establish boundaries and control the environment, while still actively listening and understanding the needs of the client. This training is suitable for anyone who regularly interacts with the public as part of their job, including receptionists, administrative and customer service staff, as well as supervisors and managers.
Compassion Fatigue is a term used to describe the psychological, emotional, and physical cost of working in one of the helping professions, such as healthcare, education, mental health, disaster relief, law enforcement, hospice care and social and environmental justice. The individuals involved in these and other similar professions pay a high emotional price because trauma can be contagious - especially for the highly empathetic, who are likely to choose professions where they will be always reaching out a hand to help others. The impact of absorbing secondary trauma can affect both the professional and personal life and alter world view. The good news is there are healthy ways to combat this onslaught and to build positive defenses against secondary trauma.
Networks for Life is a 3-hour certified training for youth suicide prevention, intervention, and post-vention. This training is for anyone working or interacting with youth, such as: school faculty, individuals in the field of education, adults who work directly with youth and parents. You will learn skills to identify, explore, and intervene signs of suicidal ideation, how to communicate with students and their families about depression and suicide, laws and ethics in confidentiality and reporting, as well as tools to support youth after a suicide loss.
Schools play an important role in youth suicide prevention. Crisis Connections offers three health curricula designed to be taught by classroom teachers or counselors, and appropriate for students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
-Mental Health First Aid Trainings for Adults
-Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
Contact the Mental Health First Aid Website for available trainings
www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/take-a-course/
-Suicide Assessment, Intervention & Treatment Training
-ASIST - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
-De-escalation Training
-Compassion Fatigue Training
-Networks for Life Training
-School Resources
Contact Crisis Connections for available trainings and registration
https://www.crisisconnections.org/get-training/
P: 206-461-3210
There are no trainings scheduled at this time...
2023 Mental Health Luncheon
Resources for Youth
Our mental health luncheon focused on the state of affairs for youth mental health. Click below for the resource packet.
Cathy Callans
Isabel Cisneros Rueda
Joe Cotton
Connor Geraghty
Michelle Green
Fr. Bryan Hersey
Erin Maguire
Fatima Maldonado
Sue Moreland
Regina Puratich
Anisa Ralls (Committee Chairperson)
Deacon Ronnie San Nicolas
Nick Schoen
Gabrielle Son
Dr. Judith O. Son
Latisha Sternod
Joe Stevens
Amanda Zilke
Catholic Lifesaver Corps
Catholic Lifesaver Corps (CLC) is a unique peer-to-peer suicide prevention program in the Archdiocese of Seattle. CLC consists of a team of high school students (16 & older) who are trained and certified as facilitators of the 4-hour safeTALK suicide prevention workshop. They, in turn, offer regular trainings in their respective schools and nearby parishes to educate fellow students on the signs of suicidal ideation and the necessary steps to keep their peers safe.
For more info and to apply for the program, click HERE
Parish Toolkit
2024 Feast of St. Dymphna: Mental Health Ministry Open House
2024 Trauma & Spirituality - Annual Mental Health Luncheon
2023 Annual Mental Health Luncheon: Youth State of Affairs
Navigating Mental Health Interruptions at Mass
2022 Annual Mental Health Luncheon: Survivors of Suicide: A Journey of Faith, Hope and Healing
Mental Health Ministry - A Pastoral Response to Suicide Webinar
10/23/2024 - La Vida con una Enfermeda
01/10/2024 - Grief: A Practical Guide for Friends, Family, Colleagues & Neighbors of Grieving People
10/04/2023 - Dementia & Spirituality: Hope on the Journey
08/02/2023 - The Intersection of Faith, Spirituality & Peer Support
07/05/2023 - Trauma, Shame and the Whole-Person
05/03/2023 - The Necessity of Faith in Caregiving from a Father's Perspective
04/05/2023 - Planning for Senior Care: Everything You Need to Know
02/01/2023 - How to Foster Independence for Adult Children with Mental Illness
10/05/2022 - Social Isolation and the Health Connection
09/07/2022 - Faith & Neurological Disorders
08/03/2022 - Aging in the Post-COVID Era
05/04/2022 - Sleep and Mental Health
04/06/2022 - Hoarding Disorder
Articles:
Reaching Out with Hospitality to People With Mental Illness
Quick Reference on Mental Health for Faith Leaders
Infographics:
Helpful Language Around Mental Health
Podcasts:
Grieving a Loved One's Loss to Suicide
Stations of the Cross:
Stations of the Cross with Reflections on Mental Illness
Stations of the Cross for Persons with Mental Illness and their Families & Friends
Videos:
CBS Sunday Morning - Eliminating the Stigma Surrounding Suicide
Webpages:
National Catholic Partnership on Disability - Council on Mental Illness
Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers
USCCB - National Catholic Mental Health Campaign: A Novena for Mental Health
Contact
Joe Cotton
Executive Director | Office of the Vicar General
206-382-4847 | joe.cotton@seattlearch.org
710 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104-2017