Creating Caring Congregations

Creating Caring Congregations, is a project of Mental Health Ministries, an ecumenical program through the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The mission of Mental Health Ministries is to educate clergy and lay persons for the purpose of decreasing the stigma associated with mental illnesses in our faith communities. Providing resources to churches to develop a mental health program in the local church is the important first step in the inclusion and support of persons with mental illnesses and their families into the life of the church community. The sharing of personal stories and experiences provides a way to give voice to those who have suffered in silence, and allows churches to begin the process of reaching out and providing compassionate care to those affected by disorders of the brain.

This DVD is divided into four sections. With a total running time of under 30 minutes, it can be viewed in one sitting. Another option is to view the various sections separately to provide education and encourage discussion among specific groups in the church. A Discussion Guide is included that provides a brief overview of each segment and some questions to help generate discussion among group members.

Individuals share their personal experiences with various mental illnesses in the first three sections. Shawn's Story tells of an adolescent's experience with bi-polar depression, addiction and suicidal ideations. Carol's Story is about the most common illness of the brain, clinical depression, with accompanying anxiety issues. Jan's Story highlights how the normal life changes associated with the aging process can lead to depression in older adults. The final segment, How Congregations Can Respond, provides a five-step program of education, covenant, welcome support and advocacy, to help churches begin to address mental health issues in the local church.

Creating Caring Congregations has been awarded in the 24th Annual Telly Awards for its high standard of excellence in the Religious program category. The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators and corporate video departments in the world.

Run time of resource: 29:15 minutes
This DVD resource sells for $24.95.

	To buy this DVD with a credit card (Visa, MC, AMEX, Discover), click on the "Buy Now" button below to purchase through PayPal (you do not need to be a PayPal member to send payment through this service).
	To pay by check or money order, make payment payable to “Mental Health Ministries" and send to: Mental Health Ministries c/o Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder 6707 Monte Verde Drive San Diego, CA 92119
	Download our Creating Congregations flyer in PDF format, to hand out to friends and family members. Click on image to the left to download.
	Click on the image to the left to download the Creating Caring Congregations Brochure outlining the subjects discussed in the video while giving helpful tips and resource information. (PDF Format)
	This program is also available on VHS (Closed-captioned). Please check our Programs on VHS section for further information or click on the image to the left.

Breaking the Silence: Postpartum Depression & Families of Faith

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE
The birth of a baby is a time of great joy. But women can also find themselves feeling overwhelmed. They may even have negative feelings toward their child that can make them feel confused and guilty. Many new mothers are ashamed to admit these feelings and think they are a "bad mother" for having such thoughts. And so they suffer in silence.

Breaking the Silence: Postpartum Depression and Families of Faith is an ecumenical resource to educate faith communities about postpartum depression. Background information on symptoms and treatment is provided by mental health professionals. Two women share their personal stories and how this experience affected their faith and recovery.

SUGGESTIONS FOR USING THIS RESOURCE
The DVD is divided into segments to give group leaders the option of viewing individual segments or the entire resource. A discussion guide is included on the DVD to provide information about postpartum depression, study questions and helpful resources.

DVD SEGMENTS
Introduction (3:55 minutes)
What is Postpartum Depression? (7:32 minutes)
Diana's Story (11:24 minutes)
Toni's Story (13:06 minutes)
How Faith Communities Can Respond (7:59 minutes)

Breaking The Silence: Postpartum Depression & Families of Faith has been awarded a Bronze Annual Telly Award for its high standard of excellence. The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators and corporate video departments in the world.

Run time of resource: 43:56 minutes
This DVD resource sells for $24.95.

	To buy this DVD with a credit card (Visa, MC, AMEX, Discover), click on the "Buy Now" button below to purchase through PayPal (you do not need to be a PayPal member to send payment through this service).
	To pay by check or money order, make payment payable to “Mental Health Ministries" and send to: Mental Health Ministries c/o Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder 6707 Monte Verde Drive San Diego, CA 92119
	Download our Breaking the Silence: Postpartum Depression & Families of Faith flyer in PDF format, to hand out to friends and family members. Click on image to the left to download.
	Download the Breaking the Silence: Postpartum Depression & Families of Faith discussion guide in PDF format, to use with this DVD. Click on image to the left to download.
	Download the Breaking the Silence Postpartum Depression brochure.