Speaker 1: Hello, I'm Marty McMain, Senior Minister at First Congregational Church in Boulder, Colorado. This Caring Clergy video offers several tips for finding appropriate resources for referring your congregants who need to be evaluated or treated by a mental health professional. You may be aware that more than half of people with mental health issues turn first to their clergy or exclusively to their clergy for help. Some of these congregants need to be referred to mental health professionals. If you have not done so already, be sure to watch the Caring Clergy video on how to determine if your congregant needs to be referred. So let's assume you've decided your congregant needs to be referred to a mental health professional for evaluation and treatment. How do you know where to send them? Tip 1. If it's an emergency, call 911 or your county's mental health crisis response team. If you suspect your congregant may be in danger of harming him or herself or someone else, don't hesitate to get immediate help. It can also be an emergency situation if your congregant's judgment is gravely impaired or if he or she is incapable of caring for himself or herself. Tip 2. Before you decide on the best resources, ask them about services they are already receiving so you don't duplicate services. They may already be seeing a professional, in which case your approach to getting the person help will be different. Tip 3. Find out if your congregant has insurance or the means to pay for treatment. If they don't have insurance and can't pay for private services, ask if they get SSI Supplemental Security Income, or SSDI Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. If they do, suggest they call the local mental health center. Some agencies and therapists charge for mental health services on a sliding scale, based on income. Ask the therapists and psychiatrists who are members of your congregation to help you find these resources, or contact your local NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, affiliate, to see if they can provide you with a list of sliding-scale service providers. If they do have insurance or can pay for private services, talk to other clergy and to the therapists and psychiatrists who are members of your congregation, and ask them to recommend professionals in a variety of specialty areas. If you possibly can, meet with these individuals and make sure you feel comfortable referring someone to them. Remember that the same professionals may not be the best fit for all your congregants. You'll find a separate Caring Clergy video on developing a file of referral resources. Check the link you'll see at the end of this video. Tip 4. If your congregant has to wait many weeks for an appointment, reach out to him or her and provide extra support during this time. You can use your pastoral care skills to provide ongoing support. You might feel compelled to offer psychotherapy, but if you are not trained in psychotherapy, resist the urge and use your pastoral care skills and listening skills. If you feel confident your congregant is not a danger to others, ask him or her if they would welcome support from your organization's care team. If they are open to the idea, pass your congregant's contact information to the group's coordinator and follow up to make sure the team has responded. Tip 5. Suggest your congregant attend a local support group for people with mental health issues. This is another way for your congregants to get support while they wait for an appointment, or if they are looking for others who are in a similar situation. Your local National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI affiliate or state NAMI chapter may be able to provide you with a list of available support groups, including spiritual support groups. You can go to NAMI.org to find the NAMI affiliate in your locality. If it is appropriate for your congregant, you can also suggest that they attend local meetings of groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, AA.org, Narcotics Anonymous, NA.org, Al-Anon, Al-Ateem, and Nar-Anon. Tip 6. When needed, help your congregant take the next steps. Keep in mind that some individuals with mental health conditions may not have the capability or motivation to find and obtain the resources they need. Someone with severe depression, for example, may have managed to make it in to talk to you, but may not have the emotional resources to look further. You might encourage them to call from your office for an appointment, or follow up with them the next day to see if they were able to make the connection. Again, if you feel confident your congregant is not a danger to others, or him or herself, consider asking him or her if it would be okay for you to ask someone in your care ministry to drive them to an evaluation or treatment appointment. You may need to do the same for someone whose thinking is disordered due to bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Tip 7. After your congregant has connected with a mental health professional, continue to provide ongoing pastoral care. Check in with your congregant after you make a referral and continue to provide supportive pastoral care. Stay as involved as necessary, but be sure to let go of the crisis care once you have referred that care somewhere else. Tip 8. Normalize the fact that you make referrals. Your congregants may feel stigmatized or rejected when you suggest a referral. To avoid this situation, make sure people in your faith community know in advance that you are committed to helping them find the resources they need, especially in times of trouble. Consider writing a newsletter article that names the types of referral resources you offer such as hotlines, support groups, food banks, and mental health evaluations. We hope you have found these tips to be helpful. If you have tips to add to the list, please use the Contact Us tab to share them with us. Remember, you are an important link to helping your congregants get the mental health care they need. Thank you for caring. www.charlesboyk-law.com