Mental Health & Wellness
Overview
Embodying and Promoting Holistic Wellness
We believe creating communities of compassion and care begins with an integrated vision of wellness that prioritizes a holistic approach centered in justice, equity, theology, spirituality, and clinical awareness.
NBA’s Mental Health and Wellness work is centered in resourcing Disciples health and social service entities and reaches out to the whole denomination through general church partnerships, regional collaborations, support for congregations, seminaries, and community-based organizations.
NBA’s Mental Health and Wellness Initiative takes a collaborative approach that is rooted in 5 core values: Holistic Wellbeing, Equity & Justice, Theological Integrity, Accompaniment & Collaboration, and Compassionate Care. These values illustrate:
- A sound and liberating theological understanding of mental health and wellness
- Effective and practical practices and models for holistic wellness
- Accessible and clinically-informed education and resources
Commitments for an Integrated Vision of Wellness
- We prioritize the holistic wellbeing of all people. We believe communal and individual wellness are interdependent and cannot function without the other. We believe time and space for respite, play, joy, relief, revelation and reflection are part of a holistic vision of wellness.
- We believe wellness and justice are inseparable and we prioritize mental health equity in marginalized communities.
- We embody theological integrity in our resources and believe spiritual practice and mental health knowledge inform and build on one another.
- We collaborate amongst NBA program areas to provide integrative wellness support to all individuals and organizations we serve.
- We honor those we serve as experts of their experience and accompany them as a support, which allows true trauma informed, contextualized compassion.
Focus Areas
Leadership Wellness & Corporate Health
- Support services for health & social service organizations
- Training/Coaching for leadership wellness
- Mental Health Professionals Conference
Mental Health Justice & Wellness Equity
- Racial & ethnic outreach initiatives
- LGBTQIA+ outreach initiatives
- Wellness care for activists & organizers
- Mental Health Equity Cohort
- BIPOC Clergy Retreat
Crisis Care & Support
- Clergy crisis care
- Disaster crisis care
- Organizational crisis care
Watch and Learn
Learn how your faith community can benefit from awareness and education surrounding mental health. Our mental health and wellness webinars focus on topics such as welcoming those with mental illness, providing pastoral care during a crisis, safely discussing suicide, and more.