Mental health

By The Rt Rev’d Jennifer A. Reddall, sixth bishop of Arizona

There is a mental health crisis in our nation and our state that has only gotten worse since the pandemic. At its most extreme, rates of suicide and self-harm have increased, but so have needs for many more people battling loneliness, depression, and other mental health conditions. Our care for one another’s health—physical, mental, and spiritual, is part of loving one another. And our inherent worth as human beings and children of God means that we are all loved, equally, by God, regardless of the condition of our mental health.  

At the request of a group of clergy and lay leaders in the Diocese of Arizona last fall, I convened a group to discuss how our diocese might help in additional ways in addressing the mental health crisis. 

We launched registrations for our first two Mental Health First Aid trainings, which are now full and have wait lists. This is a critical need for lay and clergy leaders. As a parish priest I regularly used the skills I learned in an equivalent class to help respond to: 

• Parishioners in crisis with depression, suicidality, or experiencing domestic violence

• Guests at our homeless dinner program experiencing a wide range of mental health concerns, including occasional verbal and physical outbursts

• People inside and outside the congregation with substance abuse disorders, or a family member with a substance abuse issue. 

It is my prayer that eventually, every congregation will have some lay leaders and clergy leaders who have the skills from Mental Health First Aid training.  

But this is only the beginning. The task force will be making a recommendation to me on which suicide prevention training to invest in for our diocese, and based on the overwhelming response, I expect we will offer additional MHFA trainings. And I hope that someday we will also be able to offer domestic violence response workshops, in addition to the good ministry we already do by being a church: providing space for people to build supportive relationships, for vulnerable people to find safety, and for hope and connection to the divine. 

We are not alone in this work. In January, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix convened an Interfaith Mental Health summit for an initial conversation, and other faith groups are prioritizing this work. 

My hope is that together, we can reduce remaining stigmas in seeking mental health care, but also know that we are seeking treatment not because God will love us more or because it will inherently change our value or worth, but because treatment may make us better able to serve, to be in relationship with one another, and to be part of loving communities. 

To learn more, Arizona’s Department of Health has resources here, and our Diocesan website has some further resources here.