Rev. Denise Hanson

My mental health journey began very abruptly on April 24, 2016, when my then-8th-grade daughter attempted to take her life.  She is doing so well now, for which I am grateful every single day.  And it has been a long journey.  Over the course of it, I had to acknowledge that I myself was a wounded person.  I come from a long line of emotionally repressed people, as many of us do, and had never really learned to process my emotions. I was quite severely anorexic for almost a decade in my 20s, and though I recovered from that, I realized that the core wounds were still there.  I needed to learn how to process my emotions in a healthy way, and I knew this would help my daughter too (not to mention everyone else in my sphere of influence).

Jump forward to 2021, when, though I am an ELCA pastor, God led me to St. Francis United Methodist Church.  The moment I met with the SPRC to see if I would be a good fit for their church, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit so strongly that I knew I was supposed to be there.   And as we talked, I began to understand why.  I learned that St. Francis has a relatively high teen suicide rate and that suicide has directly affected at least one of our members.  We knew that mental health needed to be a focus of our ministry going forward. 

We never ever want anyone to feel alone in their mental illness, so the first thing we did was to begin to destigmatize talking about mental illness.  We talk very openly about anxiety, depression, suicide ideation, and addiction.  There is no shame in having mental health struggles or mental illness, and we normalize that.  We created a Mental Health Team, headed up by our intrepid leader, Marilyn Townsend, who has been instrumental in helping our congregation learn more about mental health awareness, tools, and resources.  Our team reads books about mental wellness together, we put on movie nights with movies such as “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Inside Out,” and our congregation also became a member of Mental Health Connect. 

Raising awareness in the St. Francis community parade.

Mental Health Connect (MHC) is a collaborative of faith communities, working together to help destigmatize mental illness and to provide free mental health resources into the community.  We distribute many of their resources when we march with a Mental Wellness banner in our city’s annual parade, and we collaborate with Anoka County in handing out mental health resources at our booth during Pioneer Days every summer.   

MHC also provides “navigators,” trained professionals that anyone can call for consultation and to get connected to the help they need, as well as follow up afterwards (and it’s all free).  If someone who’s struggling with mental illness comes to us, we can immediately get them connected to a navigator from MHC. 

MHC also offers free online and in-person workshops and trainings on a great variety of mental health topics, which have been a valuable resource for our congregation.  If you’re interested in learning more about Mental Health Connect, you can find their website at www.mhconnect.org.

On our mental health journey, our church continues to learn day by day that we are loved just as we are; that God’s grace is sufficient for us; and that God meets us right where we’re at.  It’s okay to feel down.  It’s okay to not be okay.  You are loved.  You belong.   God is with you and for you.  You are never alone.  

CONNECTOR'S CORNER
    Meaghan Wharton, Dakotas Connector for Justice & Advocacy, shares three quick mental health resources and ideas to share with you all:

1. Loneliness Cafe
While I was in Florida at the Fresh Expressions Gathering, I attended a workshop that highlighted the “Loneliness Cafe,” a program created by Rev. Travis Smith to address loneliness. The statistics on loneliness are astonishing — about 50% of Americans report experiencing loneliness. Here is the basic framework:

• Invite community members to a one-time event called a “Loneliness Cafe.”
• During the gathering, ask questions such as:
• “Who in your life makes you feel seen?”
• “When is the loneliest you’ve ever felt while surrounded by others?”
• Allow time for discussion and sharing.
• With participants’ permission, gather contact information.
• Continue meeting with interested participants in smaller group settings following the event, offering support and presence.

While this cafe cannot end loneliness, it can be a meaningful first step toward connection and community. If you would be interested in implementing a Loneliness Cafe or would like more resources on this model, please let me know. I am happy to share!

2. Mental Health First Aid training.
I wanted to share a resource called Mental Health First Aid, a training provided by Wespath.
    About MHFA: Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to help someone who may be struggling with mental health or substance use challenges. Through this training, you learn how to recognize, understand, and respond to signs of mental health or substance use concerns and how to offer initial support until professional help can be obtained. Implementing Mental Health First Aid in our churches, communities, and in our own lives is an important step toward ending stigma and better supporting our neighbors.
    Wespath First Aid for Mental Health and related resources can be found here. Anyone can access and view the training videos and related resources.
    Folks enrolled in HealthFlex through Wespath can also utilize the Interactive Guide to HealthFlex Mental Health Resources.
There is also a public site for folks who are not enrolled in HealthFlex with resources available. There are some specific links at the top of the page, but if you scroll down, you can access general resources to share as well around trauma, mental health, grief, and loss. 

3. One last action item: Create (or find) a referral list of licensed counselors in your area.
    Having this information readily available is incredibly important and could make a significant difference for someone in your congregation or community. If you would like help finding counselors or putting together a referral list, I would love to help!

-Meaghan Wharton