Bishops’ mental health campaign gains local focus

HOUSTON — Catholic bishops in the U.S. are working to improve the lives of those with mental illness and their families by combating social stigma in seeking medication and treatment. 

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) continues its National Catholic Mental Health Campaign with the message, “Everyone who needs help should receive help.” Kicking off Oct. 10 on World Mental Health Day, the campaign provides resources and support to local parishes throughout the year. Novenas and counseling information can be found online at www.usccb.org/mentalhealth. 

“People are suffering and need help,” said 74-year-old Claire Shynett, a retired Harris County Mental Health employee with her master’s degree in clinical psychology. “It’s a rewarding journey for me to see people in recovery.” 

“I consider myself still on the clock,” Shynett said of her volunteer work at Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Fifth Ward.  

As Houston’s coordinator for the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, she said parishes can offer support groups and companionship training, among other resources. 

“The pandemic just opened the floodgate of loneliness when there were no family gatherings or traveling. Then people began to realize how being isolated really does lead to feelings of abandonment and other mental health issues,” Shynett said. 

She added, “People with mental health issues and addictions want the same things in their lives as you and I do — they want to be able to have control over their life.” 

For those who do not have the resources to fully pay for regular therapy, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston offers a sliding scale for services, said Anna Gonzales, director of its Counseling and Behavioral Health Clinic. 

“Across the country, there is a troubling shortage of mental health providers,” Anna Gonzales said. “We provide individual and family counseling, but we also provide training to church office staff and at Catholic schools on conflict resolution, trauma-informed care, and other ways to help.” 

However, there can be a waiting list for the agency to accept one’s case, just as if one calls for a doctor’s appointment and must wait at times for weeks. There are also regular assignments with Catholic Charities counselors traveling to eight inner-city CROSS Academy schools to counsel students and families.

“The past few years, there has been more worldwide trauma and children acting out or crying — with all the disasters, the pandemic, shootings in schools,” Anna Gonzales said. “We try to deal with our clients’ concerns before it grows into more worrisome plans of action.”

Benita Gonzales, the director of student support services and director of support for counselors and nurses for the Catholic Schools Office agreed. “Catholic Charities school-based behavioral health services are an asset in our CROSS Academies, she said.

“The services they provide to students, parents and school staff are crucial in educating the whole child through their mind, body, and soul,” Benita Gonzales added. “It is a blessing to have a Catholic organization guided by principles of Catholic Social teaching supporting our families and school staff.”

Catholic Charities has also collaborated with San José Clinic and St. Mary’s Clinic, which help patients with no insurance, to provide an integrated behavioral health program.  
“At both clinics, a patient can see a primary care provider and also receive counseling services,” Anna Gonzales said. 

Area parishes also have the option to contract with either the nonprofit “Gratia Plena” counseling services or the business model of “Rejoice” counseling, which offers both face-to-face counseling at 16 different churches and telehealth therapy. Many of the area Catholic churches that contract for counseling services are large, suburban parishes needing assistance with marital counseling or engagement retreats. 

Melissa Alvarez, Archdiocesan associate director for Ministry with Persons with Disabilities, said, “We work in collaboration with our local Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, an ecumenical chapter here in Houston with trained leaders who are also part of a larger national association. Our Houston chapter is a frontline parish ministry which is under the umbrella of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church with pastor Father Rodney Armstrong, SSJ.” 

Alvarez referred those interested in helping or seeking help to call the local ‘Emotional Health Message Line’ at 832-962-8597. People can leave a message for advocates to offer comforting, nonjudgmental and validating spaces for those with severe challenges and/or their loved ones to feel safe, heard and supported. 

“The idea is for our department to work with our ministers, our Archdiocesan Catholic Charities counseling and other counseling organizations. We build that support team for each and every individual or family to assure them that they are not alone and to connect them with the appropriate need,” she said. 

One of those partners, Larry G. Freeney Jr., PhD, director of Education and Assessments for Rejoice Counseling, was the keynote speaker for an Early Childhood Center conference on Oct. 14 at Prince of Peace Catholic Church. Freeney said, “We splinter our health too much. The church helps our spiritual health, while other doctors focus on our physical and mental health. You can have both Jesus and a counselor in your life.” 

Another partnering entity, Gratia Plena, meaning “full of grace,” is a nonprofit that opened in 2012 to provide counseling services, especially for the Catholic community. However, all are welcome, said Gratia Plena founder and executive director Dr. Kenneth Buckle. 

Close to 60 million U.S. adults, or one in five, experienced mental illness in 2021, with more than 14 million of them reporting a serious condition. Well over 19 million people battle both self-medicating substance abuse and mental illness concurrently, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. 

The American Psychiatric Association Foundation recently released a survey finding that 60% of U.S. adults say their faith or spirituality is an important factor in supporting their mental wellness. However, only 52% of those who belong to a religious community agree that their leaders of the faith community “discuss mental health openly and without stigma.” 

The USCCB campaign and local counseling efforts are trying to educate the public that you can be both blessed and still stressed in need of direction, officials said. 

“Our clinicians do not judge you; they support you. We show there is no stigma about checking on your mental health. It’s like regularly checking your blood glucose for diabetics to stay healthy,” Anna Gonzales said.