Chris Short is back with the second episode of our Promoting Mental Health and Wellness in your Group Podcast. In this episode Chris is again talking with Santha Yinger and Mike Wraith about recognizing and responding to crisis situations in the lives of your group members. Here are some of the topics they address in this episode:
A person is considered to be in crisis when they are no longer able to function at their normal level -It can look different for everyone. We are not necessarily all in crisis over the same things.
There are many things that can cause a person or family to get to that crisis stage. Sometimes even life change can cause a reaction – moving to a new place, a new job, changing schools.
- How can the group support (not fix) each other when one of us is going through a crisis? How can we de-escalate the situation?
Compassion and curiosity – It is important that we understand what is going on before we try to step into it. It is also important to validate and acknowledge people feelings in these situations – that is not to say we agree or condone – it just means we hear that they are struggling.
Active listening means being present and sometimes repeating back what you have heard. We may not have experienced what they are experiencing but we can recognize that they are in pain.
Be sure to give people the space they need to share their experience. Giving them time at the end of their sentence, asking them when they pause “what else is going on” People won’t usually be up front with all of their struggles right away – but they will continue to share if they see we genuinely care and honestly want to hear them.
One of the most important things you can do when someone is in crisis is just giving them the gift of your presence. Active listening means being present and sometimes repeating back what you have heard.
We aren’t required to fix things – We need to avoid problem solving in the crisis moments.
- When it comes to a life group – what is an example of a crisis that might need some intervention and/or outside help?
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- Suicide
- Self-Harm
- Self-Medicating (Not just drugs and alcohol – could be gaming, shopping, binge watching)
- Eating Disorders – Unhealthy relationship with food
This is such an important topic, and we appreciate all of our leaders and your willingness to love your people well! Remember you are not alone – our groups team is here to offer support and resources and a listening ear when you need one!
Some of the resources mentioned in this episode:
Movie: Inside Out (link to trailer)
Real Life Post Falls Classes: https://www.reallifeministries.com/classes
Real Life Mental Health Resources: https://www.reallifeministries.com/mentalhealthresources
Real Life Ministries Counseling & Community Resource Guide:
We also have some great tools that our leadership have made available for you to use!
- Right Now Media: (The Netflix of Bible Studies)
Real Life has gifted our people with a free membership to this platform! Find out more at this link. https://app.rightnowmedia.org/en/user/reallifeministries
- Real Life Resources: This digital library contains over 500 tools and resources to help both you personally and those in your group. Podcasts, videos, books, studies and much more at this link. https://realliferesources.org/
If you have any questions or suggestions for future topics, feel free to email us at: [email protected].
You can download the show notes from this episode here: Show Notes
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