“I think every church needs some connection with a good Christian counsellor.”

Janet Mabie
Spur Ottawa Writer

It’s not a new problem. Mental health issues have been present from the beginning of time. Recently exacerbated by the global pandemic, the problem seems to be growing significantly. Nobody is exempt, not even Christians, pastors, and church leaders.

“Mental health is a serious problem in the Church and in the community,” shares Alex, an Ottawa pastor whose name has been changed as he asked to remain anonymous. “The pandemic brought more of it to light. People were isolated, discouraged. I saw depression, anxiety, loneliness, and confusion. Many of these stressors have led to relationship stress within families and marriages.”

Another pastor shared how his church’s ministry team has felt overwhelmed, discouraged, and burnt out. “I personally experienced moments of anxiety and loneliness, particularly as a brand new member of our church staff. I was in youth ministry only a few weeks before having to transition to online ministry. This was especially detrimental to creating person-to-person relationships.”

“Having to isolate from one another has caused us all to experience loss.”

Even with restrictions lifted, the church’s team still feels disheartened. They have congregants who only attend on-line services and other who left altogether due to disagreements with church protocols surrounding the pandemic.

“I think every church needs some connection with a good Christian counsellor,” advises Alex. “Many ministers are here to listen, but are not professional therapists, so we have very good counsellors who we direct people to.”

“The last two-and-a-half years have been challenging, to say the least,” says Kerri Guther, business director at Christian Counselling Ottawa. “Having to isolate from one another has caused us all to experience loss. This, in turn, has caused the number of people seeking assistance with their mental health to rise.”

Stephanie Seaver, a member of Respond Ottawa, recently attended an on-line summit discussing mental health within the Church.

“We have issues of silence (nobody wants to talk about it), secrets (which breed shame), and stigma,” she explains. “The antidotes: compassion ends silence, community exposes secrets, counselling eliminates shame, and courage erases stigma.”

Seaver says education on what mental health is, and is not, goes a long way to help reduce stigma. It’s a topic she feels the Church needs to talk about much more and find more compassionate ways of engaging.

“Life can be overwhelming, but together we can offer hope.”

“The Lord, through His spirit and His word, provides us with many resources that we need for our mental health,” says Alex. “He has created the Church to help people with mental health through fellowship, worship, discipleship, and service”.

Guther says people generally turn to their doctor, church, or a counsellor for help. At Christian Counselling Ottawa, they help people manage life’s challenges through psychotherapy and mental health-related education services.

“We believe God has gifted our staff to be therapists who have a deep compassion for those who are struggling to cope with all life has presented,” she adds. “Life can be overwhelming, but together we can offer hope. Jesus is all sufficient. He is the healer who provided healing for each of us in His atonement.”

“Where does my help come from?” Seaver adds. “Ultimately, our hope, our strength, and our help come from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth.”