South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust [SWLSTG] has created a course to help faith leaders build skills to support families in their communities with mental health problems.
The course will initially be run as 20-week trial for pastors in the London Borough of Wandsworth and is aimed at addressing the lack of trust some communities have towards traditional mental health services.
The course is set to run until late March and the pastors will receive a certificate in working with families. It is hoped that the tools and methods learnt on the course will help pastors work with and support families in their communities. It will also allow the 12 pastors taking part to build on their existing listening and counselling skills. Courses are planned for other faith groups in the future.
Annie Turner, head of family therapy and training at SWLSTG, said: “The pastors and others involved in pastoral care are the most enthusiastic and energetic group I have taught.
“Faith leaders are often the first port of call within our communities when families are facing challenges and difficulties, so it is important that they are equipped with the right tools and methods to provide the best support they can.”
Turner said the course grew out of shared concerns about over-representation of people from black and ethnic minority populations among those with mental health diagnoses.
Delroy Powell, senior pastor of New Testament Assembly Church Tooting, who is taking part in the course, said: “Statistics continue to show that in every aspect of society people from black minority ethnic communities suffer a disproportionate share of the social ills and experience significantly fewer of its benefits.
“It is my hope that the excellent training in systemic practice received from Annie Turner and her team will lead to our churches and public agencies working collaboratively to improve the health and wellbeing of these communities.”
Malik Gul, director of Wandsworth Community Empowerment Network, concluded: “The courses open up the real possibility of mental health advice, information and support being offered deep into communities, through avenues previously unseen, building community skills and capacity.
“It also brings within sight the prospect of redesigning pathways into services and a much more genuine integration of health and social care systems with and alongside the communities which we service.”
