Week 10 Part 1- Supporting People with Mental Illness

How do you support someone you love?

You want them to get better.

You went them to get help.

What do you do?

Is it hard?

Is it frustrating?

What do we do?

Week 10 Part 2- Paradigms for Helping

We often believe the barrier to a person’s wellness is knowledge

We explain: 


About what the bible says about getting well


About getting help


About getting a team


About keeping a positive attitude


About diet and nutrition


About  self-care


About abusive relationships


About meds


About keeping work and grades up 


About the implications of their mental health


About self-care…

Believe all  these things and it will be better!

Do all these things and it will be better!

Everything is linked to capacity


Can you do enough?

Can you be enough?

Do you have the capacity to do all of this on top of everything else you were already trying to do? 

2 Corinthians 1:3-7


3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11


8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

What do you do about knowledge barriers?
Listen 

Knowledge barriers are often about belief.


Am I worth the work
Am I good enough?
Can I make it through all of this?
How do I do this on top of everything else I was doing?
Am I going to lose my job?
How am I going to take care of my family?
Am I defective?
Is this all there is to my life from here out?

How am I going to pay my bills?
what if something happens to me?
Etc. etc.

People don’t know how much you know until they know how much you care

Listening gives dignity


They do not know what they need to get better.

Are you the right voice to tell them?
Just because you have the power does not mean you have the permission.



They are not doing what they need in order to improve.

Who is in charge of their life?
The dignity of choice.


They just need to do this.

You are not in control.

Educate yourself.
Be patient.
Listen empathically.



They do not think they can make it.


Believe in them until they can believe for themselves

Is it hard?

Is it frustrating?

Their problems will bring out your problems. 

Week 10 Part 3- Resourcing

Supporting someone else is going to cost you something. 


You need your own tools.

Everyone orbits around the sick person. They do not necessarily help. 

Find or build a support network for yourself.


Get therapy.


Practice self-care.


You cannot help someone else if you need taking care of. 

Their problems will bring out your problems. 

Often, being a helpful supporter will feel selfish.

Build resource lists for the person you are supporting that do not just involve you. 


Psychiatric resources

Therapeutic resources

Community resources

Volunteering resources

Self-care resources

Invitations to play


The right things are often the hard things

The relationship is in the midst of the struggle

How is your self-care?


What triggers does being a caregiver bring up in you?


What do you need to do to deal with those?

How do you play?

Where do you find yourself feeling most alive?

How much do you do that? 

Would you like to do it more?

How can you be your best to support those who need you?

How can you listen better?

What can you learn about their story?

Where does your story intersect?


Last modified: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 11:12 AM