Tag: pastoral counselling

The happy narcissist

It’s not too difficult to spot a narcissist. They are the ones who believe that the world revolves around them. They have an excessively high view of their own importance and abilities.  Now, to be clear narcissism should not be confused with confidence.  It is possible to have a natural confidence and awareness of your… Continue reading The happy narcissist

Pastoring Asylum Seekers

One of the privileges I had serving in an urban multicultural context was the opportunity to pastor asylum seekers and other immigrants seeking leave to remain.  As well as those with what you might call fairly conventional asylum claims and those who were primarily economic migrants we also saw a number of people who were… Continue reading Pastoring Asylum Seekers

Three anxieties

Is it a sin to be anxious  or is it simply a mental health condition that you don’t have control over? I’ve heard both extremes.  In the church we often emphasis the former whilst it is increasingly the norm to hear people saying “I have anxiety” and using that as a reason not to be… Continue reading Three anxieties

Christians don’t (shouldn’t) bear grudges

One of the saddest things in Christian life is when you meet or hear about people, sometimes within the same church who have not spoken for years. Similarly you can even discover churches where there has been rivalry going on since a split decades ago.  Sometimes Christians will disagree sharply. The Apostle Paul disagreed with… Continue reading Christians don’t (shouldn’t) bear grudges

Is it all in the mind?

“The body keeps the score” is the title of a book by Bessel Van Der Kolk about mental health and the affects of trauma. We sometimes describe particular health conditions as “all in the mind.” At one level, what we might simply mean by that is that we cannot find a specific and direct organic… Continue reading Is it all in the mind?

How Scripture can help with cases of depression and mental distress

I’m continuing a series of articles picking up on Mark Pickett’s call following the publication of The Pastor with a thorn in his side for further reflection and analysis concerning pastors and Christians experiencing depression. In this article I want to talk a bit more about how Scripture can be helpful to those suffering from… Continue reading How Scripture can help with cases of depression and mental distress

Sleep and mental health

One factor affecting mental health is rest and sleep. There are two aspects to this. First of all, when we are struggling with anxiety and/or depression this can affect sleep patterns but also disrupted sleep is likely to affect our overall sense of mental well-being.  So, it is possible to get into a vicious cycle. … Continue reading Sleep and mental health

Thinking about the effect of environment on mental health and depression

In his review of The pastor with a thorn in his side, Mark Pickett calls for further theological, ecclesiological and sociological reflection on the causes and consequences of depression among those in Christian service. I agree and believe that such reflection will be helpful not just for church leaders suffering with depression but as we… Continue reading Thinking about the effect of environment on mental health and depression