Mental Health

Mental Health Needs

You may be looking for WELS resources for mental health needs for yourself, a loved one, or your ministry. This page will help you find mental health information and organizations, useful for ministry leaders seeking to help others or someone looking for resources for your personal situation.

The Committee on Mental Health Needs provides guidance, spiritual resources and assistance to WELS churches and members as they minister to one another in love. Mental Health Needs teams have developed resources for those who resist or are recovering from addiction or temptation to use pornography as well as people who struggle because they were abused. Sometimes the problem requires professional counseling or medical attention, such as depression or schizophrenia.

What we do

Counseling support

You may have questions about counseling. You might wonder whether it is appropriate for a Christian to see a secular therapist. You may be interested in learning about the kinds of counseling available to assist those with mental health needs. View and download information about:

Help for Mental Illness
Therapy Models
When to Refer
Christian or Non-Christian Counselor
Ask a Therapist

Get information

The Mental Health Needs team that helps Christians understand and benefit from good Christian counseling is the WELS/ELS Christian Therapists Network. Therapists who want to learn more about Christian counseling should look at their online training and spiritual resources. Pastors will find information to help them coordinate their spiritual counseling with their members’ therapists. The team has assembled directory of Christian therapists.

Christian Therapists Network

Resisting porn

Another Mental Health Needs team helps Christians reject and resist the lure of pornography and recover from its devastation. This team, called Conquerors through Christ, produces resources to help ministry leaders, people who struggle, and those who love them to address this problem. View and download resources for people who are:

Struggling with pornography
Hurt by the porn use of another
Wanting to help someone they love who’s struggling
Parents
Ministering to others

Get information

Conquerors through Christ has resources for those affected by wreckage of pornography as well as helpful resources for parents to guide their children to good things God gives and away from the lies pornography tells. Sex is a gift of God’s design. And sex education is a process, not an event. Conquerors through Christ’s Parent Support System provides resources to help parents talk to their kids and say the things about sex and pornography that God has given us to say.

Parent support system

Abuse prevention

Freedom for the Captives is the Mental Health Needs team whose mission is to equip the body of Christ to protect children and empower abuse survivors. The strength of this program is its spiritual focus. Ministry leaders are focused on the teachings of Jesus about children and abuse. Survivors of abuse receive comfort from the gospel applied to their suffering. The website provides:

Devotions for survivors
Christ’s teaching about children and abuse
Abuse prevention training
Mandatory reporting guidance
Information for family and advocates
Spiritual impact of abuse
Making church and school safer for kids
Abuse prevention policy resources

Freedom for the Captives

The online abuse prevention training “Standing up for Children: A Christian Response to Child Abuse and Neglect” equips anyone involved with a church or school to recognize abuse and keep children safe from abuse. The course includes Biblical teaching regarding the responsibility of Christians to keep children safe.

Get training

Recovery support

Mental Health Needs also helps congregations serve people in their church and community who are struggling with addictions or painful situations. This team can sometimes connect members with an existing online support group or direct people to the nearest group. Send inquiries to [email protected].

Congregations and support groups can provide the encouragement and accountability which people struggling with addiction seek when they are earnest about recovery. WELS Commission on Special Ministries offers free online instruction on becoming a recovery friendly church.

Recovery Friendly Churches

Request a Support Group

Resilient Recovery Groups

Online Support Groups

Depression

Light in the Valley meets online every first and third Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. Central Time. It’s open to anyone who struggles with depression in any form. Rev. Luke Italiano leads the group.

For more information, e-mail R ev. Luke Italiano.

First responders

First responders and other frontline workers walk with others through the most difficult of times. Sharing that burden with others who understand can be helpful. This group is led by chaplains who have served with first responders. It meets online on the second Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Central Time and the fourth Saturday of the month at 10 a.m. Central Time.

For more information, inquire through Institutional Ministry’s online form at im.life/contact-us.

Pornography addiction

Conquerors through Christ helps people resist, reject, and recover from pornography use or addiction. Monthly online support group meetings via a secure meeting site help individuals encourage one another.

For more information, inquire through Conquerors through Christ’s online form.

Alcohol/drug addiction

Resilient Recovery Ministries offers Christian help for addiction. Weekly online support groups are available for addicts and their families.

For more information, visit restinjesus.org.

Interested in an in-person support group? Check with your pastor to see what may be available in your area.

Relationship violence

A free online support group for survivors of relationship violence offered through Kingdom Workers.

This group is offered every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. CST and Thursday at 12:00 (noon) CST.

For more information, contact Kingdom Workers – [email protected].

In Crisis?

The challenges of living in a broken and sinful world can become overwhelming. Everyone experiences the effects of sin differently in their life. Emotional, social, physical, or spiritual pain can lead some to lose hope and consider harming themselves or even ending their life.

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency and are concerned about your safety, please call 911.

Here are some additional resources to consider as well:

Call 988
988 is the national suicide and crisis lifeline. They are available 24/7 and provide free and confidential support for people in distress.

Chat with 988
You can chat with a Lifeline crisis counselor 27/7 by visiting 988lifeline.org/chat/

Text 988
You can text a Lifeline counselor by sending a text message to 988.

Pastoral Counseling
Pastors are trained to provide spiritual support and encouragement. Sometimes it is easier to reach out to someone with whom you have a relationship. Even if you haven’t reached out to your pastor in a long time, the desire to help is always there for you. He can assist you by providing hope from God’s Word and a reminder of God’s love and forgiveness for you. You and pastor can also talk about other resources in your congregation or community that can be helpful.

Latest News

2023/04/12

WELS CENTER FOR MISSION AND MINISTRY

Mental Health Needs

What we do

Latest News

Child safety: Why talk to kids about abuse?

Do not Despise a Little One

A Radical Change for the Better

SUPPORT THESE MINISTRIES

CHRISTIAN FAMILY SOLUTIONS

Devotions

SUBSCRIBE TO TOGETHER

GIVE A GIFT

MENU

ABOUT

HELP

SOCIAL

WELS Center for Mission and Ministry

Contact Us