Tag Archives: mental health

Jane Frazer Cosgrove is a mental health advocate and a Moderator’s Community Service Medal recipient (2014). She is one of the founding members of A Nouwen Network and has been the facilitator since its inception in November 2009. What inspired you to create A Nouwen Network? In 2006 I began advocating for the provision of specific chaplaincy outreach to those ...

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in five Australians aged 16 to 85 live with some form of mental health issue. Journey looks at five ways you can raise awareness and dialogue around mental health issues in October to coincide with Queensland Mental Health Week (9–15 October). Organise an art exhibition Scott Guyatt recently wrote in The Scoop ...

For every death by suicide, Lifeline estimates that every day as many as 30 people make an attempt, and 250 make suicide plans. Ashley Thompson speaks with Christians affected by, and called to care for, those living with suicidal thoughts. Trigger warning: What follows is a retelling of people affected by suicide and/or involved in crisis support. If you should ...

New resources will help Uniting Churches to create safe spaces to talk about mental health. Dianne Jensen reports. The most powerful conversations are often the hardest to begin, and Synod research officer Sue Hutchinson understands that mental health is a confronting topic for church communities. Sue has coordinated the new Called to care suite of mental health resources for Uniting ...

SPOILER ALERT: The following article contains spoilers for the Disney Pixar animation Inside Out. Disney Pixar’s latest animation feature Inside Out offers purpose to all personified emotions, addressing the guilt and shame of Sadness. Ashley Thompson writes. Critically acclaimed for offering a “strikingly intricate and satisfying conceptualisation of a pre-teen’s psyche”, Director Pete Docter’s candy-coloured visual bonanza Inside Out explores ...

A small group of Indigenous students has embarked on an innovative Queensland course aimed at combating the devastating rates of Indigenous suicide. Dianne Jensen reports. Like all new students, the 2015 intake at Wontulp-Bi-Buya College in Cairns turned up to the first day of class with a mix of excitement and trepidation. The 35 students enrolled for the Certificate IV ...

If you’ve never felt unwelcome in a worshipping community it might be hard to understand how many people experience church. Journey explores how to make sure your church is truly inclusive. Indigenous Australians The Uniting Church sees reconciliation with Indigenous people as essential to the life and health of the church and Australian society. Including an acknowledgement of country before ...

A number of general proposals were passed by consensus during the 31st Synod in Session, many focussing on the church’s call to love our neighbour as ourselves. Constitutional recognition A proposal brought to the Synod by UnitingCare Queensland CEO Anne Cross and Calvary Presbytery Minister Rev Dennis Corowa called the church to join UnitingCare Queensland in being official partners of ...

Art is at the heart of Cooinda Mental Health Service’s vision to normalise mental health experiences within the Sunshine Coast community. Ashley Thompson writes. The Sunshine Coast Private Hospital’s Cooinda Mental Health Service is inviting members of the public to participate in its second annual Mental Health Week art exhibition in October. “Mental health is often misunderstood, or ‘if it ...

This is a book the church really needs. Many people in our communities are affected by mental illness of one kind or another, but how do our church communities respond? This book identifies people who fall through the gaps or are even damaged by contact with churches and looks at what can be done about it. Let’s look at some ...