By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
Traumatic experiences are more common than one might think, said Mike Carotta, author of the new “Whole Hearted” mental health program for parishes. In a 2020 Trauma in America study, one in five practicing Christians reported a traumatic experience. The most common cause was the death of a loved one, followed by betrayal by a trusted individual, domestic violence, physical abuse and sexual abuse.
More than half of Christians who experienced trauma turned to God as a way to cope with symptoms such as rumination, anxiety, aggression, self-destructive behavior and difficulty sleeping, according to the pre-pandemic study. However, only 25% sought out their local church.
“We tend to think it’s catastrophic events that cause trauma, but what we’re finding out from professionals is (that) you can be impacted by ordinary events as well,” Carotta said. “Whole Hearted is a way for the local church… to provide the spiritual help people are looking for,” he said. The author shared his thoughts in a Zoom meeting last month.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Catholic Mental Health Campaign will once again call for awareness and prayer this October around World Mental Health Day. In response, Catholic Charities USA and the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (CMHM) are encouraging parishes to offer Whole Hearted as a free trauma awareness program. A video overview is available on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/WholeHeartedVid.
Parishes can offer the program in four, 45-minute sessions to help people understand the impact of trauma and to consider ways to move forward mentally and spiritually. One or two volunteers from the parish lead the sessions using the Whole Hearted facilitator guide; participants follow along through participant journals. Both resources are free and available to download in English and Spanish at https://tinyurl.com/WholeHeartedUSCCB.
Carotta encourages laypersons who have a heart for mental health awareness to consider taking on a facilitator role at their parish. “There might be people who are not inclined to take on a catechetical or liturgical or devotional or leadership role (in the parish), but they might feel good about leading something like this and accompanying people in this area.” A session-by-session orientation to review the resource with Carotta will take place Sept. 13 from noon-2 p.m. on Zoom. Register at https://tinyurl.com/WholeHeartedZoom.
Whole Hearted is not meant to function as a support group or replace clinical mental health treatment. Participants can expect to dialogue on content about trauma and reflect on their own experiences through guided reflection. “There are occasional discussions, but it’s really a quiet program,” Carotta explained. “It is meant to be a primer, not an intervention.” He encourages parishes to compile a list of local mental health providers for participants to contact if they need additional support.
About the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) launched the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign in 2023 to raise awareness, to remove the stigma of mental illness and mental health challenges and to advocate that persons who struggle receive help. The campaign aims to inspire a national conversation around the topic of mental health and to mobilize the Catholic Church to respond compassionately and effectively to the mental health crisis, according to the USCCB website.
The campaign will begin Oct. 10 on World Mental Health Day with the Mental Health Novena, offered in solidarity with persons suffering from mental health challenges as well as health care professionals and family and friends caring for people in need. Each day of the novena reflects on a theme related to mental health or a particular population significantly affected by mental health challenges, using a “Pray, Learn, Act” structure. The novena is available in English and Spanish at https://www.usccb.org/mental-health-novena.
The USCCB encourages parishes to consider highlighting mental health year-round, and especially through one or more liturgies on the weekend following World Mental Health Day. Dioceses and parishes are invited to use the mental health campaign as an impetus to promote existing local mental health programs. The campaign may also serve as a starting point to launch a local mental health resource at the diocesan or parish level, such as the Whole Hearted program. For more information, go to https://www.usccb.org/mentalhealth.
