Living Faithfully With Mental Health Challenges: Why Theology Matters

The course will explore theological and practical issues around mental health and ill health. Often our perspectives and approaches to mental health are taken from the important fields of psychiatry and psychology. These are significant areas of mental health care. But what exactly does theology contribute to our understanding that these other approaches do not?  Does faith in the presence of God actually make a difference either to carers or those cared for?  If it does, what does that difference look like? The course will develop a hospitable interdisciplinary dialogue within which these different dimensions of the healing process can come together faithfully with a view to exploring the theology and psychology of mental health challenges. The intention is to enable students to become faithful and hospitable carers and better theologians, who in a real sense continue the healing work of Jesus. Issues explored will include: depression, anxiety, psychosis, bipolar disorder, Christian community, healing, friendship, hospitality, the problem of evil and the centrality of faithful interdisciplinary conversations that seek to care with rather than just for people living with mental health challenges.

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