Churches Care online course offers 18 hours of mental health and addiction training

By Deborah Miller

Join us Sept. 17 through Oct. 28 for a six-week, self-paced online course for Church of the Brethren clergy, lay leaders, health professionals, and social workers. The course is sponsored by the Church of the Brethren’s Discipleship and Leadership Formation and the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. District sponsorships also are welcome. The course offers 1.8 continuing education units for ministers, through the Brethren Academy.

Since 2019, We Rise International has strengthened the ability of church leaders and their congregations to support individuals and families experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges. Broader and deeper than Mental Health First Aid, this 18-hour training will increase knowledge of mental illnesses and addictions; offer ways to connect people to treatment and resources; and provide strategies to increase support and reduce stigma throughout entire congregations. The Churches Care Mental Health and Addiction (SUD) Training is now accessible to church, health, and lay leaders across the nation through a video-based, online course that participants complete at their own pace over a six-week period. As part of the Church of the Brethren cohort, participants will interact and build relationships with other Church of the Brethren clergy, lay leaders, health professionals and social workers.