Family and Friend Care Videos
Family and friend care videos present real people who share stories of personal struggles. Each video comes with a companion application/discussion guide which includes a summary of the video key points, suggestions for use, discussion starters, and relevant scripture. Please check back as we regularly add new content.
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Christian Community for Trauma
This video, from the perspective of a survivor, a Christian therapist, and a pastor reinforces the idea that the thing that will help people be put back together the most is friendship and a sense of community.
Care Without Categories
Survivor and pastor Dan shares his experience with the stigma he felt and some thoughts on the way a church can respond. Therapist and survivor Allie gives input on providing care and ministry in a personal and authentic way.
Fear of Judgement
Jason talks about the fear of being judged for his addiction. Counselor Julie provides direction on being present to hear and accept those who come to us for support.
Caring For The Hopeless
Some of us haven’t walked through hopelessness and it’s hard to know what to do for someone who’s hopeless. Real survivors and professionals share practical strategies for ministering to those in need individually and through the church.
Present With The Suffering
Counselor Caroline Jones describes practical actions that can be use for people who are suffering and discusses her views on the theology of suffering; God grieves over our suffering, He never leaves us alone in our suffering, and there is an eternal remedy for suffering.
Sympathy Versus Empathy
Therapist Tom Colbert shares how to fundamentally help people with trauma through building an arena of respect. Tom presents 3 simple but challenging steps to create an environment of respect so that suffering people understand that your church is willing and prepared to care for them.
Comfort Grieving Parents
Simple input from the Dad of a lost child. John provides guidance on how to talk to parents about their child who has died.
Coming Home to Trauma
Pastor Tim talks about the trauma of coming home from church to find that his wife had attempted suicide. A first hand account of a church leader who is faced with a life changing event. Tim shares a wonderful example of loving care and support they received.
What To Say
Survivors, Pastors, and counselors talk about common mistakes that some of us make when we try to support people with mental health needs. Our words and even scripture can cause feelings of guilt, shame, and exclusion for survivors. Positive suggestions and strategies are shared.
Empathy For The Suffering
Therapist Julie Hull on responding to trauma. Sometimes our response to someone in pain can miss the mark because we try to respond with empathy when we haven’t actually been in their shoes. Empathy requires shared experience. Julie shares a few specific things a church can do to respond well.
Grief Empathy
This video features John who survived the death of his young son. John offers very practical tips for people in the pain of grief and for those who love them.
Helping A Family In Crisis
Jessica, a survivor of family PTSD shares four practical ways that any of us in the church can be care providers for families experiencing a mental health crisis.
Hope And Time For Healing
Trauma creates hard questions; does time heal? where do I find my hope? etc. Therapist Julie Hull talks about finding hope after the death of her husband and how we as the church can help bear the weight when death challenges our hope and faith. Julie contrasts earthly and eternal healing.
How To Approach The Suffering
Sometimes the best way to support someone is to just sit along side them in their suffering. Counselor Caroline shares the importance of enlisting the right knowledge, perspective and people when supporting those who are suffering.
Isolation
Survivor Rob shares the feelings and thought he went through during his time of isolation. Pastor Paul shares advice from his own trauma experience on how to react when trauma becomes part of your story.
Mental Health Stigma
Pastor and survivor Dan along with therapist Allie talk about the ways we often stigmatize people who should feel comfortable bringing their trauma to the church.
Responding To Suffering
Makenzie lost her big brother to homicide when she was 13 years old. In this video she shares her thoughts about the way her friends and church responded to her suffering.
Say The Right Thing
Unless we’ve lived through the loss of a child we can’t really know the depth of that pain. After the loss of her son, Lyn was deeply hurt by the words of a friend who had an outsiders perspective. Lyn shares her guidance on how to care for those in the depth of grief.
Supporting Kids/Bad News
Julie is a therapist who lost her husband to cancer. She relate the experience of sharing the news of Ken’s illness with their young son. Julie presents recommendations of ways the church can support families going through similar events.
Surviving The First Years
Lisa shares the journey of feelings and perceptions she went through in the years following trauma. Counselor Jenita guides caregivers to focus on listening as the first tool in responding to people in pain.
Talking To One In Distress
Pastor Tom Gonzalez describe how we resemble Christ when we are distressed, and the importance of expressing our emotions. He shares practical guidance for communicating with someone in distress.
The Depth Of Grief
Survivor Jessica shares some things she learned about grief through trauma. Counselor Allie talks about the presence of grief in the Bible. Counselor and survivor Karen shares the importance of creating environments where people feel safe asking for help.
Walking With The Wounded
Survivor Beth who lost her son and Pastor Paul offer advice to the church on following the model of Jesus to be compassionate and present with the suffering.
Is God Punishing Me
Pastor and trauma survivor Dan shares his experience with the way well-meaning Christians can create feelings of shame for people who reach out for mental health support.
When There Are No Answers
Brad talks about the ways people responded after the death of his son Logan. Pastor Paul talks about the experience of leading his church while in the depth of grief over his murdered son.
Racial Reconciliation
Meridel is the mother of three Caucasian children and five African-American children. Her perspective provides a unique opportunity to understand ways society and the church could do better in the area of racial reconciliation.
Caregivers Of Mental Illness
Steve speaks openly of living with his wife’s mental illness for nearly 3 decades. He describes the difficulty that he and his children faced, and how faithful God was to send help.
Walking With The Hurting
Nancy’s family needed support when her son was under control of addiction. Counselor Kjersti, offers advice and counsel on the way Christians can support each other. LuAnn shares the way one church equips it’s people to come alongside others.
Room For Mental Health
Justin shares his experience as a young person with mental illness and thoughts of suicide. Pastors Paul and Deb discuss ways the church can create a culture that reflects God’s love where people can safely seek help.
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are built on the stories of real people who share their experience, hope and healing. We’re grateful for their trust and generosity in serving others who seek change.
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