Mental Health Ministry (was re: new member

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On Wed, 4 Sep 1996 08:41:27 -0500 "Robert J. Brown" <rj@eli.wariat.org>
writes:

>I am currently active in nursing home ministry.  My wife and I have
>talked of starting something similar for psychiatric patients.  Does
>anyone on this list have experience with, or know of, any similar
>work?

Bro. Robert,

My dad is a Registered Nurse or RN at a mental hospital in Florida,
called George Pierce Memorial Hospital.   When I was much younger, say
around 10 or so, my mother sometimes brought a "client" (that's what
their supposed to be called for now) to church.
 I remember one lady she brought to church on a Sunday morning then
allowed  her to come home with us for that afternoon.  She (I don't
remember her name) taught me to sing "Silent Night".  I guess she wasn't
one of the really terrible cases out at GPW or she wouldn't have been
allowed to come with us.  I don't even recall what her mental condition
was.  I do believe though that my mother was able to minister to her by
those few times she was allowed to come with us.  
My dad has used a christian game called the "Un game" in his group
sessions with the clients to find out how they were feeling and to help
them cope with their feelings better.  A basic description is that "Un
game" has questions which when asked the person who picked the card lets
him/her tell about them self and then allows the other players to respond
*later* to their answers. 
I think if you are wanting to do something with psychiatric patients you
must think how much patience do you have.  (No pun intended). :-) I
would strongly suggest that if you do decide to minister to them, first
talk with the patients' personal doctors.  That way you would know how
to deal with them if the situation would get out of hand, which it
could.  My mother for example always communicated with that lady's
personal doctor, and there did come a day when the doctor said she could
no longer join us for church because of her actions at the hospital
during the week.  (She wouldn't take her medicine, and got violent
several times at GPW)  So it is very important that you keep a strong
communication line between yourself and the doctor of that patient you
are ministering to. 
I could go on and on, but for the sake of shortness I'll just say, "God
bless you in your efforts."


***********************************************
Gabrielle Mounts                                           
rielle@juno.com
*************                                           *************
	God is my shepherd, I shall not want.
                                    Psalms 23:1
         "Only God knows where I am at every moment, 
                and only he knows what I really need ."
                                   Gabrielle 1:1
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