Our parish offers a Mental Health Support Ministry which is part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Mental Health Ministry Network. Currently, there are 13 parishes participating in the network.

We pray that your experience with our parish ministry team gives comfort and assists you and your family in locating resources able to initiate, continue, or improve your recovery endeavors. Please, invite your family and friends to join us at upcoming mental health educational events.

Our parish mental health ministry team consists of volunteers who participate in regular informational meetings and trainings designed to strengthen their ministry skills and are:

✦ Non-professionals with open ears and hearts for listening to and supporting those with mental health challenges and those individuals / families  

    affected by mental illness

✦ Professionals, who have worked or work with those who are affected by mental illness.

✦ Ministry team members are able to offer:

- A prayerful listening ear. They listen carefully and confirm they heard the experience of those reaching out for help.

- They are able to reassure them that they are not alone.

- They are able to provide a non-judgmental safe place.

✦ A listing of mental health service agencies and individual mental health professionals whose services are located geographically near the parish. In some cases, however, parishes are removed geographically from services, and the offerings may be located outside the parish geographic area. 

✦ Regular mental-health-related educational events at the parish based upon the needs determined relevant within the parish community.

✦ Our team takes your inquiry about mental illness (health) seriously and we promise to do what we can, within very specific limits. 

- We will confidentially (within legal boundaries) and respectfully assist you and/or members of your family. 

- Parish volunteer team members, whether they are active / retired mental health professionals or non-professionals, will not and

   cannot provide the sort of assistance reserved only for licensed practicing professionals. 

To be clear, licensed practicing mental health professionals who offer their time as volunteer parish support team members will be functioning only within the scope of their mental health ministry role.

✦ Please understand that team members, whether professionals or non-professional, cannot provide: 

- a professional therapeutic relationship,

- the prescribing, modification, or evaluation of medication,

- mental health assessments leading to specific diagnoses and/or referrals,

- therapeutic support groups,

- supervised living arrangements,

- specific advice on lifestyle changes,

- or any other services typically provided by mental health professionals.

May God bless you as we journey together to bring Christ to families experiencing mental health challenges!