Lesson Summary

Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of Lesson 1: Defining Mental Health and Trauma

Let’s recap

During this lesson, we learned how mental illness can manifest itself in various forms and in degrees of severity. We learned how there are many factors, including trauma, that can contribute towards sub-optimal mental health and which can cause long-term mental illness and negative consequences for individuals, their families and future generations. We also examined why managing mental health is a concern for pastors and ministry leaders and why it is important for mental illness to be destigmatized and understood in Christian contexts so that healing can be attained for affected individuals. By reflecting on the possible effects of personal trauma in our own lives we also considered how to take actions for ourselves and others to reach optimum mental health. 

By completing this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

1. Explain key terms and concepts related to the issues of mental health and trauma as a societal and ministry concern.
2. Articulate how trauma impacts mental health.
3. Reflect on personal traumas and the effect of these on your long-term mental health and on your family and community.

Resources for this lesson

Here are resources that were recommended in this lesson.

Now continue on to Lesson 2: What Can the Bible Teach Us about Mental Health? in which you will learn more about God’s perspectives on mental health as revealed through characters and case studies in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.