Christian Compassion and Mental Health By Zándra Bishop

Create a Culture where Compassion Covers Mental Health

Why is the topic of mental health so taboo, especially after decades of recognition? Throughout the pandemic and into 2022, mental wellness has become increasingly important because of long periods of emotional, physiological, and physical isolation. The silence was broken and a topic that was previously in the dark came to light.

What role does Christian compassion play in the mental wellness of individuals and the world?

Courage to Speak

Olympic athletes, ministers, celebrities, politicians, and other popular figures boldly spoke out regarding the stigma of these type of issues. Their actions influenced even more individuals to publicly acknowledge that there is an ongoing problem that desperately needs to be addressed continuously without judgment or shame. We learned that we all need to exercise compassion for one another, which simply means to suffer together and to feel motivated to attempt to relieve suffering.

“Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

~ Colossians 3:12

Compassion Connection

What does Christian compassion and mental health have to do with your organization? According to the Mental Health Foundation, anxiety, loneliness, and depression are the top mental health needs for 2021 and 2022. Mental health affects us all; whether we admit and accept it or not. If we ignore it, that does not keep it from affecting us and the world we live in.

Compassion has been shown to improve mental wellness because of meaningful interactions and genuine sympathy. In addition, according to recent Society for Human Resources surveys, there is a pivotal gap between the expectations and desires of employees and employers’ resources provided.  It can be maintained, that to continuously thrive and retain the best sympathetic culture and people in a tight labor market, organizations must intentionally and directly invest in the mental health of their employees. Compassion and strong mental health build a more positive workforce with increased productivity.

Christ’s Example

As Christians, we’re called to follow Christ’s example of compassion with everyone we encounter. As leaders, we’re charged with instilling that Christian compassion throughout our organizations. An encouraging workplace inspires security and confidence for individuals to confront their struggles with mental health, then get and receive some much-needed help and support.

Reinforce that mental health is just as important as physical health.

Tips for Ensuring Christian Compassion for Mental Wellness:

• Research and secure a behavioral health solution with a multimodal approach of dimensions that matter to your organization.

• Anonymous private transparent employee reporting with the use of the program or treatment outcome(s).

• Ensure complete confidentiality and security of information.

• Implement a crusade of training and communication for everyone to reduce the stigma and recognize the signs in the workplace. Include access to all resources; to all tangible actionable steps they can take, and to all support groups.

• Build a culture of empathy.

Finding, vetting, and securing the right leaders for your organization can be a daunting task and it’s vital to secure the right leaders at all levels of the organization. You must know that the people leading your organization practice Christian compassion and support the mental health of their teams.

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Zándra Bishop serves as the SVP NonProfit+, a division of FaithSearch Partners. FaithSearch consultants bring more than 130 years of cumulative experience in faith-based executive search. FaithSearch excels in securing leaders for nonprofit, higher education, and healthcare organizations. Contact the FaithSearch team today for more information.

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