MENTAL HEALTH IN FAITH COMMUNITIES Michelle Snyder, LCSW, MDiv, Director of the Soul Shop Movement as I prepared for Soul Shop™ in White Plains in March 2020, I was delighted by how many people were showing up. As an organization that equips faith community leaders to minister to those impacted by suicide, we don’t generally see people coming out of the woodwork for what is often believed to be a heavy and esoteric conversation. But Westchester broke every record that day, both in numbers and energy. We left feeling hopeful about leveraging that momentum into community impact.

Little did we know that later that week, the world would shut down. As it set in that life as we knew it wasn’t going back to “normal” anytime soon, Westchester County, led by Pat White, sprung into action, leading us down paths of innovation, flexibility and creativity. A group of community partners was convened that included NAMI, AFSP, Soul Shop™, WJCS, MHA and various ministry leaders. That group has been responsible for hosting a number of programs including virtual forums on mental health, NAMI Faith Net, ASIST trainings, another Soul Shop™, and Mental Health First Aid. Finally, Westchester County has been a key partner in Soul Shop™’s development of Soul Shop™ for Black Churches and will be the host site for Training for Trainers in May.

When people ask me how government can work together with faith communities around mental health and suicide, I point them to Westchester County. They are the experts and I’m grateful to be a part of such a wonderful team!

Click here to view this article in the NAMI - Westchester March 2022 Newsletter.