When You Work for the Church

I was recently introduced to Mercy Canada, a Christian ministry that offers a Christ-centred counselling and discipleship program as well as support and training in various life skills for women and men (ages 13 and up). Through their Wellness Centre, they seek to create a safe space for healing and transformation. Mercy Canada is a registered Canadian charity, and offers their services at no charge.

While I haven’t had personal experience with this ministry, I’m intrigued enough to share the story below from one of their clients and a brief q & a with executive director Nicola Bartel. I offer this here as one ministry example and to raise awareness of the kind of support that is available.

For help in your area and to discern what’s best for you, I encourage you to talk with your pastor, someone on the care committee of your church, or your denominational office to find out what supports might be available to you. A local counselling association can also be a helpful resource on how to choose a counsellor. For example, the B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellors lists a number of things to consider, including a counsellor’s education and training, code of ethics, professional designation, and other considerations. Pray. Do your research. Consult with trusted advisers and friends. Choose wisely and well to get the help you need. I pray God’s help and hope for you, especially for those times when reaching out in any of these ways seems impossible. May God grant you an extra measure of comfort, strength, and grace.

Linette’s Story

I arrived at Mercy Canada confused, buried in shame, and overwhelmed by life. I felt like I had tried everything the world told me would bring happiness, but each effort just left me more broken, empty, lost, and exhausted. I knew Jesus was the only one who could help me, yet I had no idea how to come back to him.

I started researching counsellors and treatment centres for help but quickly discovered I couldn’t afford them. My mom encouraged me to look into Mercy Canada, and when she told me it was free, I broke into tears. There was hope—the possibility of a way out!

Mercy gave me the space and structure I needed to allow my thoughts about myself, my purpose, and the world gradually align with God’s. This helped me overcome an eating disorder, depression, anxiety, and an addiction, all of which had caused me to isolate myself. At first I didn’t believe I could actually change, but as staff walked alongside me and I worked through the biblically based counselling curriculum, I encountered Jesus every day and my life began to transform! I started to discover the truth about who I truly am. I gained confidence, worth, and value. I discovered my voice and the value of my words.

Read more of LInette’s story. . . .

Questions and Answers

In her story, Linette mentions your “biblically based counselling”—what is that, and how is “biblically based counselling” different from any other kind of professional counselling?

We provide a safe place where people can experience God’s love, forgiveness, and life- transforming power. We believe Jesus is the healer, and our counselling curriculum is beautifully integrated with Scripture and psychology as we walk each client through several discipleship components. The components include commitment and connection to Christ, which is where we start, allowing time for clients to explore their belief system and relationship to God, renewing the mind, healing life’s hurts, choosing to forgive, breaking generational patterns, using your authority in Christ,  and principles of maintaining lifelong freedom.

Within the discipleship components we integrate best practices in psychology, infusing modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy, family systems, narrative therapy, and emotion-focused therapy. An example of the integration would be the renewing the mind component: clients identify the lies they have been telling themselves and write out truth statements. They search Scripture and identify what God says about them and write out the truth. (Romans 12:2 and cognitive behavioural therapy.)

The graduate stories on your website are all from women, but your website mentions services for both women and men. Is this change—the broadening of your ministry to include men—relatively recent, and what can you tell me about that?

On January 31, we extended our services to include men 13 years of age and older. Same program we just removed the barrier. We will be updating our materials as we go through this year, but wanted to remove the barrier as soon as we were legally able to do so based on our constitution.

What qualifications do your counsellors have? 

Our counsellors are required to hold a master’s degree in counselling and psychology or clinical social work. Our services are holistic and designed to help individuals heal body, soul, and spirit. We provide free of charge, a counselling and discipleship program, guided by qualified staff, including registered clinical counsellors. Nutrition, fitness, life-skills training, and spiritual care are all key components, as we walk with people towards wholeness in Christ.

What resources do you have to equip and encourage churches in addressing mental health?

Please see our website for resources on training, education, and awareness. There’s also a resources drop down menu with free tools and educational resources.