WHAT THIS EPISODE IS ALL ABOUT
When this episode was recorded we were marking Mental Health Awareness month and mental health week. As this episode goes out, we are still in the midst of a pandemic too. So it seems apt to release this episode at a time of heightened loss and anxiety for many.
As a Church Leader you will learn how you can obtain support to help your congregation. Loss is not just bereavement. Loss and a sense of grieving can manifest through redundancy, business demise, divorce, losing a home etc. Most recently people's liberty with the lock-down could represent serious challenges to their mental health and again a feeling of loss of contact with their loved ones. The good news is you don’t have to do it all yourself. My guests Reverend Sharon Townsend and Dorothy Dwyer from Living-Loss.org will share their extensive experience on helping people deal with loss and how they can help your local church or organisation.
EPISODE TIME STAMPS
3.00 - What does living & loss mean in context to the services offered by living-loss.org
5.28 - Reverend Sharon's dual role as Senior Pastor, Chaplain and founder of Living-Loss
7.25 - the Future of Church & surprising benefits of digital communications
9.30 - How bereavement support turned into Living Loss
16.15 - Defining the impact of mental health and how collaborative work can lead to interventions
18.50 - 10 week sessions and how they work within groups
22.00 - Tapping into the resources, gifts and skills in your congregation. What training is available and investing in it so leaders can look after themselves too
23.32 - Leaders letting go and delegating more, burn-out and investment in development
25.00 - Why not all pastors called to be counsellors or even provide pastoral care
30.54 - Confidentiality (client and leader/counsellor)
ABOUT THE FOUNDERS OF LIVING-LOSS.ORG
Rev Sharon Marcia Townsend
Sharon is a qualified psycho-dynamic Counsellor registered with ACC and BACP and has more than 20 years’ experience of counselling. She also has a BA in Theology. She set up the charity Living Loss in 2011 to help churches respond to the broad spectrum of grief experienced by their communities. She is also an National Health Service (NHS) Mental Health Chaplain and Senior Pastor of Junction Community Church in South London.
Dorothy Dwyer
Dorothy has worked in adult education and training for 20 years, training students in colleges and in the workplace enabling them to qualify in vocational subjects.
Personal Coachinghas been of particular interest to Dorothy and she uses these elements within Living Loss, when supporting those going through a loss or bereavement. She is joint founder of Living Loss, along with Sharon Townsend.
They have been working together for 9 years to support loss and bereavement in churches and in the community.
