Christian Mental Health Conference 2022

Head of Outreach & Corporate Services Jared Goh speaking at the event

CAL was invited for the second edition of the Christian Mental Health Conference (CMHC) held across 7 and 8 July 2022. Jointly organised by Christian Mental Health Advocates, Association of Christian Counsellors Singapore and Promises Healthcare, CMHC 2022 saw a collective of mental health professionals and social service agencies providing insights and resources for pastors and church leaders.

This was CAL’s second time participating in the event, once again represented by Head of Outreach & Corporate Services Jared Goh. Besides educating the audience about the programmes and services that CAL provides, he also gave an insider’s view of what mental health caregiving looks like by sharing his personal journey.

From left: Head of Outreach & Corporate Services Jared Goh, Programme Management & Support Manager Kevin Wong, Outreach and Programme Manager Michelle Tan at CAL’s booth

Thanks to the return of in-person events, CAL was able to set up a booth at the premise of One Farrer Hotel, reaching out to over 126 pastors and church ministry workers. Several participants reflected that within their church communities, especially in the areas of dementia and youth mental health, there exists a great need for knowledge-sharing and caregiving training. They also expressed their desire to collaborate with CAL and attend CAL’s Caregivers-to-Caregivers (C2C) programmes to provide more support for their congregation.

Their concerns did not only extend to their congregations alone. One pastor shared about his personal challenges in caring for his wife, who is a person-in-recovery. Her erratic behaviour was misinterpreted by others as signs of an unhealthy marriage, despite his attempts to clarify that his wife was suffering from a mental health issue. It is important that as leaders walking with others, as caregivers to their flock, they also receive the understanding and comfort that they need.

If you are a church leader who would like to collaborate with CAL or participate in our C2C programmes, you may click here to view our list of fully-funded programmes. We have a dedicated team responding to faith-based enquiries. As Jared said, while the role of caregiving can be intimidating, know that you are not alone – CAL is here to support you!