Victoria Hepp, Author at CMHI https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/author/victoria-hepp/ Christian Mental Health Initiative Wed, 31 Dec 2025 01:02:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-e1647343448328.png Victoria Hepp, Author at CMHI https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/author/victoria-hepp/ 32 32 209842201 Mental Health in the Church – Interview with a Pastor https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/mental-health-in-the-church-interview-with-a-pastor-philadelphia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mental-health-in-the-church-interview-with-a-pastor-philadelphia https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/mental-health-in-the-church-interview-with-a-pastor-philadelphia/#respond Mon, 30 Oct 2023 09:25:27 +0000 https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/?p=2556 Mental Health in the Church As the leader of the local church, a pastor’s understanding of mental health and wellness is important for the general flourishing of the community they shepherd. Different pastors have a variety of personal opinions, spiritual schooling, pastoral experience, and life experiences. All of these can come into play when navigating …

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Mental Health in the Church

As the leader of the local church, a pastor’s understanding of mental health and wellness is important for the general flourishing of the community they shepherd. Different pastors have a variety of personal opinions, spiritual schooling, pastoral experience, and life experiences. All of these can come into play when navigating how to care for their church and those in it. It is important that we hear from pastors about their current thinking on mental health in the church and wellness overall. We must also allow them the space to share what they need to learn to feel supported to support others as they minister in Jesus’ name. I interviewed my pastor to learn more about his experience in this area. 

Setting the Scene—Defining Mental Health and Wellness

Me: Can you tell me about the demographics of your church for background? Pastor: Our church is a rapidly growing church, predominantly Asian, with increasing diversity, operating out of Philadelphia and a second campus in Cherry Hill. We’re about 50/50 men and women, 25% married couples, 20% children/college students, and the rest, single young adults. We are a Gospel-driven, reformed theology church.  Me: How would you define mental health?  Pastor: This is a widely interesting topic, and the definition has changed over time. It used to be that the term mental health was only talking about clinical and serious mental health issues, like schizophrenia, severe depression, etc. Overall, I would define mental health as a broad range of emotional, psychological, and genetic predispositions that trigger a variety of behaviors in individuals, typically that disrupt a person’s ability to think or act with clarity.  Me: (Laughs) You seem to have a solid definition here. Do you see any difference between mental health and mental wellness overall?  Pastor: Well, sure, I think it’s been a big change since the 2010s—I worked for a pharmaceutical company during that period and noticed that the industry moved from labeling drugs that were person-oriented (for example, bipolar) to adding new categories for drugs, such as “allergy,” “pain,” and now “wellness.” The wellness category added a new dimension, and now the focus is less on physical health in our society (paired with many other factors such as COVID) to mental wellbeing and “self-care.”
As the leader of the local church, a pastor’s understanding of mental health and wellness is important for the general flourishing of the community they shepherd.

What is it like to pastor during this time period and the renewed focus on mental health? 

Me: Does our church take a specific stance on mental health concerns?  Pastor: You know, many different groups or denominations have different approaches to this topic. Much of the evangelical world would agree with the idea that the secular world has made incredible advancements in the areas of medications to treat mental health and behaviors, and this is not an area of the church’s expertise; therefore, there is no issue with accepting all use of medications to treat a condition for example. Then, on the other hand, you have reformed and deeply traditional churches that feel most mental health challenges can be handled through pastoral counseling and scriptural wisdom because the Bible speaks to the true understanding of the human mind. Our church strikes a middle ground—for instance, if you were to break your arm, you would get treatment for that arm and its pain. In the case of a mental health concern, it is appropriate to seek help when your mind is “broken” (for lack of a better term). Now, we also believe that the pastoral care piece AND counseling piece is also critical for a person’s true and whole recovery in combination with medication if appropriate—especially in a community. Loneliness and isolation grip our society and are the cause of many mental health concerns, and as such, we believe being in community begins and maintains a healing community as God intended His church to care for each other. 
Me: What is it like to be a pastor right now (surrounding this issue)?  Pastor: Most pastors do not feel equipped to handle what is coming to them…most seem to land either on the side of fear about addressing it or complete ignorance on the topic. I feel like most pastors need more help, information, and training on this topic—it is only going to grow as a need among the church. It is difficult to feel like it is being handled well because it can be draining to go through all the aspects of being a pastor (that fun administrative piece) to then counseling eight different people on a wide range of challenging emotional, mental, and spiritual needs. The concern is around pastors who don’t want to address the need and tell the person suffering that they need more faith to overcome.  Me: So then, what DO you need? What do you wish were out there to support you as a pastor?  Pastor: I try to keep a research-based and scholarly approach to how I learn and continue learning, but to be honest, the content is really lacking. Many of the gospel-centered scholarly journals don’t talk about mental health. Sure, they talk about pastoral care/counseling, but for things like marriage troubles mainly. I would love to see more resources that are practical and allow the faith community to address mental health, not leaving it just to the secular world, which then forces our hand to have no Christian teaching and comfort and truth provided to the person going through the struggles. I’d love to see more conferences and seminars in this area as well.  A Final Reminder—Jesus Loves Those Experiencing Mental Health Concerns Me: I know from your sermons every week that you always close by focusing us back on Jesus and His love for us. How do you think Jesus would close our conversation? Pastor: Bottom line, Jesus offers compassion and gentleness towards those suffering, but with a pointed clarity about their situation. For instance, take Mark chapter 5 when dealing with the main experiencing a demon (not saying all mental health concerns are demonic). But in this case, Jesus connects with a man that others have put in chains and cast aside into the graveyard, addresses the root issue at hand with clarity and authority, helps the man become calm and of sound mind, and then connects him to the mission of the Church once he was set free. Just as Jesus was falling apart Himself on the way to the cross, Jesus connects with those suffering the deepest human afflictions, and has the utmost compassion and care for His people. Jesus is the one who ultimately offers all the soul rest that is needed, with the mind and heart following. 

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]]> https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/mental-health-in-the-church-interview-with-a-pastor-philadelphia/feed/ 0 2556 Loving Yourself Well https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/loving-yourself-well/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=loving-yourself-well https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/loving-yourself-well/#respond Mon, 13 Feb 2023 14:30:25 +0000 https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/?p=1799 This Valentine’s season, you may think a lot about showing love to others or receiving love from those you care about, but have you ever

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]]> This Valentine’s season, you may think a lot about showing love to others or receiving love from those you care about, but have you ever considered February a great month to reflect on your ability to love yourself?! You are the only you there is, made uniquely by our creative God. Especially when we may be low, it can be hard to look at ourselves with compassion, grace, and acceptance. And yet, as Christians, we can lean into our Father’s love and experience even deeper self-love because we know that our heavenly Father first loved us (1 John 4:19). 

 

A Myth about Loving Yourself 

In recent years, the idea of loving yourself has exploded into an industry of self-care, beauty products, and new-age concepts. Naturally, this causes some Christians to pause, as we are instructed not to put our worth in beauty and to deny ourselves (1 Peter 3:3-4; Luke 9:23). How can we deny ourselves and place others as higher than ourselves if we spend too much time focusing on our own needs? It seems contradictory.

The trouble is, we often think in “black and white” ways—if I practice loving myself, then that means I do not love others at that point in time. Instead of thinking it’s one or the other, we can embrace an “and” posture: loving others AND showing love to myself. In fact, one of the key commandments is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). If your life is spent only pouring out for others, you run the risk of running dry. 

 

Loving Yourself Well Can Bring God Glory

We must let God Himself fill us back up to the brim with His endless, steadfast love. Our ability to love ourselves cannot be manufactured in a way that endures without an understanding of the acceptance we have in our Father. God Himself is Love, and Jesus has acted out the greatest example of sacrificial love on the cross this world will ever know. The deeper intimacy we have with the Father, the stronger our sense of self will be. Like the clay that we are in the Potter’s hand, when we know and love the person God has crafted us to be, the more we can follow the Spirit’s leading into the unique assignments He has for each of us (Isaiah 64:8, Ephesians 2:10). We shine His truth, His care for the suffering, and His joy when we are content in His arms. 

 

 

Show Compassion: How to Love Yourself Well

Loving yourself is not taking a bubble bath every week with soft, classical music in the background. This may be part of a routine to allow yourself to slow down and rest, trusting that God desires you to cease striving, but the simple act itself is not the type of self-love we mean. We mean a deep acceptance of your worth so that you can live free, in the confidence of knowing you are loved. Here are three ways to strengthen your ability to love yourself in the next month. 

Spend Time with Jesus

Jesus lived out of this confidence from the Father, knowing that He was “holy and dearly loved.” He returned to private time with the Lord to fill Himself back up amid His time of being human. Ask God to show you how loved you are. Ask Him to make the Gospel message as real as its ever been. 

Show yourself unconditional positive regard

In psychology, there is a practice called “unconditional positive regard”—a practice that counselors often use to offer empathy, support, and acceptance to someone, regardless of what they say or do. Jesus is our ultimate counselor, and through Him, we have received grace upon grace (John 1:16) from the Lord—in Jesus, we are seen as clean. Even in the ways you may mess up or fall short in your eyes, the Lord is there cheering you on. Practice the same with yourself; the next time you make a mistake and feel like criticizing yourself, remember that God’s love is unconditional, and you can look upon yourself with love. 

Speak encouraging words to yourself

If God is love and truth, then His voice is love and truth. Satan speaks the opposite and how often we let the enemy use our internal voice against us. God is life and the devil is death. When you speak truth to yourself from God’s word, you allow yourself to feel safe, connected, and loved—leading to a flourishing internal world. This will take practice too! Like a classic study in which a plant that heard positive talk towards it grew taller and stronger than one who shriveled under harsh words, so can you grow and thrive when you speak love to yourself? 

 

As a child of God, you are worthy to receive love from the truest source—our Father above. Loving yourself well is an extension of the love He has for us. Live loved friends. 

 

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Check out our other blog posts to learn more about living a mentally healthy life as a Christian.

Visit our mental health resources tab for more information on therapy and how to find a therapist.

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]]> https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/loving-yourself-well/feed/ 0 1799 What Does God Say About Taking Care of Your Mind? https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/taking-care-of-your-mind/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=taking-care-of-your-mind https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/taking-care-of-your-mind/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2023 08:35:03 +0000 https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/?p=1758 Can you recognize when it’s time to care of your mind? You know the feeling — you wake up one morning, roll out of bed,

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]]> Can you recognize when it’s time to care of your mind?

You know the feeling — you wake up one morning, roll out of bed, and just feel straight-up sick. It becomes obvious that you will need to spend some time caring for your body over the next few days. For many of us, this is not that difficult to admit; take a few rest days, and you’ll (hopefully) be good to go. However, it can become a different story when taking care of your mind. 

 

 

God Cares About What We Feel Inside

Jesus emphasizes the mind and soul, knowing that our current earthly bodies are passing away. We can fixate on what we see in the flesh while forgetting the realities of our inner worlds. For instance, in the story of the paralyzed man (Luke 5), Jesus begins by forgiving the man of his sins before healing his body. Sin causes internal torment, and through their forgiveness, the man is freed from what is bogging him down at the root of his heart and mind. Similarly, Jesus wants to heal all parts of our lives, so we can be confident in Him to “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’” (Matthew 22:37). 

 

God Made More Than Our Body; He Wants Us to Connect and Feel in Healthy Ways

As humans, God created us with a physical body, one requiring nourishment, sleep, tending, and honoring. And yet, He did not create us with physical bodies alone. He breathed life into us, making us in His image and crafting our minds capable of connection, creativity, compassion, reason, emotions, and personality. Just like having a healthy body enables us to move about through life, having a healthy mind enables us to meaningfully connect and engage with God, ourselves, and the world around us to bring Him glory in the world He made. Check out this article if you are interested in reading more about how being healthy helps us spread the Gospel to others needing physical, spiritual, and emotional care.

 

Let the Church Body and Your Community Help Take Care of Your Mind

So why is it easy for us to schedule a doctor’s appointment for that lingering cough but so difficult to admit we could benefit from talking to someone about what is going on in our minds? There are multiple factors in response to that question. For Christians, in particular, we often feel we can ONLY go to God with our emotions and internal challenges.

One component of caring for your mind can be partnering with a mental health professional to sort through your emotions and rewrite false narratives, internal talk, or unprocessed wounds that plague you. While our Father is the truest way to ultimate healing and should be intimately involved in the healing of our minds, He’s also called us to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) and has gifted His counselors with deep empathy, compassion, and intelligence to accompany His people along their mind’s healing journeys. 

To be fully human is to care for our bodies and our minds. Good stewardship of our unique personhood begs us to nurture both.

 

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Check out our other blog posts to learn more about living a mentally healthy life as a Christian.

 

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Visit our mental health resources tab for more information on therapy and how to find a therapist.

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]]> https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/taking-care-of-your-mind/feed/ 3 1758 Better Mental Health: Your New Years’ Goal in 2026! https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/better-mental-health-your-new-years-goal-in-2023/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=better-mental-health-your-new-years-goal-in-2023 https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/better-mental-health-your-new-years-goal-in-2023/#respond Tue, 03 Jan 2023 16:06:01 +0000 https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/?p=1752 How to improve your mental health in 2026 The first step to better mental health as a Christian is understanding what the Bible says about

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]]> How to improve your mental health in 2026

The first step to better mental health as a Christian is understanding what the Bible says about caring for your mind. Next, it is essential to recognize why you should pay attention to your mind in addition to your body. Once you realize the importance of attending to your mind and your body, you can learn to integrate caring for your mind within your routines of caring for the health of your body.

What better time to pursue a new goal than in the new year? You are already on the path to a healthier mind by increasing your awareness of your mind’s need for care. Try to add a few of the below tips into the next month and see what difference it makes on your mental health! 

 

 

Taking healthy steps for your body cares for your mind too

Our bodies were created to work together—what helps your body often helps your mind! Psychiatrist Gregory Brown’s recent book “The Self-Healing Mind” summarizes much of the current research about the benefits of sleep, nutrition, exercise, and breathing. By making it a habit to get quality sleep, feed our bodies nutritious food, exercise regularly, and breathe deeply, we can calm our nervous systems. A calm nervous system can help maintain a calm mind. In fact, exercising regularly with your favorite way of movement can have positive effects on anxiety and depression. So, by taking care of the health of your body, thank yourself for also helping your mind!

 

Add God’s word to your better mental health goals 

The Bible is filled with God’s deep wisdom and knowledge of how God made the world and how humans can live well and abundantly. God instructs us to meditate on His word night and day to strengthen our relationship with Him. Scripture also helps the health of our minds by focusing our attention on the truth, not the lies surrounding us in our world. Neuroscience is catching up to God’s revelation through His word all along. Our brains are changed for the better when we practice mindfulness, gratitude, and meditation on God’s presence and promises. We are instructed to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Taking efforts to put God’s word and the goodness He provides at the front of our thoughts will comfort our minds. 

 

 

Work with a professional when needed

Doctors aim to heal our bodies, and mental health professionals help heal our minds. As humans, we all experience circumstances and emotions that are difficult to process alone. Because of that, it can be helpful to partner with a skilled professional to guide you toward better mental health. Jesus is our ultimate Counselor as Christians, yet He also provides for us through compassionate conversation and treatment from others. Check out two other blogs to learn more if therapy is the next step for you: Should Christians Go to Therapy? And Do I Need Therapy? 

Finding the right combination of practices and routines that help the health of your mind can take some time—don’t get discouraged! Every time you try to pay attention to your mental health is a step in the right direction. Your body’s health is important, and so is your mind’s health. Remember to tend to it through some of these simple tips and learn what works best for you. See what a difference it makes in your year in 2026! 

Please visit our mental health resources tab if you are considering therapy and do not know where to start.

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]]> https://christianmentalhealthinitiative.org/better-mental-health-your-new-years-goal-in-2023/feed/ 0 1752