Dec09jan10strategiesforthriving.indd

I-K SYNOD PASTORAL COUNSEL-
ING ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
BISHOP JIM STUCK
PR. MAX BLANKENBURG
PR. CINDY GEISEN
PR. VICTOR KOLCH
PR. JEFF ROMER
Dec. 2009/Jan. 2010
DR. TED STONEBERG
Greetings to you in this New Year of 2010, In December and January there is a higher incident of depression. irstirst
(1) In the holiday season there is much emphasis on joy and hap- piness, so when a person does not feel happy or joyful, the feeling of sadness or “the blahs” becomes intensified. (2) At the holiday time we think about gathering with family. When one has lost significant family members, lives without family, or is in conflict with family members, depression may be experienced more deeply at this time of year. (3) Another reason for the higher incidence of depression is that in the northern hemisphere, there is less daylight during the winter. Some people’s moods are affected by sunlight or lack of it. This has become known as seasonal affective disorder that can be treated with careful exposure to ultraviolet lamps. Church leaders are not immune from depression and it can be more intense at this busy time of year. Providing care to depressed persons can weigh on caregivers such as rostered leaders. In a time of economic recession and tension in the life of the ELCA, leaders are likely to be more vulnerable to depression. You will find some Web sites in this issue that focus on depression and ministry, and a self-screening test for depression.
oour Own O
The holidays are also a time of relational conflicts. I am including some suggestions from Dr. Sherod Miller for building up one’s mar- riage. These principles can be applied to other relationships.
If you have any reactions or suggestions for future items in the newslet-
ter, email I-K Synod Pastoral Counselor Pr. Ted Stoneberg at tastoneberg@
uutting on
Depression and Ministry
C. Roy Woodruff of the Ministering to Ministers Foundation, Inc. provides these guidelines for persons in ministry. He is an ordained minister who has been a pastoral psychotherapist. http://www.mtm-foundation.org/Servant/Vol_8_4/v8_4_01.htm Depression Self-Check
Sponsored by Lexapro, a medication Cut and paste the following link into your browser bar: http://www.
lexapro.com/check_symptoms/dep_screener.aspx Ministry Burnout
Rhett Smith, who is a therapist in Bloomington, IN, has provided this helpful Web site that you can cut and paste into your browser bar: http://rhettsmith.com/2009/02/02/depression-burnout-minis-try-assessment/ Building a Relationship to Survive Conflicts
Dr. Sherod Miller believes that couple can discuss potentially vola- tile issues in a way that builds up the marriage. In order to do this, couples must first understand that their value as persons and marriage partners is not tied to agreement or disagreement.
• The first step in the process is being considerate of the other per- We need to
recognize that
• Next, you need to focus on managing yourself instead of trying to we value our
special relation-
• The third step is the capacity to talk about the issue without feel- ships enough
ing like you have to persuade the other person to come over to your that disagree-
side. Instead of listening for agreement with your point of view, you ments won’t
listen for understanding, you may believe that what the other person rock the foun-
is saying is a bunch of bologna, but the key is you don’t get angry dation of our
special rela-
tionships.
• Finally, consider this question: What is the worst thing that will We can dis-
agree, and at
the end of the
day, the love is
still strong and
we respect each
other’s opinion.

Source: http://www.iksynod.org/ministry/Pastoral%20Care/Dec09Jan10StrategiesforThriving.pdf