Interfaith Mental Health Leadership Seminar

Join us as we explore:

Leading Faith Communities in Addressing Mental Health Concerns

Faith leaders are often the first people families turn to during emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges. Many feel underprepared to respond while maintaining pastoral boundaries.

This workshop provides practical guidance for recognizing concerns, responding with compassion, supporting families, reducing stigma, and helping congregations become places where those in distress find care, connection, and pathways to appropriate help.

MSOM DM Bowman Building | Fletcher Conference Center

11120 Medical Campus Road

Hagerstown, MD 21742

Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026

Time: 8:30am - 11:30am

Host: Brook Lane Director of Spiritual Care/Supervising Chaplain, Ron Shank

Cost: The 2026 seminar is being offered as a community resource through partnership from the Brook Lane Continuing Education Program.

Featuring Speaker: Andrew J. Graham, PhD, LMHC, LMFT

Dr. Graham is Associate Professor of Counselor Education at Asbury Theological Seminary and a licensed clinician in both mental health counseling and marriage and family therapy. He has more than two decades of clinical and teaching experience at the intersection of counseling, theology, and cultural formation. Dr. Graham’s scholarship and training focus on faith integration, ethical practice, and counselor development. He regularly presents at national and international conferences on topics related to spirituality in clinical practice, crises of faith, and ethical care within faith-based contexts.

Full Program Description

About this Seminar

Faith leaders are often among the first people individuals and families turn to when facing emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges. Yet many clergy and ministry leaders report feeling underprepared to respond to these concerns while maintaining appropriate boundaries and encouraging effective support.

This workshop equips faith leaders with practical frameworks for recognizing mental health concerns, responding compassionately to individuals and families in distress, and fostering congregational cultures that support emotional and spiritual well-being. Participants will explore common mental health challenges encountered in faith communities, learn pastoral response strategies grounded in counseling principles, and consider how faith leaders can guide individuals toward appropriate support when personal or community attitudes may resist professional care.

Drawing on insights from counseling practice, pastoral care, and multiple faith traditions, the session will provide practical tools for listening well, supporting families, reducing stigma, and helping congregations become places where individuals experiencing distress find compassion, connection, and hope.

What You'll Gain | Seminar Objectives:

Identify common mental health concerns that individuals and families bring to faith leaders within congregational settings.

Describe pastoral response strategies that promote safety, compassionate listening, and appropriate support when individuals disclose emotional or behavioral distress.

Recognize situations that warrant referral to mental health professionals and identify ways faith leaders can support individuals in accessing appropriate care.

Explain strategies for guiding congregations in supporting individuals experiencing mental health challenges while reducing stigma and promoting compassionate care.

Apply practical frameworks for responding to distress and for helping congregants come alongside individuals and families experiencing emotional or behavioral struggles.

Direct Questions to

Ron.Shank@BrookLane.org | 301-733-0331 x3736

A Brook Lane Continuing Education Program Community Partnership

Brook Lane Health Services | 13121 Brook Lane | Hagerstown, MD 21742 US

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