the pastoral handbook of mental illness

Steve Bloem's The Pastoral Handbook of Mental Illness: A Guide for Training and Reference is an amazingly accessible help for pastors and other church leaders, who are typically the front line of daily ministry to and with those whose lives have been affected by mental illness.  Bloem, out of his years of practice in Christian counseling, offers a richly textured, deeply grounded introduction to the various mental disorders that affect human thriving.  Here, readers are not only introduced to the basics of any number of mental disorders, but also to the types of treatment options and referral responsibilities of pastors.

He treats the question of medications for each individual illness, and offers a holistic Christian theology for bringing the treatment of mental illness into conversation with pastoral wisdom and Christian spiritual practice.  Perhaps the most important gift Bloem's book gives to pastors:  A helpful stress scale for measuring how much stress the patient has experienced over the past year, and utilizing that scale in walking with the suffering into the heart of treatment (in whatever way that may require).

The Pastoral Handbook of Mental Illness is, as I've said, very accessible and readable.  It's a book for those who walk through life with others who suffer from mental illness, in all its varieties.  What I most appreciate about the book, though, is Bloem's admission that pastors are unqualified to offer treatment, and typically should refer those who suffer for adequate counsel.  That's what makes this book essential reading for every clergy person. 

Bloem's book is an amazing reference book that belongs on your shelves.
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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review here.