3 - (SYM 102) Increasing Inclusionary Practices in Faith Communities for Believers with Serious Mental Illnesses

People with serious mental illness report that participation in faith communities is important to them and that it provides them with a sense of purpose and helps them cope with stress. In addition, it has been positively associated with mental health, quality of life, and social inclusion. Despite the desire to participate and the potential benefits, many people with mental illness report not attending faith communities as much as they would like because they have experienced prejudice and discrimination. Moreover, congregants have reported that they fear people with mental illness and feel uncomfortable having them in their faith community especially individuals with schizophrenia. Much of the research on increasing inclusion in faith communities for people with mental illnesses has primarily focused on increasing mental health awareness and changing knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. Inclusionary practices and discrimination, however, are behaviors, and therefore, require a behavioral-based intervention to effect change. The purpose of this study is to engage leadership in four congregations over the course of a year to change their practices to create a more welcoming environment for people with mental illness. Once a month with a designated inclusion committee from each congregation we target a different inclusionary practice for change such as developing methods for assessing the needs of new members, providing accommodations, and increasing inclusive language. All new practices were taught using competency-based training in which a facilitator provided examples of the new practice and provided feedback until the monthly goals was reached. Outcomes were measured through observation of practices and materials. In addition, a survey was sent out to all congregation members to assess the experiences of congregants with mental illnesses at the beginning and the end of the intervention.  Initial data from the first two congregations indicate that the behavioral intervention has led to an increase in inclusionary practices.