Statistics show that the number of people struggling with mental health has sadly increased over the last few years – with one in four adults, and one in ten children, being diagnosed in the UK – and we all probably know others who don’t feel able to seek help. Living with mental health can be tough; the causes and experiences resulting in poor mental health will be as varied and unique as the person who is struggling and can often lead to isolation, depression, anxiety, neglect and helplessness.
The good news is that there is a growing awareness nowadays which is helping to reduce the stigma, guilt and shame that once surrounded mental health issues, as more people are talking about it. Linked to this, is the increase in services that are now provided for people looking for help with their mental health – such as talking therapies, and cognitive behavioural therapies, all of which are very valuable. The only problem is that this support is often time-limited and has long waiting lists before a person can be seen.
Celebrate Recovery is a 12 step / 8 Principle Christ-centred programme designed to offer a safe place where people can come to recover from all hurts, hang-up and habits – and this includes mental health too. The ethos of Celebrate Recovery is that a person can come along at any point they want to access support, no waiting list, and, as we meet every week, the support is continuous for as long as they want it.
A key point to make is that: where people are already accessing therapeutic and/or medical treatments, we would encourage them to continue with those as they engage with Celebrate Recovery as an additional means of support.
I believe there are two fundamental foundations to Celebrate Recovery that are vital to all our recovery. The first is allowing our Higher Power, Jesus, to help and guide us in our journey, and the second is in finding a safe, supportive, community where we can share openly and honestly about how we are doing without judgement and, as we hear others share their journey of recovery, we find a connection with others who are very often not so different to us. Having a small group of people all working on their own issues, allows us a confidential space to share when things are tough, without fear of anyone trying to fix us, and we can also share our successes and victories, and in turn find our story brings hope to others.
As we work through the 12 steps and 8 Principles of Celebrate Recovery, we look at what help the Bible can give us with our struggles, and we discover we don’t have to do life alone – we have a Higher Power, Jesus, who loves us and wants to ‘transform us by the renewing of our mind’ (Romans 12:2).
In the 14 years I have been in Celebrate Recovery, I have seen many people, with God’s help: healed from hurts that have controlled them, lifted from lies they’ve lived under, restored from their resentments and actively being reconciled in positive relationships, and it has been wonderful to see how this new freedom has significantly contributed to an improvement in their mental health.
And the greater news is that it doesn’t stop there – the Bible tells us that God, “who began His good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns”. (Phil 1:6)
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with their mental health and not sure where to find help, please take a look at our ‘Find a Group’ page to see if there is a Celebrate Recovery group near you. You don’t need to struggle alone, and it could change your life!
