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Companionship

Companionship. Craig Rennebohm Mental Health Chaplaincy, Seattle Developing the capacity of congregations to support recovery and wellness. Companionship Defined. Companionship is a relationship responsive to suffering Companionship is a relationship supportive of recovery and wellness

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Companionship

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  1. Companionship Craig Rennebohm Mental Health Chaplaincy, Seattle Developing the capacity of congregations to support recovery and wellness

  2. Companionship Defined • Companionship is a relationship responsive to suffering • Companionship is a relationship supportive of recovery and wellness • Companionship is a public relationship

  3. The Model of the Samaritan

  4. Five Areas of Concern • Children’s mental health • Trauma • Serious mental illness • Substance use • Issues of aging

  5. Companionship Begins with Sensitivity, Compassion and Concern • Sensitivity – we pick up signals of another’s suffering through our senses • Feelings of sympathy, empathy and compassion are triggered in us • Concerns arise This is natural – we are made to be sensitive, compassionate and concerned

  6. Companion a Person or Pass By? Pay attention to your alert system Be aware of feelings of discomfort and uneasiness in yourself Honor concerns about your limits, knowledge and ability These caution signals are also natural

  7. Five Practices of Companionship • Hospitality • Neighboring • Sharing the journey side by side • Listening • Accompaniment

  8. Hospitality • Creating safe space with another person • Treating another person with dignity and respect; seeing the other person as a worthy and valuable human being • Offering refreshment, nourishment, a time and place to rest

  9. Neighboring • Sharing common time and space • Beginning as human beings • Saying a simple “hello” • “I’m Craig. How do you like to be called?” • Starting with what we have in common • A “frameless” relationship

  10. Sharing the Journey Side by Side There are basically three ways we can be with another person: • we can stand behind someone pushing and telling them where to go. • we can be face to face • we can share the journey side by side

  11. The Practice of Listening Listen for the story – whatever a person is able to tell, however they are able to tell it. present past future

  12. Tips on Listening • It is a gift simply to listen • Listen for the human themes and feelings • Listen to yourself • Take care with responses • Listen over time and in community • Listen for the words of faith, hope and love • Listen for a person’s spiritual story

  13. The Practice of Accompaniment • Naming needs • “The need for charity is an opportunity for community” • Consult, confirm and refer • Encourage partnerships and a circle of care • “Go with,” or hold the person in thought and prayer

  14. Limits and Boundaries Companions have limits: • Physical, emotional and intellectual • Personal and social • Spiritual Model setting limits, keeping boundaries and working as part of team Practice saying, “I’m not able to do that.”

  15. Basic Community Resources • In an emergency – call 911 • In a crisis – call your local crisis line • Call 211 for information about community resources • Consult with your companionship colleagues and mental health team • Work with your congregation’s health and human service partners in the neighborhood

  16. Mutuality In companionship we move toward increasing mutuality, in a relationship marked by: • deepening authenticity • increasing personal responsibility • an expanding circle of care • growing social life and community participation • renewed family, friendship and neighborhood connections

  17. Companionship is a Process

  18. Settings for Companionship • Sabbath companions welcome and support during worship • Congregational companions care for members of the faith community • Community Companions serving in shelters and housing programs, drop-in centers, community meals, and centers of care and treatment

  19. Companionship Care Teams • A group of several companions • Companioning one or more individuals • Accountable to the Congregational Mental Health Team or other leadership • Meeting regularly for prayer, study, sharing and spiritual discernment • Providing each other mutual support

  20. A Mental Health Team • A Mental Health Team in the congregation provides a framework for mental health ministry – including companionship. • Team members serve as contact people for individuals and families seeking help • The team provides leadership for creating a caring congregation • The Mental Health Team helps train, organize and support companionship care teams

  21. Companionship Support Meetings • A movement into prayer or meditation • A movement into scripture • A movement into reflection and sharing • A movement into discernment and action “In the support meeting, we companion each other.”

  22. Our word Our gentle gesture Our presence Is medicine

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