Drs. Moon, Jones, Wallace, and Durham will provide a half-day pre-training institute titled “Transformed by Renewing of Mind: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based and Spiritually Informed Strategies to Promote Mental Well-being” with Dr. Paula Powe in Psychiatry, senior pastors Rev. Dr. William R. Glaze and Rev. Dr. Jonathan Counts, along with doctoral student C. Bailey Nichols at the North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW)’s 73rd Annual Convention. The Convention is being held in Pittsburgh, PA on November 9, 2023. The training was developed through the CHURCH (Congregations as Healers Uniting to Restore Community Health) project, a CBPR project focused on developing, implementing, and evaluating culturally tailored and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) based mental health training targeting Black faith leaders. NACSW is a non-profit Christian social work organization with a mission to equip its members to integrate Christian faith and professional social work practice. Members of NACSW represent a rich diversity of Christian denominations and traditions.
------------------------------
Register here.
Transformed by Renewing of Mind: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based and Spiritually Informed Strategies to Promote Mental Well-being
The Scripture tells us that we should not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Without practice and discipline, our mind easily follows worldly patterns of thinking that not only disrupt our walk with God but also can negatively affect our mental health. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can provide tools we can use daily to reflect upon the content of our thoughts as well as the patterns of our thinking so that our mind is renewed every day until it is fully transformed according to the Word of God into a kingdom mentality.
Renew Your Mind (RYM) is a mental health training based on CBT and Biblical principles, developed by a team of Christian clinicians, pastors, and researchers, which can become part of a daily routine as a mind exercise for followers of Jesus Christ to maintain positive mental health. RYM was created through the CHURCH (Congregations as Healers Uniting to Restore Community Health) Project, a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) project. This involved an academic-church partnership between multidisciplinary researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and pastors from the Homewood Community Ministry. Given the issue of limited access to quality evidence-based mental health services in African American communities, our project focused on implementing RYM in African American churches. Accordingly, cultural adaptation of CBT was a central process of developing the intervention, which entailed the incorporation of music and spirituality of the Black Church. The content will be relevant to all believers who want to learn science-based and biblically informed strategies to maintain positive mental health amid daily challenges, traumas, and other stressors.
After completing this training, participants will be able to
- Describe the importance of positive mental health for Christians as they deal with daily challenges, traumas, and other stressors.
- Summarize CBT-based and biblically informed strategies that can be used to cope with negative and unhelpful thoughts that try to disrupt our walk with God and jeopardize our mental health.
- Identify the benefits of spiritual music in maintaining positive mental health.
Presenter Bios
Dr. Jonathon Counts, D.Min, LCSW is the pastor of Spottswood AME Zion Church in New Britain, Connecticut (formerly the pastor of Homewood AME Zion Church) and serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. He earned his Doctor of Ministry at Ashland Theological Seminary, his Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary, and his Master’s in social work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
Dr. Aliya Durham, Ph.D., MSW, MPIA is an assistant professor and the director of community engagement at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Durham earned a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies, a Master of Public and International Affairs, and a master’s in social work all from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Durham earned her Ph.D. in Community Engagement from Point Park University.
Dr. William R. Glaze has been the Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania since July 1990. He is the Founder and Dean of the Pittsburgh Laymen’s Bible Institute – offering certification in Biblical Counseling and other Bible-based certificates. He completed graduate studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Virginia, and earned a Doctor of Sacred Theology Degree from Bethany Theological Seminary in Dothan, Alabama.
Dr. Deborah Moon, PhD, LCSW is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Moon earned a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering in South Korea, a master’s degree in music therapy from New York University and in Social Work from the University of Maryland, and a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Kansas. As the Co-Principal Investigator of the CHURCH project, Dr. Moon has been taking primary responsibility for the execution of the project in the past two years. (52 words). Before Dr. Moon started working at Pitt, she used to work as a clinical music therapist and a certified Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (TF-CBT), helping children, youths, and families with trauma exposure and other mental health challenges. Currently, Dr. Moon is pursuing an advanced specialization in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) through the Beck Institute and is overseeing CBT education for graduate social work students as the lead instructor of CBT at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Moon’s current research focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based interventions designed to prevent mental illness and promote the mental health of marginalized children, youths, and families. Her research has been funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services, Doris Duke Foundation, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), The New York Community Trust Robert and Ellen Popper Scholarship Fund, and the Office of Provost at the University of Pittsburgh.
Bailey Nichols, LSW is a doctoral candidate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. She received her MSW from the University of Pittsburgh in 2020 and graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in 2013 with a B.S. in Biology and studies the integration of spirituality/religion in social work. (50 words)
Dr. Toya Jones, LCSW is the BASW Program Director at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in social work, and a doctorate in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Jones is a trauma expert and therapist with over twenty years of experience. (62 words)
Wallace, Jr., Ph.D. serves as Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Development and the interim director of the Center on Race and Social Problems, at the University of Pittsburgh, where he holds the David E. Epperson Endowed Chair. Dr. Wallace is also the senior pastor of Bible Center Church and the founder of The Oasis Project—the community and economic development division of Bible Center. Wallace earned his AB in sociology from the University of Chicago and an MA/Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Michigan. (87 words). As the Principal Investigator of the CHURCH project, Dr. Wallace has been providing leadership and oversight for the project for the past two years.
Dr. Paula Powe, M.D. is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her M.D. from Howard University, completed her Psychiatry residency at Montefiore Medical Center, and a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Yale Child Study Center. Dr. Powe’s work focuses on infant mental health and engaging Black fathers in early childhood programs that protect children from early adversity and toxic stress.
Bibliography
Coombs, A., Joshua, A., Flowers, M., Wisdom, J., Crayton, L. S. S., Frazier, K., & Hankerson, S. H.
(2022). Mental health perspectives among Black Americans receiving services from a church-affiliated mental health clinic. Psychiatric Services, 73(1), 77-82.
de Abreu Costa, M., Moreira-Almeida, A. Religion-Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review and Description of Techniques. Journal of Religion and Health. 61, 443–466 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01345-z
Davenport, A. D., & McClintock, H. F. (2021). Religiosity and attitudes toward treatment for mental health in the Black church. Race and Social Problems, 13(3), 226-233.
Hankerson, S. H., Wells, K., Sullivan, M. A., Johnson, J., Smith, L., Miller-Sethi, F., Crayton, L., Rule, A., Ahmad-Llewellyn, J., Rhem, D., Porter, X., Croskey, R., Simpson, E., Butler, C., Roberts, S., James, A. & Jones, L. (2018). Partnering with African American churches to create a community coalition for mental health. Ethnicity & Disease, 28(Suppl 2), 467.
Hays, K. (2015). Black Churches’ capacity to respond to the mental health needs of African Americans. Social Work & Christianity, 42(3).
Krause, N., & Hayward, R. D. (2014). Religious Music and Health in Late Life: A Longitudinal Investigation. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 24(1), 10.1080/10508619.2012.761529. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2012.761529Pearce MJ, Koenig HG, Robins CJ, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Cohen HJ, King MB. (2015). Religiously integrated cognitive behavioral therapy: a new method of treatment for major depression in patients with chronic medical illness. Psychotherapy. 52(1):56-66. doi: 10.1037/a0036448.
Potvin, N. & Flynn, C. (2019). Music Therapy as a Psychospiritual Ministry of Intercession During Imminent Death, Music Therapy Perspectives, 37(2), 120–132, https://doi.org/10.1093/mtp/miz002