New year’s meeting for MindMatters COI
On Monday 11th January, the first meeting with the researchers for the new Mental Health Promotion Initiative took place online. Dr Katrina Collins of Collins Consulting and Kate Wilkinson, managing consultant with About Face Consulting Ltd, met with the project team and the steering committee Chair, Bishop Pat Storey, to begin the research phase of what is now called MindMatters COI.
The project was launched on World Mental Health Day in October 2020 to transform the understanding of, attitudes towards and responses to mental health within the Church of Ireland and the wider community. MindMatters COI has been made possible by a significant grant from Allchurches Trust – one of the UK and Ireland’s largest grant-making charities.
The project will take three years to complete and begins with a study to establish the understanding of and attitudes towards mental health within the Church community and will be followed by individual dioceses being invited to apply for funding to support local mental health promotion initiatives.
Martin Rogan, CEO of Mental Health Ireland, endorsed the project in October, saying that Mental Health Ireland “particularly welcome their approach of carrying out baseline research to establish the current needs of the community “. Archbishop John McDowell said, “My hope and prayer for this initiative is that as a serving church we will be able to be more effective in our ministry of comfort, of practical help and of hope, and in doing so to benefit those most in need within our communities and beyond.”
For further information about MindMatters COI please send an email to MHP@rcbdub.org . A website for MindMatters COI is under development and more information about the research and how you can help will follow soon.
