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Integrating Psychology, Culture, and the Church Community�Highlights from Global Member Care-Global Mental Health

Reflections, Research, and Resources

Kelly O’Donnell, PsyD

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PC808: Clinical Interventions: Cultural and Community Psychology

Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy

Presentation on 2 March 2026--see the notes under the slides

Hi from France and it is a delight to be together with you!

Thank you, Dr. Ting, for the kind invitation to present in your course:

Integrating Psychology, Culture, and the Church Community.�

This presentation highlights applications of our work in Global Member Care and Global Mental Health.

We are based in Geneva and the USA and speak regularly on the topics of global mental health, member care, and integrity/anti-corruption, in person and remotely. Key to our presentations is encouraging students, faculty, and training programs to cultivate a “global” mentality that includes mentors/models with not just ‘international” (different nations) experience but multi-sectoral, global experience (with issues that transcend geo-political borders—problems without passports). Note for instance, within the multi-disciplinary field of psychology, the American Psychological Association’s recent Strategic Plan (2021) which explicitly calls the organization and its members to “Embrace a global mentality.”

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Learning Objectives

1. Students will be able to briefly describe the seven spheres of the Global Member Care framework and articulate how the missio Dei is a crucial context for engaging in world issues.

2. Students will be able to briefly describe the Global Mental Health framework and articulate how culture and community are core parts of the WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan (2013-2030).

3. Students will choose three key resources based on the main reading, Into the Global Fray as Mental Health Professionals (2025), to support their training and work in community psychology.

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Kelly & Michèle ��background…

Michèle was raised in a military family, born in Paris, lived her childhood years in Europe and the USA, and moved/transitioned often. Kelly loved Spanish and things Latin American and though somewhat landlocked in Southern California, managed to spend the equivalent of one year in Mexico via his many short-term mission trips there in his early 20s. Our two daughters, Erin and Ashling, were born in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Not too far from the Ten Boom Clock Shop aka “The Hiding Place.”

We finished our doctoral studies in clinical psychology in California in the mid-1980s. After graduation we worked as psychologists in California. Kelly worked in the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health as a Psychologist in an outpatient clinic and then taught full time in both the undergraduate psychology and graduate marriage, family, and child program at and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Michele worked in California at Camarillo State Hospital as a Staff Psychologist in the Children’s Unit and part time at Pepperdine University teaching a graduate developmental psychology course.

We moved to Amsterdam in 1988, supported by donor-friends, to provide and develop mental health and personnel development services for the staff at the IHQ of an international Christian mission organization. We soon realized that there was so much more to do than to work in a small office and to put out clinical fires, so to speak. We thus began to step out to see more of the mission “world”. Our work and experience became more international, interagency, and preventative/developmental. And with the encouragement of friends, with Kelly’s background also in community psychology, and a vision and conviction that it was time for colleagues to step forward and intentionally build member care networks around the world (1991), we embarked on a ministry that was to take us all over the geographic and relational world. It was a ministry and eventually a recognized field that we and many others—our predecessors and contemporaries—would help to shape and establish. Member care has truly become international, is increasingly mainstreamed into the ethos of sending groups, and is considered to be a central part of mission/aid strategy.

Around 2010 we also began in earnest to work in both Global Mental Health and global integrity/anti-corruption and increasingly advocated for connecting and contributing across sectors including via “multi-sectoral member care” and “multi-sectoral mental health.”

Since moving to Europe in 1988, we have lived in five countries and provided services in about 50 countries. We currently live in both the Geneva area (France) and the USA (Connecticut).

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Pearls and Perils of Good Practice

“At times though we have had to carefully navigate tricky, overlapping issues. These issues have involved relationship struggles, personality disorders, personal weaknesses, organizational politics, misunderstandings, major international fraud, discrediting, dismissals, and what can only be described as egregious “demonic” opposition. It has frankly been perilous at times.

We were not always adequately prepared to deal with such difficult and potentially debilitating issues….We have also had to hone our “contextual” skills for managing the multi-faceted settings (contexts) in which we provide our services. Different settings have different preferences and capacities for being transparent and accountable, for negotiating different agendas and differences in hierarchical power, for dealing with relational friction, and for being open to receive constructive suggestions from staff. “Develop your contextual skills” and “know your settings” have become both watchwords and safeguards for us.

Like our fellow mission/aid workers, some of our greatest challenges then have been to maintain hope and perspective in spite of experiencing helplessness, injustice, and relational malaise. We have been sustained by the gentle, affirming voice of God inside of us. We have also appreciated the many wise words of family, friends and Scripture, especially the Psalms…for helping us to stay the course.”

Global Member Care Volume 1: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (2011), xvi-xvii

We have had a lot of Fuller involvements, staring mostly in in1990 (Kelly applied to the School of Psychology in 1977). One example: we were at Fuller Seminary and the School of Psychology (Pasadena, California, USA) in February 2009. Kelly gave three lectures for the annual Integration Symposium. The three topics were related to member care in mission/aid settings:

member care history/future directions,
personal and systemic health/dysfunction, and
ethics/human rights.

These three lectures were foundational for the first volume and launch

of the Global Member Care series, done over a period of 15 years,

and published by Wiliam Carey Publishing.

Volume 1: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (2011)�Volume 2: Crossing Sectors for Serving Humanity (2013)

Volume 3: Stories and Strategies for Staying the Course (2024).

More to come by colleagues?!

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��Wellbeing for All People and the Planet: �Into the Global Fray as Mental Health Professionals�Christian Psychology Around the World (Number 24, Dec 2025) ��

Part One highlights three global efforts: UN Sustainable Development Goalst (2015), WHO Mental Health Action Plan, UN One Humanity, Shared Responsibility (humanitarian, 2016).

Part Two presents three frameworks--the emphasis in this presentation: global integration, global mental health, missio Dei model of global member care.

Part Three encourages us to engage with: seven commitments-directions for MHPs, 100+ references with links, 10 applications for reflection.

GMH-Map

O’Donnell, K. & Lewis O’Donnell, M. Wellbeing for all people and the planet: Into the global fray as mental health professionals. Christian Psychology Around the World. Number 24, December 2025 (pp. 84-103). (pre-published version HERE with links in-text and in the reference section).

This is the main article for the presentation. It summarizes much of our learning and messaging over the years for colleagues in mental health and member care. It could easily be the basis for a graduate course.

“This article explores how mental health professionals (MHPs) and their training programs, especially Christians whose faith-based values help shape and support their professional work, can connect and contribute to the growing efforts to promote wellbeing for all people and the planet...The article is also relevant for colleagues in other disciplines and sectors who want to include mental health perspectives and emphases in their work.”

“In Part One, we highlight three current and unprecedented global agendas to make our world a much better place, foremost being the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2015), followed by the World Health Organization’s Mental Health Action Plan (2013, updated 2021) and the United Nations One Humanity: Shared Responsibility (2016a). In Part Two, we present three frameworks to help inform MHPs’ involvement locally through globally: global integration, global mental health, and the missio Dei model of global member care. In Part Three, we finish with seven commitments, over 100 references with links, and 10 applications for reflection. We hope that the materials in this article can be practically used to support your lives and work as MHPs for God’s glory.” Above excerpts are from the introduction in the article.

Note especially in the article the Global Integration framework (GI) which underlies our work as pioneering psychologists in the missio Dei (GI links our character, skills, relationships, and interests in order to responsibly and collaboratively engage in the pressing issues facing our world).

�

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Into the Global Fray as Mental Health Professionals �

Global Member Care--Missio Dei

A seven-sphere model for good member care practice within the overall redemptive work of God in the world. 2.3 billion people do not have meaningful-understandable access to the good news. Zurlo and Johnson (January 2026 ), Status of Global Christianity, IBMR, p.23.

Global Mental Health

A growing domain of study, research, and practice that promotes equitable mental health and well-being for all. Nearly one billion people are currently living with a mental disorder-condition. WHO (2022) World Mental Health Report, p.5.

GMH-Map

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Missio Dei Model of Global Member Care �

Sphere 1. Master Care: The Flow of Christ. Our relationship with Christ is fundamental to our well-being and work effectiveness...

Sphere 2. Self and Mutual Care: The Flow of Community. Self-care is basic to good health...and quality relationships with family and friends are necessary….

Sphere 3. Sender Care: The Flow of Commitment. An organization’s staff is its most important resource...This sphere also includes the care that organizations themselves need to remain healthy and viable…

Sphere 4. Special Care: The Flow of Caregivers. Special care is to be done by qualified “specialists” as well as by others with member care responsibilities who have relevant skills, usually in conjunction with sending groups…

Sphere 5. Network Care: The Flow of Connections. Member care providers are committed to relate and work together, stay updated on events and developments, and share consolidated learning...

Sphere 6. Sector Care: The Flow of Common Ground. People with member care responsibility stay in touch with sectors that are relevant for their work, including humanitarian, health, human resources etc. for mutual learning, exchanging resources, and developing skills... �

Sphere 7. Humanity and Creation Care: The Flow of Common Good. Those with member care responsibility are encouraged to connect and contribute to our globalizing world and the intertwining people–planet nexus in new ways for the common good while maintaining their focus on supporting the health, resiliency, and effectiveness of mission personnel and their sending groups...

From the Introduction in Global Member Care Volume 3 (2024)

“Missio Dei is an inclusive term that represents God’s vast redemptive work in the world—the overall mission of God on behalf of humanity. Theologically, at the core of all we do is the message and work of Jesus Christ, whom we understand to be the world’s only true and blessed hope, and whose gracious salvation is proclaimed and whose virtuous character is to be embodied by the Church. This expanded model of global member care continues to emphasize Jesus Christ at the core of member care, including our relationship with Him, member care/mission workers serving Him, and His love for all people.”�

Sphere 1. Master Care: Good Practice Principle 1—The Flow of Christ

Sphere 2. Self and Mutual Care: Good Practice Principle 2—The Flow of Community

Sphere 3. Sender Care: Good Practice Principle 3—The Flow of Commitment

Sphere 4. Specialist Care: Good Practice Principle 4—The Flow of Caregivers

Sphere 5. Network Care: Good Practice Principle 5—The Flow of Connections

Sphere 6. Sector Care: Good Practice Principle 6—The Flow of Common Ground

Sphere 7. Humanity-Creation Care: Good Practice Principle 6—The Flow of Common Good

Recent updates to the framework:

Sphere 6. Sector Care: The Flow of Common Ground. People with member care responsibility must stay in touch with sectors that are relevant for their work. They should cross into new areas to find common ground—emphases, projects, disciplines, and fields within related sectors—for mutual learning, exchanging resources, and developing skills. Crossing sectors doesn't necessarily require becoming an expert in any given sector. Rather it entails a continuum of involvement which is carefully considered in view of one’s primary focus in member care: being informed by, integrating with, and/or immersing in a given sector or part of a sector.

Sphere 7. Humanity—Creation Care: The Flow of Common Good. Major problems are affecting the wellbeing of people and the planet. Both member care and mission provide opportunities for mature Christians who possess character, competence, and compassion to become strategically involved at all levels, from local to global settings. Those with member care responsibility are encouraged to connect and contribute to our globalizing world and the intertwining people–planet nexus in new ways for the common good while maintaining their focus on supporting the health, resiliency, and effectiveness of mission personnel and their sending groups.

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��Foundational Definition�Member Care (MC)�Wellbeing and Effectiveness (WE)��

�

MC focuses on every member of the organization, including leaders and managers; teams and departments; children and home office staff; and locals, nationals, and volunteers who are part of/working with the sending group.
MC includes preventative, developmental, supportive, and restorative care. A core part of member care is the mutual care that workers provide each other. Workers receive it and they give it. Connecting with resources and people in the local/host community is also key.
MC seeks to implement an adequate flow of care from recruitment through retirement.
MC’s holistic goal is to develop resilience, skills, and virtue, which are key to helping personnel stay healthy and effective in their work. Member care thus involves both developing inner resources (e.g., spiritual, perseverance, stress tolerance) and providing external resources (e.g., team building, logistical support, skill training).

Member care began to be defined more formally in the early 1990s. The above understanding/definition of member care has been very influential and has circulated broadly. A similar description was first published in 1990 in an article we did: “The Increasing Scope of Member Care” (Evangelical Missions Quarterly, p. 418). We are grateful to people like Dick Hawthorne and Tim Lewis with Frontiers and Sam Rowen and Ken Harder with Missionary Internship (now called Mission Training International) for their ideas on member care in the late 1980s and early 1990s which helped to shape this definition.

Note that: ‘The member care ministry and movement did not develop easily. It was often through crises, mistakes, and failure that we began to realize that Christian workers needed quality support in order to help them in their challenging tasks.” Global Member Care Volume 1, page 5

Note; See the member care history section on the main MCA website.

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Pastoral Support �Boundaries & Addiction

A single medical missionary in Asia

working with refugees

During times of stress this year I find myself struggling to maintain a balanced eating pattern. It seems we are always on call, and it is hard to turn away such needy people. There are days when I go to the refrigerator and look for things to eat and yet I am aware that I am not even hungry. This really bothers me because I hate to see myself falling into the trap of eating to cope with stress. I wish our base had a person with a pastor's heart who was willing to listen to our concerns and offer advice and encouragement.

Ethics in Member Care: Towards a Transcultural Framework, Christian Counseling Ethics (2012, pp. 440-441); published also in Understanding and Managing Stress (ch. 8), Missionary Care (1992).

See this example also: Persecution, Fear, and Limited Time. A mission couple teaching in the Middle East.

A mission leader in India

coaching first-term mission workers

Culture shock is the biggest struggle as our new missionaries pursue learning a different language and culture. This usually is hard on their sense of identity and sifts through those who can stay on long-term from those who cannot. Loneliness and isolation are two words to describe the first year. Depression is frequently a part of the stress they feel as they try to cope with their new and demanding work.

Ethics in Member Care: Towards a Transcultural Framework, Christian Counseling Ethics (2012, pp. 440-441); previously published in Understanding and Managing Stress (ch. 8), Missionary Care (1992).

See this example also: Pastoral Care Understanding and Attrition. A middle-aged mission administrator in Europe.

Culture Stress

Identity & Depression

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“We must develop a macro, cooperative model of MC”�Kelly’s appeal—Mental Health and Missions Conference 1990

“Missionaries need, and usually appreciate, all the supportive resources they can get. It is not enough to simply send out strong workers into the fields. These workers must also be maintained and nurtured, and not only for their own sakes, but ultimately for the long-term impact on the people who are the focus of their ministry.” (p. 286)

“The member care momentum in missions today is most heartening. Yet there must be a direction for this momentum: to prioritize and channel member care resources towards those working among the least evangelized.“ (p. 296)

And the time is here for anointed leaders to step forward and help steer this field in response to the Lord’s direction.” (p. 297)

An Agenda for MC in Frontier Missions (IJFM 1991 article)�An Agenda for MC in Mission (Missionary Care 1992 book)

See the “Member Care History” section on our MCA website with historical quotes about member care and unreached peoples

Note also one of the many foundational Scriptures that have guided our work in member care:

“Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, thatthey were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints), that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore, acknowledge such men.” (I Corinthian 16: 15-18, NASB)

See—Stephanas: A New Testament Example of Frontier Member Care, Jeffrey S. Ellis, International Journal of Frontier Missions (Volume 12:4) Member Care special issue

�

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Developing Our Toolkits!��CHOPS Inventory

CHOPS helps you explore 10 areas of struggles, successes, and strategies. (1995, 7 languages).

The 2012 version has more items relevant for workers from the Majority World.

Another version (2015) is more quantitative (rating scale—English, Chinese, and Spanish). CHOPS is useful to explore adjustment for individuals, couples, teams, departments, and organizations.

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��The Missional Heart of Member Care �International Bulletin of Mission Research (April 2015)��

“Member care is developing its global presence and relevance, as colleagues connect with counterparts in other countries, disciplines, and sectors for mutual learning and joint projects.” Multi-Sectoral Member Care Journal of Psychology and Theology (2016)

International MC Retreat. Held for two days in November 2000 after the Mental Health and Missions Conference. Organized by Global Member Care Network and Narramore Foundation

50+ Years of Member Care History�International Bulletin of Mission Research (April 2015)�

“Missionary care has made great strides over the past fifty years and is increasingly recognized as a strategic and ethical necessity for mission. Starting in the early 1990s, the term “member care” began to be widely used to identify what was recognized as an emerging international and interdisciplinary field.[1] Throughout the development of this field, its missional focus—indeed its heart—was clearly seen in its support of mission personnel themselves, as well as their work.[2] Its foundational principles highlighted the biblical admonitions to love one another and, as reflected in the opening prayer above from the first-century church, in the yearning to be made perfect in God’s love

.�This article presents a historical journey through several professional publications, organizations, and conferences dealing with the practice of member care.[3] Starting in the pre-1960 era and traveling into the mid-2010s, I highlight trends in member care development. This chronology weaves my own commentary around a selection of core quotes from different authors. Knowing our history provides important perspectives for supporting the church’s endeavors to share the Good News and do good works among all peoples.

�This survey of materials reflects the initial predominance, in the field of member care, of Englishspeaking, internationally experienced Americans, often males, and many with mental health care backgrounds. These demographics underwent a large shift starting in the 2000s as member care increasingly globalized into a multidisciplinary, culturally contextualized field. Many outstanding colleagues have contributed to the development of this field, but space here allows for only a sampling.[4] These colleagues’ exemplary lives of faith in action and the compelling voices in their writings still speak clearly and powerfully to us today (Heb. 11:4).”

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Korean–Christian Literature Crusade, Seoul (2004)--pdf in two parts�part one and part two 선교사 멤버케어 Part 1/2 -- 선교사 멤버케어 Part 2/2, English HERE (2002)

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Example of Our Advocacy & Writing�Promoting Health and Managing Dysfunction��Principles for staying healthy �and safeguarding workers/senders �in light of personal/organizational dysfunction.�Note the opening case summary: “What a mess!”

See: Reality DOSE! Website.

O’Donnell, K. (2012). Wise doves and innocent serpents? In Member care in India: Ministry call to home call (pp.111-126). Original version in Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 2007, 43, pages 40-49.

Here’s the opening scenario—and salvo–-from this article on health and dysfunction in mission, “Wise as Doves and Innocent as Serpents.” (aka dumb doves and sly snakes) This article is available in 12 languages at:http://MCAresources.googlepages.com/realitydose

“What a mess! A humanitarian organization is losing lots of its staff—again. Good folks are leaving and some good folks are staying. Many are broken and disillusioned. Sides are formed. Some say the departing staff are insubordinate and not a good fit for the ministry. Others believe there are significant personal and organizational problems that are not being addressed. Mutual friends try to stay neutral, and are baffled. The governing board wants to maintain the field work, but is also confused about what is going on. There are only brief/vague written policies for grievances, dismissal, or discipline. No safe forums exist to share personal and work-related concerns as a group. No exit interviews are done. No independent review happens. A few well-meaning folks, mindful that this is a faith-based charity, plead for reconciliation. Something is definitely not right, but no one seems capable or willing to do anything. And over the next several months, the toxins continue to take their toll, as unresolved relational discord and ministry distraction spread maliciously to others. What a mess!”

Reflection and Discussion

Even with “proper” procedures there can be a mess in our organizations. Discuss how recognised protocols and clear ethical values/commitments do not always function as protective factors, especially if there is dysfunction.

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Ten Suggestions:�Dealing with Dysfunction and Toxicity

2. Confrontation of serious dysfunction is done as a group, with solidarity, not by oneself. Get ongoing, experienced, outside consultation, at times including legal advice. Well-intentioned colleagues wanting to help, yet with limited understanding of dysfunction/discipline, can create even greater problems. Refer to any organizational policies for conflict resolution, grievances, and whistle-blowing.

6. Make room for cultural, generational, gender, and organizational variation. Difference is not deviance. Preferences are not usually pathogens. In many cultures, direct approaches may not be appreciated, no matter how diplomatic or respectful one is.

7. Expect there to be diverging accounts of “truth” and deflecting responsibility, plus being misunderstood, manipulated, and blamed. It is a messy process. One must be willing to live with compromise, incomplete closure on important issues, minimal contrition, and partial justice.

8. True trust is earned and not assumed. One needs good reasons, over time, to deeply trust others where there is a history of dysfunction. Trust is slowly built, easily broken, and slowly rebuilt.

9. If you think you are going crazy as you deal with toxicity, you probably are. Dealing with toxicity takes a high toll on our sanity. Get outside reality checks and support. Don’t overestimate your ability to repel toxicity or to avoid becoming toxic yourself. Bitterness defiles. Resist it! (Hebrews 12:15).

See: Reality DOSE! Website.

O’Donnell, K. (2012). Wise doves and innocent serpents? In Member care in India: Ministry call to home call (pp.111-126). Original version in Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 2007, 43, pages 40-49.

Box 8. Ten Suggestions for Dealing with Dysfunction/Toxicity

WHAT HELPS TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE HEALTH?

--1. There is a continuum of responses to carefully consider. It ranges from prudently withdrawing and protecting oneself (Prov. 27:12) to prudently confronting and holding one’s ground (Prov. 25:26). Act with integrity, without wavering, based on your convictions and wise advice.

--2. Make room for cultural, generational, gender, and organizational variation. Difference is not deviance. Preferences are not usually pathogens. In many cultures, direct approaches may not be appreciated, no matter how diplomatic or respectful one is.

--3. Impartiality and objectivity do not necessarily imply neutrality. Don’t be afraid to take a stand. But beware of seeing any party as being “all bad” or “all good.” Truth, packaged diplomatically, is usually a good way forward. Talking in terms of behavior patterns rather than personality problems, and situational influences rather than dispositional inadequacies, may help make the input/process more acceptable. But be realistic: certain pervasive and ongoing character or systemic issues are not amenable to change.

--4. Confrontation of serious dysfunction is done as a group, with solidarity, not by oneself. Get ongoing, experienced, outside consultation, at times including legal advice. Don’t simply rely on Bible verses or the advice of friends! Well-intentioned colleagues wanting to help, yet with limited understanding of dysfunction/discipline, can create even greater problems. Refer to any organizational policies for conflict resolution, grievances, and whistle-blowing. Ask yourselves: “What are our goals, what are the likely outcomes, and what are the risks?”

--5. Confrontation is usually a necessary step (e.g., clinical/recovery interventions) prior to or as part of mediation and reconciliation approaches that involve dysfunction. This assumes though that there are people willing to take some risks and that there is an authority structure in place for leverage and accountability. Always include an historical review to help identify pervasive patterns. Focus on truth and justice, and do so mercifully, and don’t get side-tracked or duped by anyone’s contrived, embellished, or real “sincerity” or “pain.”

--6. Core parts of the reconciliation process in dysfunction/toxic situations include truth, justice, contrition, forgiveness, restitution, and discipline. Prematurely seeking for reconciliation is never helpful. In certain situations, the reconciliation process takes years. And without verifiable contrition and change, sometimes all we can do is “cut our losses,” move on, and entrust ourselves to our faithful Creator (I Pet. 4:19). Forgiveness though, is a command in scripture to intentionally pursue (Matthew 18: 21-22).

--7. Expect there to be diverging accounts of “truth” and deflecting responsibility, plus being misunderstood, manipulated, and blamed. It is a messy process. One must be willing to live with compromise, incomplete closure on important issues, minimal contrition, and partial justice.

--8. If you think you are going crazy as you deal with toxicity, you probably are. Dealing with toxicity takes a high toll on our sanity. Get outside reality checks and support. Don’t overestimate your ability to repel toxicity or to avoid becoming toxic yourself. Bitterness defiles. Resist it! (Heb. 12:15). --

9. True trust is earned and not assumed. One needs good reasons, over time, to deeply trust others where there is a history of dysfunction. Trust is slowly built, easily broken, and slowly rebuilt.

--10. Maintain a solid biblical perspective: Our Lord cares for us often by refining us through desert experiences and through injustices. He zealously loves others, even dysfunctional people, as much as He loves us; and we are all major debtors in need of unmerited mercy (Matt. 18:23-35).

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��Example of Our Training �Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore, India��

Notes:

I (Kelly) was asked to present to the nursing staff and nursing students at this large and respected hospital in southern India. Each day, I was told, an estimated 25,000 people pass through the beautiful hospital complex (staff, patients, families of patients). Kelly‘s connection to teach here was through a mutual friend/leader with a well-known member care organization in India.

Kelly spoke on the topic of healthy organizations, dysfunction, and developing “contextual skills” in order to manage our work environments well. He also met with a small group of leaders and explored the topic of “core issues for adjustment and growth in our lives”. By “core” we mean the matters of our hearts—those normal, internal struggles (e.g.. trust, forgiveness, discouragement, loneliness) that get stirred up when we encounter the challenging external stressors in our work/life.

The men and women in this hospital are doing such wonderful work. We learn so much from the people with whom we work!

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��Example of Our “Field” Consultations�Providing counseling at an interagency mission conference. �Many workers met together from a region for one week.�A great place usually to provide lots of services…��

Brief Case Study for Reflection and Discussion:

We have helped to resource lots of field-conferences over the past 20 years with member care services. We usually stay very busy as you can imagine, offering counseling, helping people work through difficult team and family and organizational issues, and doing a lot of skill-development through workshops. We always try to take time every day to take a break and have some fun especially by exploring the local area. Have a look at Frances White’s article “Guidelines for Short-Term Field Consultation” in Missionary Care (1992). It has lots of good suggestions.

Well, as with life in general, not everything works out smoothly in spite of our best planning. In one conference we gathered together a member care team from different countries. The services that we ended up offering, however, were limited due to other “priorities” that the conference planners had decided. Hence because of the fairly intense meeting schedule there were not many times that conference partici-Afts were available for counseling or consultation. For some political reasons (that is, organizational agendas/unresolved issues) it was hard to push our case to be more fully utilized.

The moral of the story: plan as best as one can, negotiate, and act professionally and responsibly. Remember that many times whether we are in-house or outside service providers, we may not have the clout to practice as we wish—we have to negotiate settings and that is part of the skill sets that we must develop also. Without inappropriately demarcating things into “us vs them”, we find it helpful to remember that more often than not “we are guests in their world” to quote Dr. Karen Carr’s article in Doing Member Care Well (2002).

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�Example of Our Cross-Sectoral Writing�Developing Guidelines for Good Practice�Connecting ethical principles and human rights commitments � to strengthen the work in member care and mission.�

Statues at ICRC, Geneva

This subject matter in this article is near and dear to our hearts as we write, train, and consult. Here is an excerpt from chapter 9 in Global Member Care Volume 1 (2011), page 157.

“I believe in discretion, not confidentiality.”

“I’m too busy to follow-up that difficult matter—give me a break!”

“This mistake must not discredit us by coming into public view.”

“Member care is a broad field with a wide range of practitioners and perspectives on what is ethically permissible. As this field continues to grow, it is important to offer guidelines to further clarify and shape good practice. In this section we will explore several ethical principles and human rights commitments to upgrade the quality of the supportive care that we offer mission/aid staff. We consider five types of guidelines: member care worker commitments, sending group principles, ethical rationalizations, specific ethics codes, and human rights principles. Ethical care is a mentality, a practice, and a commitment, based on moral law.”

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�Crossing Sectors �for Serving Humanity�Global Member Care Volume 2 (2013)�---

Three suggestions for connecting and contributing�for multi-sectoral member care and multi-sectoral mental health

1. Issues: focus on the areas that matter to you.

2. Involvements: choose your levels of activity (continuum)

Informed----------Interactive----------Immersed

3. Influences: explore what has shaped and what is shaping your desire and ability to cross sectors

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Charting Your Course Through the Sectors, Global Member Care Volume 2 (2013, ch. 2) Note: Section on 10 lessons for good practice from the humanitarian sector

See also: Multi-Sectoral Member Care in the Journal of Psychology and Theology (December 2016)

and the Multi-Sectoral Member Care section on our MCA website

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The global burden of trauma!�

Add to Toolkits�Trauma-informed training & care

Healing the Wounds of Trauma: How the Church Can Help (2016 edition) Available in multiple languages (Korean) contact traumahealing@sil.org

Psychological First Aid: Guide for Field Workers�World Health Organization , World Vision , War Trauma Foundation--multiple languages

Example of Our Collaborative Training

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Working Well? Aid Worker Well-Being and How to Improve It (2020)

Leading Well: Aid Leader Perspectives on Staff Well-Being and Organisational Culture (2021)

Governing Well Five Questions Aid Organizasations' Boards Should Be Asking (2022)

Funding Well: A Path Towards Values-Aligned, Trust-Based Solidarity (2024) Workers Wellbeing

“Security and well-being: Staff often work long hours in risky and stressful conditions. An agency’s duty of care to its national and international staff includes actions to promote mental and physical well-being and avoid long-term exhaustion, burnout, injury or illness. Managers can promote a duty of care through modelling good practice and personally complying with policy. Humanitarian workers also need to take personal responsibility for managing their well-being.” CHS Guidance Notes and Indicators, 2018 (page 26)

Core H umanitarian Standard Alliance

Global Humanitarian Overview 2026 (UN OCHA website)

Download attachment (PDF | 3.64 MB | English version)

Download attachment (PDF | 3.84 MB | Spanish version)

Download attachment (PDF | 3.89 MB | French version)

Download attachment (PDF | 4.16 MB | Arabic version)

Foreword by the Emergency Relief Coordinator

“When I stepped into this role last year, I warned that humanitarians were over-stretched, under-funded and under attack. Few of us, however, imagined how much worse it would become.

In 2025, our colleagues on the front lines of crises were killed, detained and injured, while our funding plummeted below levels last seen in 2016, forcing us to shutter, suspend and stop services for communities in crisis. For millions of people, 2025 was the year that the last lifeline available to them was snapped: health centers closed, food rations cut, nutrition outreach halted, protection services ceased, cash payments stopped, water deliveries ended, and shelters went unrepaired. And all this while communities were exposed to conflict—including atrocities—and climate emergencies, and as two famines unfolded simultaneously—for the first time in recorded history—in the Occupied Palestine Territory and Sudan.

This is a time of brutality, impunity and indifference.

And yet, amid these extremes, humanitarians refused to relent. I saw this first-hand from Kandahar to Kyiv, from Tawila to Gaza, and from Port-au-Prince to the Kivus: communities stepping-up to support one another in times of crisis; local and national organizations—especially those led by women, people with disabilities and displaced people—rising to assist the villages, towns and cities they know best; and international partners supporting these efforts with their supply chains, expertise, capacity and advocacy. In 2025, together, we reached nearly 98 million people worldwide.”

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Core Competencies�Mental Health and Missions (MHM) Practitioners

Watson, R. A., Westmaas, C. R., Wuysang, H. T., & Watson, T. S. (2025, November 21). Pathways to effectiveness: �An initial investigation of core competencies for MHM practitioners [Conference presentation]. �Mental Health and Missions Conference, Hurst, TX. USA

Assessing overlapping areas of Knowledge, Skills, Behavior, and Judgment �21 MHM practitioners gave responses and ratings
5 FACTORS (below)→ 16 CLUSTERS→ 51 COMPETENCIES (see the summary chart)

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Watson, R. A., Westmaas, C. R., Wuysang, H. T., & Watson, T. S. (2025, November 21).

Pathways to effectiveness: An initial investigation of core competencies for MHM practitioners

[Conference presentation]. Mental Health and Missions Conference, Hurst, TX. USA

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Resources for MC Toolkits

Managing Stress in the Field

(2009) Int. Federation of the Red Cross�More resources HERE.

Light Up or Burn Out Caring for Self and Others �(2024) Emily Hervey (2020 version HERE)
Global Counseling Coalition–10 MC organizations
We'll Never Let Go of the Rope! A Member Care Training Manual for Churches and Agencies in Newer Sending Countries (2024 2^nd edition) Traugott & Hanni Boeker with Member Care Indonesia
Growing As Good Practitioners: Resources to Support Mission/Aid Workers This is a set of nine tools to help member care workers who provide services in the mission/aid sector. Feel free to adjust the tools for your own use, referencing the original source. (Kelly and Michele)
How Are You Doing? Tools for Wellbeing and Growth Member Care Update (February 2024)
Helping the Helpers: 50 Resource for Humanitarian Workers, Member Care Update (Nov 2017)
Giants , Foxes , Wolves, and Flies: A Tool for Christian Workers (2002) Explores four common areas of struggle and growth for mission personnel (Biblical metaphors)--for personal/group reflection & discussion.

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Global Mental Health�

“Global Mental Health (GMH) is a growing domain of study, research, and practice

that promotes equitable mental health and well-being for all (globe-all).

GMH is international, interdisciplinary, culturally relevant and multi-sectoral.

GMH emphasizes the right to equity in health and encourages healthy behaviors and lifestyles.

GMH is committed to preventing and treating mental, neurological, and substance use conditions (MNS) especially for vulnerable populations (e.g., in settings of poverty, conflict, calamity, and trauma) and those in low- and middle-income countries.

GMH seeks to improve policies and programs, professional practices and research, advocacy and awareness, and social, structural, systemic, and environmental factors that affect mental health and well-being.”

Based on: O’Donnell, 2012; O’Donnell & Lewis O’Donnell, 2016; and O’Donnell & Eaton, 2017

See our 15+ GMH orientation articles (2012-current) and some GMH Perspectives (with critiques) on the GMH-Map website.

GMH-Map

--GMH is shaped by public health, human rights, clinical science, and cultural anthropology.

�--It is not simply something that concerns specialists--“psychology-psychiatry, psychotherapy, and psychopharmacology.” Increasingly those with “lived experience’” for example, are helping to shape GMH.

--Note: personally, 2009 is the year we began to intentionally connect with the young GMH movement. It would be accurate to say that the initial GMH “movement” was significantly shaped via the launching of: The Lancet’s GMH Special Issue (2007), the formation of the Movement for Global Mental Health (2008), and the mhGAP Program by the World Health Organization (2008). There were plenty of precursors and other influences as well. And there were concerns and detractors from the start about a perceived over emphasis on Western concepts for mental ill health, psychiatry, and pharmacology.

�--For a helpful critique of GMH, see Kirmayer and Peterson’s introductory article in the special issue on GMH in the Journal of Trans-Cultural Psychiatry (December 2014) and the GMH Perspectives section, GMH-Map website.

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Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030)

,�SDG 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”

There are three “Targets” under Goal 3 that have important implications for not just mental health but overall health and sustainable development (the SDGs have 169 Targets and nearly 250 indicators):
By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being (3.4)

Note 3.4.2: suicide rate is an indicator.

Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol (3.5)
Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all (3.8).

SDGs

Goal 1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 3.4 By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being

Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 8 Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Goal 15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

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��GMH Markers�Problems and Progress��

“Mental health is increasingly being recognized for its pivotal role in health, sustainable development, and wellbeing for all people and of the planet. In this chapter we highlight several markers that collectively reflect crucial developments and directions for mental health’s global impact. These comprise events, reports, manuals, campaigns, consortia, etc., and this body of markers represent the culmination of a series of articles over the past 10 years to orient colleagues in mental health and across sectors to the domain of Global Mental Health (GMH) (GMH-Map Project). We organize the markers into 10 areas of engagement for GMH Collaboration and conclude with perspectives on working together into the future.” (page 1)

“Despite the fact that there are hundreds of millions of people experiencing a mental, neurological, or substance use condition, scant attention has been paid to these conditions historically. Even in high income countries only 35-50% of the people with severe mental disorders receive treatment, and in low income countries the vast majority—typically 76-85%—receive little or no effective care (WHO, 2013, p. 8). In sub-Saharan Africa, governments spend only around 1% of their health budgets on mental health, a number that is very similar to the proportion of international development assistance for health dedicated to mental health (Gilbert et al., 2015). Further, the extreme neglect, human rights abuse, and social exclusion of people with mental health conditions mean that they could be seen as the epitome of people who are ‘left behind.’” (page 2)

“Positively, GMH has contributed to making the mental health and wellbeing of populations a primary global concern for the first time. It has brought together often divergent academic and practice traditions to offer the potential for evidence- and values-based action to impact on the quality of life of people around the world who were previously neglected. In particular there has been progress in the broader conceptualization of mental health and acknowledging its many determinants, the role of those with lived experience, and the development of psychological interventions that are culturally-sensitive and scalable, deliverable by supervised non-specialists.” (page 2)

“The GMH markers in this chapter represent many advances on behalf of ‘mental health and wellbeing for all’” (SDG 3). They point to what we sense is a tangible shift into a new phase for GMH: a collective game changer towards culturally-relevant, “multi-sectoral mental health” and “sustainable GMH development” with serious positive implications for on the ground, multi-lingual, community-based services…If we are to learn lessons and move towards a new way of realizing mental health and wellbeing for all, we must persevere in calling for policy and action that has compassion, equity, and rights at its heart. The call is a summons for humanity—humans helping humans. It is everyone’s responsibility. Stay the course!” (pages 13,14)

O'Donnell, K., Eaton, J., & Lewis O'Donnell, M. Global mental health: Collaborating for sustainable development and wellbeing. In M. E. Congress, D. Meister, S. Osborn, & H. Takooshian (Eds.). (2022). Behavioral Science in the Global Arena--Volume Two : Global Mental, Spiritual, and Social Health (pp. 3-21). Information Age Pub.
�

“Mental health is increasingly being recognized for its pivotal role in health, sustainable development, and wellbeing for all people and of the planet. In this chapter we highlight several markers that collectively reflect crucial developments and directions for mental health’s global impact. These comprise events, reports, manuals, campaigns, consortia, etc., and this body of markers represent the culmination of a series of articles over the past 10 years to orient colleagues in mental health and across sectors to the domain of Global Mental Health (GMH) (GMH-Map Project). We organize the markers into 10 areas of engagement for GMH Collaboration and conclude with perspectives on working together into the future.” (page 1)

“Despite the fact that there are hundreds of millions of people experiencing a mental, neurological, or substance use condition, scant attention has been paid to these conditions historically. Even in high income countries only 35-50% of the people with severe mental disorders receive treatment, and in low income countries the vast majority—typically 76-85%—receive little or no effective care (WHO, 2013, p. 8). In sub-Saharan Africa, governments spend only around 1% of their health budgets on mental health, a number that is very similar to the proportion of international development assistance for health dedicated to mental health (Gilbert et al., 2015). Further, the extreme neglect, human rights abuse, and social exclusion of people with mental health conditions mean that they could be seen as the epitome of people who are ‘left behind.’” (page 2)

“Positively, GMH has contributed to making the mental health and wellbeing of populations a primary global concern for the first time. It has brought together often divergent academic and practice traditions to offer the potential for evidence- and values-based action to impact on the quality of life of people around the world who were previously neglected. In particular there has been progress in the broader conceptualization of mental health and acknowledging its many determinants, the role of those with lived experience, and the development of psychological interventions that are culturally-sensitive and scalable, deliverable by supervised non-specialists.” (page 2)

“The GMH markers in this chapter represent many advances on behalf of ‘mental health and wellbeing for all’” (SDG 3). They point to what we sense is a tangible shift into a new phase for GMH: a collective game changer towards culturally-relevant, “multi-sectoral mental health” and “sustainable GMH development” with serious positive implications for on the ground, multi-lingual, community-based services…If we are to learn lessons and move towards a new way of realizing mental health and wellbeing for all, we must persevere in calling for policy and action that has compassion, equity, and rights at its heart. The call is a summons for humanity—humans helping humans. It is everyone’s responsibility. Stay the course!” (pages 13,14)

O'Donnell, K., Eaton, J., & Lewis O'Donnell, M. Global mental health: Collaborating for sustainable development and wellbeing. In M. E. Congress, D. Meister, S. Osborn, & H. Takooshian (Eds.). (2022). Behavioral Science in the Global Arena--Volume Two : Global Mental, Spiritual, and Social Health (pp. 3-21). Information Age Pub.

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Global Mental Health (GMH)�Mental Health as Mission�

“We strongly encourage psychology and mental health-related training programs—and related health disciplines—to include the WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan (2013-2030 ) and the WHO World Mental Health Report (2022) (note the updated data chapter, WHO 2025) as core texts in at least one of their courses and to prominently feature them in their training programs. We consider both of these items to be "Global Mental Health bookends" that help to shape and support the growing efforts across sectors and settings, countries and cultures, to impact the mental health and wellbeing of all people especially the most vulnerable and neglected. A third highly-recommended resource is Mental Health for Sustainable Development: A Topic Guide for Development Professionals (K4D Emerging Issues Report, 2020).”

Excerpt from Into the Global Fray as MHPS (2025). See also the presentation at Regent University (GMH Overview, Updates, Directions (2022) and the GMH-Map website. Note: Rich, G. & O’Donnell, K. (2023). Global Mental Health. In Oxford Bibliographies in Psychology Ed. Dana S. Dunn. New York: Oxford University Press The pre-copyedited version of this article is on the GMH-Map website.

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��WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030 � (2013, updated 2021)�

Vision: �“A world in which mental health is valued, promoted, and protected, mental disorders are prevented, and persons affected by these disorders are able to exercise the full range of human rights and to access high-quality, culturally appropriate health and social care in a timely way to promote recovery, all in order to attain the highest possible level of health and participate fully in society and at work free from stigmatization and discrimination.”

Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030

“This comprehensive action plan has been elaborated through consultations with Member States, civil society and international partners. It takes a comprehensive and multisectoral approach, through coordinated services from the health and social sectors, with an emphasis on promotion, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, care and recovery. It also sets out clear actions for Member States, the Secretariat and international, regional and national level partners, and proposes key indicators and targets that can be used to evaluate levels of implementation, progress and impact. The action plan has, at its core, the globally accepted principle that there is “no health without mental health.” World Health Organization, WHO, 2021, p. 1)

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�4 Objectives + 6 Approaches + 10 Targets:�20 OATs in the 2021 update: “eat yor OATS for good 20/21 GMH vision �See page 3 of the WHO World MH Report (2022) for a summary chart

4 Objectives

1. to strengthen effective leadership and governance for mental health
2. to provide comprehensive, integrated and responsive mental health and social care services

in community-based settings

3. to implement strategies for promotion and prevention in mental health
4. to strengthen information systems, evidence and research for mental health.

Approaches (cross-cutting principles)

1. Universal health coverage
2. Human rights
3. Evidence-based practice and culture
4. Life-course approach
5. Multisectoral approach
6. Empowerment of persons with mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities

10 Targets (examples below from Objective 2)

Global target 2.1: Service coverage for mental health conditions will have increased at least by half, by 2030.
Global target 2.2: 80% of countries will have doubled number of community-based mental health facilities, by 2030.
Global target 2.3: 80% of countries will have integrated mental health into primary health care, by 2030.

Six Approaches:�1. Universal health coverage. Regardless of age, sex, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, and following the principle of equity, persons with mental disorders should be able to access, without the risk of impoverishing themselves, essential health and social services that enable them to achieve recovery and the highest attainable standard of health. �2. Human rights. Mental health strategies, actions and interventions for treatment, prevention and promotion must be compliant with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other international and regional human rights instruments. �3. Evidence-based practice. Mental health strategies and interventions for treatment, prevention and promotion need to be based on scientific evidence and/or best practice, taking cultural considerations into account. �4. Life-course approach. Policies, plans and services for mental health need to take account of health and social needs at all stages of the life-course, including infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and older age. �5. Multisectoral approach. A comprehensive and coordinated response for mental health requires partnership with multiple public sectors such as health, education, employment, judicial, housing, social and other relevant sectors as well as the private sector, as appropriate to the country situation. �6. Empowerment of persons with mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities. Persons with mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities should be empowered and involved in mental health advocacy, policy, planning, legislation, service provision, monitoring, research and evaluation.

10 Targets:

Global target 1.1: 80% of countries will have developed or updated their policy or plan for mental health in line with international and regional human rights instruments, by 2030. �Global target 1.2: 80% of countries will have developed or updated their law for mental health in line with international and regional human rights instruments, by 2030.

Global target 2.1: Service coverage for mental health conditions will have increased at least by half, by 2030. �Global target 2.2: 80% of countries will have doubled number of community-based mental health facilities, by 2030. �Global target 2.3: 80% of countries will have integrated mental health into primary health care, by 2030.

Global target 3.1: 80% of countries will have at least two functioning national, multisectoral mental health promotion and prevention programmes, by 2030. �Global target 3.2: The rate of suicide will be reduced by one-third, by 2030. �Global target 3.3: 80% of countries will have a system in place for mental health and psychosocial preparedness for emergencies and/or disasters, by 2030.

Global target 4.1: 80% of countries will be routinely collecting and reporting at least a core set of mental health indicators every two years through their national health and social information systems, by 2030. �Global target 4.2: The output of global research on mental health doubles, by 2030.

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MH Resources—WHO�Psychological First Aid (2011)�mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (2015)

See excerpts below from the Global Humanitarian Overview 2025,

(United Nations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2024).

Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 (United Nations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2024). Note Section One: Trends in Crises and Needs (pages 6-19). “I launch this Global Humanitarian Overview for 2025—my first as Emergency Relief Coordinator—with shame, dread and hope. Shame, because behind every number in this report is a human being...shattered by conflict, the climate crisis and the disintegration of our systems for international solidarity.” (page 3)

‘”In 2025, 305 million people around the world will require urgent humanitarian assistance and protection, as multiple crises escalate with devastating consequences for the people affected by them. The Southern and Eastern Africa region hosts the highest number of people in need (85 million), with the catastrophic crisis in Sudan accounting for 35 per cent of the total in the region. This is followed by the Middle East and North Africa, where 59 million people require assistance and protection...There are two main drivers of these needs, both of which are man-made and therefore could be reversed with concerted and collective action: [conflict and climate].

�Conflict: Civilians are bearing the brunt of a record number of armed conflicts marked by blatant disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law, including mass atrocities. 2024 was one of the most brutal years in recent history for civilians caught in conflicts and, should urgent action not be taken, 2025 could be even worse. By mid-2024, nearly 123 million people had been forcibly displaced by conflict and violence, marking the twelfth consecutive annual increase. The global food security crisis is staggering, affecting over 280 million people daily as acute hunger spreads and intensifies. Violence and displacement further prevent food production and block access to vital markets. And around one in every five children in the world—approximately 400 million—are living in or fleeing conflict zones...

The global climate emergency: The world is perilously close to 1.5ºC warming and the climate crisis is increasing the frequency and severity of disasters, with devastating consequences for the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. It is expected that 2024 will be the hottest year on record, marked by floods in the Sahel, East Africa and Europe, drought in Southern Africa and the Americas, and heatwaves across the globe. In 2023, 363 weather-related disasters were recorded, affecting at least 93.1 million people and causing thousands of deaths.” (pages 7-8)

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-----

--Integrity is moral wholeness—living consistently in moral wholeness.�--Corruption is moral rottenness, the opposite of integrity--the distortion, perversion, and deterioration of moral goodness, resulting in the abuse and exploitation of people and the planet. It is integroty.

--Global integrity is living consistently in moral wholeness at all levels--individual, interpersonal, institutional, and international; across sectors and settings; local through global; the systemic and structural.

Feature 1. GID is a positive day, launched on 9 June 2020, to reflect, teach, and collaborate on ways to integrate integrity in all we do throughout the entire year.

Feature 2. GID is a strategic day to promote a) cultivating lifestyles, cultures, and systems of integrity from the individual through the international levels; b) joining together to understand and address the causes and consequences of corruption in its many forms; and c) working towards just and equitable societies marked with wellbeing for all people and for the planet.

Feature 3. GID is a solemn day to consider our ways…

Feature 4. GID is a companion day to complement UN International Anti-Corruption Day--9 December….

We coordinate this special day on and throughout the year (noting that every day is an integrity day!). The seventh year and seventh theme begins on 9 Jun 2026e. We are stewarding this prototypical version of GID until a group of organizations and networks can collaboratively coordinate it. Kelly oversees the website.

Four Features of GID (website)

“Be the people we need--Build the world we need”�

--“Global Integrity Day (GID) is a positive day, launched on 9 June 2020, to reflect, teach, and collaborate on ways to integrate integrity in all we do throughout the entire year.

�--GID is a strategic day to promote a) cultivating lifestyles, cultures, and systems of integrity from the individual through the international levels; b) joining together to understand and address the causes and consequences of corruption in its many forms; and c) working towards just and equitable societies marked with wellbeing for all people and for the planet.

�--GID is a solemn day to consider our ways: if we are lying and/or stealing in any way big or small, then we need to stop it. If we need to right a wrong we have done, then do so. If we need to prudently confront wrongdoing, preferably in solidarity with colleagues for mutual support and greater impact, then do so.

�--GID is a companion day to complement UN International Anti-Corruption Day, 9 December (and vice versa). Both Days are practical rallying points, six months apart, for fostering common ground, organizing events, sharing initiatives, and involving the public.

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O’Donnell, K. (March & April 2017). Integrity and Accountability for United Nations S taff. UN Special (Parts 1 & 2). Illustration: courtesy Marc Rosenthal (http://www.marc-rosenthal.com) Key concepts: UN core competencies for staff and cognitive dissonance.

See: Crucial Contributions from the Global Psychological-Behavioral-Social Sciences

Global Integration Update (May 2023)

Integrity and Accountability for United Nations Staff. UN Special. pdf version for parts 1 & 2 HERE.

“The UN has 17 core competencies. The two discussed in this article [integrity and acountability] are particularly helpful for guiding us through the myriad of moral challenges—internal and external—in UN work.

As both a psychologist and a UN representative for the World Federation for Mental Health, I am keenly curious about what helps bring out the best and the worst of my colleagues in the UN and other sectors. And myself. I am especially interested in how the UN’s approach to competencies and values, and in particular the moral-based areas of integrity and accountability, can support staff as they traverse the troubled terrain of our world...

Cognitive dissonance is one of the most relevant social psychology concepts that can help us to understand our prevarication tendencies (i.e. evading or distorting the truth, lying) as we try to practice integrity and accountability well. It refers to the disturbing, internal incongruence that we feel as we try to harmonize discrepant thoughts about ourselves. Tavris and Aronson in Mistakes Were Made But Not By Me (2007) shed light on how these moral maneuvers help us feel good about ourselves.”

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�Global Citizens�Embracing our common identity, belonging, and responsibilities as humans �(not: global government, global homogeneity, cultural conformity, national non-sovereignty…)�

G yeongju Action Plan (2016)�“Education for Global Citizenship: Achieving the SDGs Together ”

“In addition to literacy and numeracy, education must advance the cause of global citizenship which: promotes integrated development of the whole person emotionally, ethically, intellectually, physically, socially, and spiritually; imbued with an understanding of our roles, rights and responsibilities for the common good in service to humanity and the advancement of a culture of peace, non-violence, freedom, justice, and equality…“empowers learners to assume active roles to face and resolve global challenges and to become proactive contributors to a more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, and secure world” [UNESCO 2014]; nurtures a sense of solidarity and empathy in order to end poverty, protect the planet, ensure human rights, and foster prosperous and fulfilling lives for all….We commit to…An education that teaches conflict resolution, a deep appreciation for diversity, ethical reasoning, gender equality, human rights and responsibilities, interdependence, multilingual and multicultural competence, social justice, sustainable development, and values.” (pages 1,2) [bold font added for emphasis]

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“…but do we even like the UN and ‘global’ things…?”

We encourage you to carefully review the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030), noting areas of interest for you among its 17 goals and 169 targets. This aspirational plan of action includes five overlapping areas: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships.

We are aware that there are different perspectives about the United Nations. It has many strengths and weaknesses, accomplishments and failures. In spite of its shortcomings, we are convinced of the UN’s critical importance in our world along with the opportunities and responsibilities that are before us all to seek sustainable development and wellbeing for all.

And we are aware that currently there is an “anti-global” sentiment-bias in various sociopolitical and religious spaces etc. If you haven’t done so recently…read the UN Charter’s Preamble (1945) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).

Consider these questions:

--How are we connecting and contributing to UN efforts to promote wellbeing for all people and the planet? Foremost are the Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030). Why or why not?�--How can these efforts support the purpose/work of the church community and communities?

--Are the SDGs morphing into Sustainable Survival Goals? See MCA Global Integration Updates:

--Changing and Charting Our Course: The United Nations Pact for the Future (September 2024)

--Being Interfaith-Based: Doing Better Together (April 2023)

--Perils, Paralysis, Hope: Sustainable Development or Sustainable Destruction? (October 2022)

--Thinking Critically about Sustainable Development (February 2022)

--Doomsday? Next Stop, Global Dis-Integration (June 2017)

)

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Directions for Good Practice�Seven Commitments�Sharing these commitments for 15+ years (2011-current)

Commitment 1. We commit to diligently pursue our own journeys of personal and professional growth—to grow deeply as we go broadly.
Commitment 2. We commit to integrate the inseparable areas of our character (resilient virtue) and competency (relevant skills) with compassion (resonant love).
Commitment 3. We commit to go into new areas of learning and work: crossing sectors, cultures, disciplines, and comfort zones.
Commitment 4. We commit to embrace our duty to work in difficult settings, including those permeated by conflict, calamity, corruption, and poverty as those in great need are often in places of great risk.
Commitment 5. We commit to have clear ethical commitments and standards that guide our work, respecting the dignity and worth of all people.
Commitment 6. We commit to working with others to promote wellbeing and sustainable development, being the people we need for building the future we want.
Commitment 7. We commit to base our work on the practice of fervently loving other people—agape. This type of love is the foundational motive and the ultimate measure of our live and work in the world for Jesus’ glory.

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Applications�Into the Global Fray as MHPs�

What parts of this article are most helpful for you? What would you like to delve into deeper?
Are there any parts of the article with which you might not agree with?
What else would you add to this article to help orient and support MHPs going into the global fray?
Which one of the 17 SDGs and any of its targets interest you the most? How is progress being made or not made and how is it measured on this target(s)?
Where do you believe the world is heading on a 10-point continuum between sustainable development on one end (+5) and sustainable destruction on the other end (-5)? How might your world view, political orientation, and/or life experience influence your rating?
Review the Four Objectives in the updated version of the Comprehensive Metal Health Action Plan 2013-2030 (World Health Organization, 2021). Which ones are particularly relevant for humanitarian action as described in the five core responsibilities of the 2016 Agenda for Humanity (United Nations, 2020)?
How can graduate training programs in mental health and psychology incorporate some of the perspectives, agendas, and frameworks into their programs? How are some already included in your training program or other training programs?
Have a go at adjusting and filling in some of the items in the GI Grid with its GMS and GMH foci. Identify additional resources and tools. Personalize it!
In your own words, summarize Global Integration, Global Mental Health, and/or Global Member Care in one sentence. What are some of the brief videos, podcasts, and presentations illustrating these three frameworks including their applications to settings around the world?
The article ends with seven directional commitments. How do these apply to you and how would you add to or adjust them?
What questions and topics would you like to discuss with the authors? [we are glad to meet with groups!]

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Trust God and do good. Psalm 37�Love truth, peace, and people. Zechariah 8

“My child, if you are going to serve the Lord, be prepared for times when you will be put to the test. Be sincere and determined. Keep calm when trouble comes. Stay with the Lord; never abandon him, and you will be prosperous at the end of your days. Accept whatever happens to you. Even if you suffer humiliation, be patient. Gold is tested by fire, and human character is tested in the furnace of humiliation. Trust the Lord, and he will help you. Walk straight in his ways, and put your hope in him.” Sirach 2, circa 200 BC

This is one of the many wise words that have helped us during the ups and downs of life and our work. It is from the Septuagint, the Greek version/translation of the Hebrew Bible circa 200 BC. We feature it in the Preface of Global Member Care Volume 1: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (2011)

Also included on this slide are three very meaningful items hanging on my office wall in France for 20+ years—to guide me and goad me in my work and life:

----Nahuatl children in the high mountain-village of Cienega Grande, Puebla, Mexico 1975 my first “mission” trip and trek into a very different culture than mine

--UNHCR image of refugees in the South China Sea 1980 with our two daughters juxtaposed by them as a reminder of God’s love for all and not just for those whom we ourselves love

--My “Groomsday Clock” (versus the Doomsday Clock) to await the coming of the Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13), set to 15 seconds before noon (versus midnight).

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40 of 40

Integrating Psychology, Culture, and the Church Community�Highlights from Global Member Care-Global Mental Health

Reflections, Research, and Resources

Kelly O’Donnell, PsyD

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PC808: Clinical Interventions: Cultural and Community Psychology

Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy

Presentation on 2 March 2026--see the notes under the slides

Dr. Michèle Lewis O’Donnell and Dr. Kelly O’Donnell are consulting psychologists based in Geneva. Respectively they are the COO and CEO of Member Care Associates, Inc (MCA), an NGO focusing on the wellbeing and effectiveness of staff and their organizations.

Their multi-sectoral emphases for consultation, training, and writing include: personnel development, Global Mental Health, and integrity/anti-corruption. Kelly and Michèle are International Affiliates of the American Psychological Association and have been Representatives of the World Federation for Mental Health to the United Nations. Their publications include over 70 articles and five books in the member care and mental health fields (see recent publications) as well as ongoing Member Care Updates and Global Integration Updates (archived on the MCA website).

They did their doctoral training in clinical psychology and theology at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University, USA and have two wonderful adult daughters, Erin and Ashling, raised in five countries. MCAresources@gmail.com