MP E11 Mental Health Preparation Before Your Mission

Dr. Jonathan Sandberg joins the podcast to discuss mental health preparation prior to the mission.  Drawing upon his vast experience as a therapist and former mission president, Dr. Sandberg gives insights that every future missionary and their parents will not want to miss.  The principles in this episode will help anyone better understand mental health issues and how to overcome them with the Saviors help.  You will find yourself wanting to share this with your family and friends!

Highlights

1:00  Introduction of Dr. Jonathan G. Sandberg, former Mission Leader 2019-22, Therapist and Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at BYU.

5:10 Understanding Mental Health before serving a mission.

5:50 Overcoming pain and confusion or previous trauma with courage & humility

8:00 Why the Stigma associated with Mental Health?  Battling 2 Untruths: 1. I should do really hard things no matter how I feel-make it through 2. Religious people who are righteous are supposed to be happy. Therefore we are weak and unrighteous if we are not happy all the time.

11:10 How Do I know when I need help? The Resource Adjusting to Missionary Life.

13:30 What is mental health? The components of my emotional and psychological well-being which is equally important to our physical health.

15:05 Unhealthy Coping & Escaping

20:25 Healthy Coping & Addressing the sadness

21:20 Coping resources available and unavailable on the mission and why that matters?

23:00 Parents - What trajectory is your child on? Are you focused on immediate needs or the trajectory that your child is on? Coaching children vs. controlling them.

27:40 Parents - Cocooning vs. Pre-Arming. How to approach mistakes, freedom vs. independence.

36:00 Using Adjusting to Missionary Life & Safeguards for Using Technology to help.

38:10 The 3 Mental Health Groups of pre-missionaries - which group are you in?

40:00 Resources vs. Demands. Challenges often indicate a need for additional tools & support.

41:00 Managing Mental Health in the mission field and Fear of Disclosure

51:00 How do I know if I have mental or emotional challenges that require some help? The Functional Test.

52:40 Releasing the stigma of the the Service Mission Option

54:00 Parental Expectations & Social Pressures

57:30 Nothing you do or do not do, feel or not feel, changes God's love for you.

60:00 The Role of the Savior in mental health & the meaning of suffering.