At a Glance: Services and Tools
Available to Your Congregation
Reaching Out, Reaching In
Jesus calls us to follow him. At Shalem, we believe that means following Jesus to where he has gone and continues to go, namely to the margins of society - to the disenfranchised, the stigmatized, the isolated. Following him therefore means reaching out to those who are hurting. But it also means reaching in - going to those areas within ourselves that we often try to repress because of deep pain, sorrow or trauma. Both forms of reaching involve grappling with difficult things that we prefer not to face. But as we move, we realize that reaching out and reaching in are surprisingly connected. And we have the promise of Jesus' abiding presence, his profound and effective blessing.
Shalem's services offer congregations some tools needed for that journey.
Reaching Out
Faith-based WrapAround: providing your church with the tools you need to support people in your faith community who face multiple, complex challenges-needs which are persistent and tend to burn out your church's caregivers.
Restorative Justice Hosting: find out how your congregation can host Family Group Decision-Making meetings - meetings where extended family members create a plan of care for a child who otherwise will become a permanent Crown Ward of the Children's Aid Society. Become the host of reconciliation processes that happen in your community.
RE-create: become a volunteer for, or a supporting church of, Shalem's dynamic drop-in art studio for street-involved youth in the Hamilton area.
Linking Lives/Building Attachment: it is well-known among child protection services that a sizable number of foster parents and adoptive parents are people of faith. At Shalem, we wish to encourage and support this practice. For foster, adoptive and other parents in your church, Linking Lives provides cutting-edge mental health counselling support for children and youth who struggle with attachment disorders due to early trauma and neglect, and their caregivers.
Reaching In
Congregational Assistance Plan (CAP): provide for yourself, your family and each member of your congregation up to six counselling sessions per year from a highly qualified local Christian therapist - anonymously and at no cost to the client.
FaithCARE: Shalem has assembled some of the best practitioners of restorative justice and conflict transformation in Ontario to help your church transform conflict, restore relationships and become a "conflict-friendly", restorative congregation. One of the mysteries of faith is that some of the most difficult, painful and damaging conflicts between people take place in church settings. Likely almost all of us know of congregation-based disputes that have left people hurt and embittered - perhaps even questioning the faith itself. Contact FaithCARE if your church is struggling with conflict.
Sunshine from Darkness: In your quest to support people with mental illness in your church, sometimes what's needed is accurate, reliable information. Shalem's Sunshine from Darkness offers tailor-made information about specific mental illnesses, about where to go for support, and about navigating the mental health system.
Directory of Christian Counsellors: Shalem hosts an online Directory of Christian Counsellors, accessible to anyone.
These services are specifically tailored to help equip churches with practical tools. Shalem's Counselling Services respond to individuals, couples and families seeking counselling, especially in the larger Hamilton and Durham regions.