Internet Resources

Professional Discussion Forums Online
Web Resources for Psychotherapists
Regional Links
Websites of AAPC Members and Friends
Conferences, Meetings, & Events

Here is a list of resources. It is by no means exhaustive, but is a good starting point to introduce you to the world of mental health on the Internet. If you have a resource you think should be listed here, please write to Shelbie at AAPC's Associaiton Office: aapcshelbie@yahoo.com.

DISCLAIMER: Clicking on links below will take you outside of the AAPC Web site, and the American Association of Pastoral Counselors is not responsible for anything you might encounter once you leave our site. The Web sites listed below, and the accompanying commentary, are provided for your information. AAPC does not vouch for the accuracy of the contents of any of the sites to which links are provided, and inclusion of a site on this page does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by AAPC.

Internet Discussion Forums for mental health professionals

Internet discussion forums provide an opportunity for peer support, professional networking, and information exchange. To participate in a discussion forum, you generally “subscribe” (join the group in progress) by sending a command in an e-mail message. Thereafter, the group conversations will come to you in the form of e-mail. The subscription address and the exact form of the command differ from group to group, so be sure to follow the instructions precisely.

Subscribe to Pastoral Counseling
discussion forum
ALL FAITHS WELCOME

Pastoral-Counseling - e-mail discussion group for AAPC members and others interested in pastoral counseling. Interfaith: Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, New Age, and more are all welcome. Use the form at left to subscribe. Discussion topics include:

  • the integration of psychotherapy and spirituality
  • networking and conversation among AAPC members
  • professional issues facing pastoral counselors and psychotherapists
  • practical matters in the work of pastoral counseling
  • news, articles and information concerning pastoral counseling
  • pastoral counselors as a resource for parish clergy

Psychoanalytically Oriented Pastoral Psychotherapists - Online private working group facilitated by AAPC members Michael Dawson and Gary Hellman. To request admission, write to Michael Dawson.

Behavior Online provides web-based professional discussion forums moderated by leading experts. Current topics include: Shame and Affect Theory, Classical Adlerian Psychotherapy, Outcome Assessment, Organizational Development, Whole-Scale™ Change, Creative Arts Therapy International, Cognitive Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Control-Mastery, Anxiety Disorders, Evolutionary Psychology, Computing Clinic, Psychology of Cyberspace, EMDR, Ericksonian Therapy, Meditation In Psychotherapy, Online Clinical Work, Clinical Case Conference.

The International Society for Mental Health Online unites mental health professionals of various disciplines to promote the understanding, use and development of Internet communication, information and technology for the international mental health community. ISMHO provides a discussion forum about mental health on the Internet.

Newsgroups are immense public discussion forums. Although a few are moderated, most are wide open (without the moderator controls available in e-mail groups) with thousands of participants from all walks of life. Be aware that if you post a message in a public newsgroup, your e-mail address will be picked up by direct marketers, which means you will begin to receive “spam” (unsolicited commercial e-mail). You can avoid spam by participating in newsgroups through the web service DejaNews instead of using your browser’s newsreader. To further investigate the possibilities of newsgroups, go to this page on Psych Central which contains a list of 230 support group and mental health related forums.

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Websites For Mental Health Professionals

American Journal of Pastoral Counseling - Haworth Press, Inc. - Resources for Mental Health Professionals.

American Professional Agency, Inc. - focuses on professional liability insurance for people in the mental health field.

The Association of Anger Management Providers - was established to advocate for nationwide standards for providers and protection for consumers. Our website will contain useful information for the general public as well as related training and conferences.

Behavior Online - Interactive journal; professional discussion groups, including a case conference.

Center to Advance Palliative Care - offers detailed and practical information to help an institution establish a palliative care program, covering needs assessment, business planning, reimbursements, delivery models, interdisciplinary teams, program operations and evaluation.

Clergy Consultation Service of the Kairos Institute - Consultation, Information and Referral for Clergy subscribers.

The Clinical Registry - A searchable database provided by Psyfidential to locate a pastoral therapist in your area.

Depression Central - Thorough, insightful list of links to information about depression and its treatment, provided by Ivan Goldberg, M.D., a leading expert on mood disorders.

eNetwork for Advanced Training in Psychotherapy - using the Internet to establish advanced training for psychotherapists which seeks to integrate ethics, values, spirituality and clinical competence.

Gift From Within - PTSD Resources for Survivors & Caregivers.

The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health - is a university-based organization working toward a more compassionate system of healthcare.

GradSchools.com - is the leading online resource for graduate school information with over 58,000 programs listed on our site. The site contains a unique and comprehensive directory categorized by curriculum and subdivided by geography. Users simply select their desired curriculum to receive thorough information about those particular graduate programs.

HealthGate - Free MEDLINE searches; PsycINFO and PsycLIT searches for a fee.

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation - State Health Facts Online - offers heatlh policy information on a broad range of issues such as managed care, health insurance coverage and the uninsured, Medicaid, Medicare, women's health, minority health and HIV/AIDS.

Internet Mental Health - Extensive information on disorders, medications, treatments, research.

Knowledge Exchange Network - Resources from U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Mental Health Liaison Group - National organizations representing consumer, family members, advocates, professionals and providers.

Mental Health Net - The most extensive listing of online mental health resources for professionals and consumers.

National Association for Children of Alcoholics - is a national nonprofit organization working on behalf of children of alcohol and drug dependent parents. In the fall of 2005 NACoA and AAPC presented a training program "Core Competencies for Clergy and Other Pastoral Ministers in Addressing Alcohol and Drug Dependence and the Impact on Families."

The National Mental Health Association (NMHA) - is the country's oldest and largest non-profit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. For more information about NMHA and its 340 affiliates, call 800-969-NMHA (6642) or log on to our website at www.nmha.org.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK - Provides immediate assistance to individuals in suicidal crisis by connecting them to the nearest available suicide prevention and mental health service provider. It is the only national suicide prevention and intervention telephone resource funded by the Federal Government.

The New York Board of Rabbis (NYBR) - is the largest inter-denominational body of its kind in the world with close to 700 members consisting of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist rabbis. The NYBR has been providing chaplaincy services since its founding in 1881. Its chaplains and endorsed chaplains serve in acute healthcare, long-term care, behavioral health, corrections and other communal services settings. The NYBR's chaplaincy web page is designed to provide chaplains and pastoral counselors, of all faith traditions in a variety of institutions, easy access to Jewish literature for use within their settings.

Online Dictionary of Mental Health - is a list of links provided by the Centre for Psychotherapeutic Studies at the University of Sheffield, England.

PrevLine - Substance abuse resources.

Psych Central - "Pointers" to useful mental health Websites, mailing lists and Newsgroups.

Psychotherapy Finances - online business resource magazine

Psych Web - Topical list of resources including categories for psychology students.

Scripps Alcohol Treatment Center - Scripps McDonald Center is a nationally recognized organization dedicated to alcohol treatment.

Trauma Information Pages - Information and resources on PTSD.

Wayne E. Oates Institute Online - promoting an interdisciplinary dialogue among the medical, religious, social work, and various therapeutic communities related to spirituality, health, and healing; online conferences and journal.

WebMD Depression Condition Center - The Depression Condition Center provides in-depth information on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

WebMD Mental Health Condition Center - Comprehensive Resource Center which provides information on all aspects of various mental illnesses, including depression, ADHD, anxiety, and bipolar disorder

Wounded Healer Journal - Gathering place for therapists (and others) who are victims of abuse.

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Conferences, Meetings, and Events

PBS' Depression: Out of the Shadows, to air May 21, 2008. Check your local affiliate for air time. For more information visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/takeonestep/depression/

ASERVIC – June 15-17 Conference - The Association for Ethical, Religious, and Spiritual Values in Counseling (ASERVIC), a sub-division of the American Counseling Association is sponsoring the first ASERVIC Conference on Spirituality: Illuminating the Path for Training and Practice at Lake Junaluska, N.C., June 15-17, 2008.

Dr. Sam Gladding (past president of the American Counseling Association, noted author, and counselor educator) is the key note speaker.

Conference presentations will focus on the 9 Spiritual Competencies. You also have time to submit a proposal.

For more information and to register for the conference and housing, please see our website at http://www.aservic.org

THERAPISTS NEEDED FOR IRAQ VETS

Your Pastoral Counseling Skills Are Needed to Assist and Support Returning TROOPS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Give an Hour is a nonprofit organization (formed by psychologist, Barbara Romberg, PH.D go to http://www.here-now.org/shows/2007/06/20070619.asp, to hear NPR interview) whose mission is to develop a national network of volunteers capable of responding to both acute and chronic conditions that arise within our society. They are initially focusing on the U.S. troops and families who are being affected by the current military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Large numbers of veterans are returning home from Iraq finding that they must cope with a wide range of psychological difficulties.

A national network of mental health professionals has been created who are giving an hour of their time each week to provide free mental health services to military personnel and their families.

Over the past 20 months, "Give an Hour" has developed important relationships with many Veterans' Service Organizations including the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, the American Legion Auxiliary, TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), the National Gulf War Resource Center and Vets 4 Vets. As a result of these relationships, mental health professionals will have opportunities to work with volunteers from these organizations to co-lead support groups and participate in community events. This is an opportunity for AAPC members to join a program that will provide critical services to these deserving men, women and families.

Thus far, over 425 professionals from the mental health community have registered to participate in this critical effort. Professionals are being asked to provide the type of services they currently provide in their offices. While no additional training is required, a variety of training opportunities are offered to those individuals who might be interested. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to interact with each other, to share information about their experience and to seek feedback and additional resources.

"Give an Hour" has asked providers to participate in its network for at least one year in order to provide continuity of care for these deserving families. Providers have the opportunity to change their status on the network from "available” to "full" while working with an individual or family. This prevents providers from receiving requests from individuals if their time is filled.

As a nonprofit organization, Give an Hour carries liability insurance that covers its volunteer providers. Providers should, however, also maintain their individual malpractice insurance while participating in their network.

If you are a certified member of AAPC or a licensed mental health professional, please visit the Web site at http//www.giveanhour.org to learn more about this organization.. To sign up, on the web site, to be part national network click on (please do so). Volunteers are also welcome who want to join in developing and implementing this project.

The need is great.

Thank you.

Doug Ronsheim
AAPC Executive Director

Regional Links

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AAPC Members and Friends

Contact aapcshelbie@yahoo.com if you'd like to be listed here.

  • Service Centers accredited by AAPC
    (providing pastoral counseling and psychotherapy services)
  • Training Centers accredited by AAPC
    (providing training in pastoral counseling and psychotherapy)

AAPC Members' websites, other than accredited Service Centers and Training Centers

Friends of AAPC

  • Association for Process Psychology

  • Befrienders International - Befrienders International is a registered charity, developing volunteer action to prevent suicide in 41 countries worldwide and providing information on the Internet. Our site features the world's most comprehensive directory of emotional first aid helplines.

  • Caring Connections - is a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. It is supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and is a national consumer engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life. Caring Connections provides free resources and information to help people make informed decisions about end-of-life care and services before a crisis. This organization helps people connect with the resources they need, when they need them. Caring Connections brings together community, state and national partners working to improve end-of-life care, by spearheading a national consumer engagement campaign called It's About How You LIVE. It provides a variety of free resources on topics including: Advance care planning, Caregiving, Pain, Financial Issues, Hospice and palliative care, and Grief and loss. Toll-free Helpline reference for people looking for end-of-life information, including free brochures and advance directives or contact information for a hospice or other end-of-life organization: (800)-658-8898.

  • The Center for Sexuality and Religion - CSR is as an educational, interfaith, and interdisciplinary organization that assists communities of faith promote sexual and spiritual health. It offers a proactive approach that will allow religious institutions to address sexuality issues in an environment where they can- with the help of a mentor - focus on various aspects of sexuality. CSR is working to help religious systems educate, support, and validate trained members of the faith community in the issues of sexuality throughout their entire life cycle.

  • DIA LEARNING – Has developed an exciting new multi-media clinical ethics education series to provide ethics education for health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, etc., seeking continuing education credits. The programs are also developed to provide ethics education for Ethics Committee members. The series has been developed in conjunction with the Center for Health Care Ethics at St. Louis University.

  • The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling - A professional publication in pastoral care, pastoral counseling, clinical pastoral education and ministry in specialized settings. Published quartlerly by The Journal of Pastoral Care Publications, Inc.

  • The Last Acts Campaign - dedicated to improving the quality of end-of-life care. A major national campaign funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, of which AAPC is a participating organization.

  • Life Challenges - A non-profit Web site, aids people in handling all forms of adversity. With more than 125 articles, including some by nationally-known authors, self-help tools and people's personal stories, it spans over 400 pages and offers individuals encouragement, inspiration and role models.

  • National Family Caregivers supports the over 25 million Americans who provide long-term care to loved ones.

  • The Organ Donation program, under the auspices of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides on-going information/resources on organ donation and transplantation issues, a factor in every day life that crosses all ethnic/cultural/religious lines.

  • Oates Journal - A publication of the Wayne E. Oates Institute addressing issues related to spirituality, faith, and the healing process.

  • The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Alliance - is a group of professional and advocacy organizations that have joined forces to provide educational resources to individuals diagnosed with PTSD and their loved ones; those at risk for developing PTSD; and medical, healthcare and other frontline professionals.

  • Sacred Dying Foundation - is dedicated to elevating spiritual and cultural awareness at the time of death.

  • The Samaritan Institute - provides team-oriented, cost-efficient counseling and education which emphasize the inter-relatedness of mind, body, spirit, and community.

  • Seattle University - Founded in 1891, is a Jesuit Catholic university located on 48 acres on Seattle's Capitol Hill. More than 7,500 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools. U.S. News and World Report's "Best Colleges 2008" ranks Seattle University among the top 10 universities in the West that offer a full range of masters and undergraduate programs.

  • Society for Intercultural Pastoral Care and Counseling - SIPCC has the purpose of supporting international exchange and mutual learning in pastoral care and counseling and of focusing on the meaning of interculturality in these fields.

  • Wayne E. Oates Institute Online - promoting an interdisciplinary dialogue among the medical, religious, social work, and various therapeutic communities related to spirituality, health, and healing; online conferences and journal.

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