Teenagers and Mental Health

Teenagers and Mental Health: A Handbook for Parents, Pastors, and Youth Leaders, Monica Kim and Danny Kwon (New Growth Press, 2025)

This is an excellent resource for those wanting to provide Christian care for teenagers with mental health challenges. Kim and Kwon aim to 

“outline the foundational elements of humble, godly, compassionate care for parents and churches who engage with teenagers struggling with mental illness. Our prayer is that parents, pastors, and youth leaders will be equipped to care in a variety of ways, feel empowered to do so more wisely and skillfully than before, and know when to humbly ask for help from others.” (p6)

Part 1 explores the foundational biblical principles, teen development and current cultural challenges. Practical ways churches can support teens and caregivers are suggested, as well as when to seek professional help, including advice for families who refuse outside help. I appreciated the suggestion that the role of the church is to develop relationships with teens’ families, and then act as refuge (safe place), lighthouse (navigational aid to help and other resources) and first responder. There is also encouragement for parents to be the parents, lovingly and kindly: 

Parents are “to model God to our children who is bigger, stronger, and wiser than they are and is undeservedly kind to them” (p71)

Part 2 explores specific mental health challenges in each chapter, including:

• anxiety and stress 
• depression 
• body image issues and eating disorders 
• substance abuse issues 
• trauma 
• schizophrenia or bipolar disorder 
• suicidal ideation 
• excessive screen use issues 

Each chapter follows the same format:

• A definition, with facts and statistics. 
• How the gospel speaks into that situation or mental health challenge 
• Providing compassionate care, often including some practical tools and approaches (essentially a Christian counsellor mini-tool-kit). This includes an ongoing reminder that these things can only be attempted after you have developed a relationship with the teen, and fully understand their story. 
• The benefits of good habits - encouragement to help the teen form helpful habits regarding sleep, exercise, diet, screen management, etc. 
• When to seek additional help 

The chapters on anxiety and depression are longer and provide more tools. Wisely, the chapters on more complex presentations are shorter, recognising that specialised help is often needed. When read as a whole, the chapters are quite repetitive, with similar content and the same exercises. However, if used as a resource for that one presentation, each chapter provides a more complete picture.

If I had a concern, it is that the tools and details included could give some overconfidence in using them when they do not have the skills. It’s one thing to guide someone in a breathing exercise, but it takes a fair amount of wisdom and self-awareness to help someone process their experience of trauma and challenge their distorted beliefs as a result of it. I would be cautious suggesting parents, pastors or youth leaders attempt this unless they have relevant training in that area.

Further complicating this is whether parents should be applying these tools with their own children at all. It is important to let parents be parents, and not muddy the role by also trying counsel their children. I suspect this isn’t what the authors are proposing, and the tools are more aimed at pastors who can handle such circumstances. I certainly came away with some tools and practices I could utilise in counselling.

This is comprehensive and compassionate resource that many who work with youth will benefit from. It encourages churches and leaders to care for their youth well and wisely, and gives all who work (or live) with teenagers extra information and encouragement to support them well. 

“Families need the love and support of their local churches for the long haul as they walk through difficult experiences of mental health struggle” (p215)

“The ultimate message of hope we can offer to teens and their parents - take heart, for Jesus has overcome the world, including the brokenness of our own hearts and minds.” (p216)

I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Getting Over Yourself

Getting Over Yourself, Caroline Spencer (Matthias Media, 2024) 

Caroline Spencer has provided this helpful resource to encourage Christians to self-reflection. The purpose is not navel-gazing or rumination, but rather to become more like Christ and more effectively serve others:

“Self-reflection is a structured, deliberate, disciplined activity where a person aims to learn, change and grow as a result of past experience.” (p16)

The book was originally developed to teach self-reflection skills to theological college students. As such, it is certainly a tool that those in ministry would benefit from using personally. However, as Caroline notes, the application is much broader. All of us (and those around us) benefit from taking time to thoroughly examine how we think, feel and act, and then to consider how biblical principles lead to opportunities for growth. It could also be a useful tool in mentoring, discipling and coaching relationships.

The model is helpfully simple and easy to understand, with four main steps:

1. Describe what happened 
2. Explore what was going on for you 
3. Assess to identify opportunities for growth 
4. Enact by putting into practice. 

I appreciated the summary that parts 1 & 2 are about acquiring self-knowledge, whereas 3 & 4 are about moving towards self-regulation. Each step has different questions or aspects to consider in more depth, and they are further explained and illustrated using detailed examples, varying from ministry contexts to personal life and church settings. Caroline addresses the problems some may have with the concept of self-reflection: that it is selfish, self-help or scary, and deals with each graciously while encouraging a mindset that is keen to grow in godliness.

Blank worksheets that can be copied are generously included to fill out. A link is provided to download digital worksheets from the Matthias Media website, where you can also read the beginning of the book for free. There is also a guide for how to use it in a group setting. It’s a short book at <100 pages, and can easily be read in one sitting. Obviously, it would take more time to effectively and wisely apply it.

One almost throwaway comment was that while prayer is not included in the model, the assumption was that everything we do should be undergirded by prayer (p26). It led me to wonder if prayer could have been included in the model, or perhaps more attention given to the role of prayer over this process of intentional growth and change.

Overall, this helpful book provides a resource that will be of great benefit to those who make the effort to apply it.

After Sexual Trauma

After Sexual Trauma, Camille Cates (New Growth Press, 2025)

Having previously read another of Cates’ books, Moving Forward after Abortion, I was already aware of her compassionate and gospel-focussed approach. Her vulnerable honesty about her own experiences gives her unique credibility to write both books.

This one is in a similar format, with each chapter addressing common questions, including:

• Did that really happen? 
• Was it my fault? 
• Why me? Am I damaged beyond repair? 
• How can I trust again? 
• Will justice be done? 

Cates wants readers to know that their trauma experiences are understood, seen and recognised. Biblical accounts expound the points, mostly sourced from the Old Testament, such as Hagar, Dinah, Tamar and Joseph, all of whom were awfully mistreated by others, but seen and cared for by God. She then leads the reader to see how Christ is the one who truly understands, knows, heals, and redeems. For the Christian who wants to find their comfort in God’s work and promises, there is much here that is helpful. She explains some of the physiological, psychological and emotional impacts of trauma. She is honest about the failings of the criminal justice system and is clear that churches cannot handle these things alone; they must bring in civil authorities.

While there is much here that is of great benefit, I had two hesitations.

• Deut 22:25-27 was used to prove that a woman who has been assaulted is not at fault. However, Deut 22 also addresses other circumstances, including stoning a woman who is not a virgin, and requiring a man to marry the woman he has raped. Those who look up the passage may find they are more confused and less comforted. 
• Chapter 2 focuses on Dinah’s rape (Gen 24). Most comments were helpful: highlighting the power imbalance (he was a ruler), his attempts to downplay it, her brothers’ outrage and retribution. Yet, oddly it was used as an example against victim-blaming. There is no victim-blaming in the passage, but Cates refers to a 300-year-old commentary that does (Matthew Henry’s, published 1706). There would have been simpler ways to talk about victim-blaming, without making such an outdated link. 

Despite the above, this is a supportive resource that will provide help and comfort to victim-survivors while encouraging them to find their true value, worth and healing in Christ. 

“This journey towards healing and renewal after sexual trauma begins with seeking…the God who not only sees your past and present suffering but also holds your future. You are not unseen. You are not alone… God sees you and is ready to meet you where you are - to comfort you, restore you, and lead you into the future he has planned for you.”

I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for a honest review. 

Do I Need Boundaries?

Do I Need Boundaries? Jim Newheiser (New Growth Press, 2025) 

Do I Need Boundaries? is a new addition to the growing Ask the Christian Counsellor series by New Growth Press, many of which I have reviewed. Helpful overarching principles are outlined in the opening chapters. He is rightly concerned that boundary language is overused, often to justify cancelling people or cutting off relationships. Yet, God calls us to sacrificial relationships, where we are to love and please God, and love others. Of course, some boundaries are needed for safety, and we all have limited time and resources. But we need to be aware of the risk of erecting boundaries with the sole goal of meeting our own needs.

Nine brief chapters then provide case studies to explain his principles, covering topics like workaholism, extended family, finances, sexual boundaries, failure to launch and screen addiction. As such, numerous life stages and relationship complications are included. Each provides biblical wisdom and insights into how one might approach the situation, often allowing for the freedom to choose different responses.

However, there are limitations to instruction through primarily short, specific examples. Some may find it hard to transfer to their situation if it doesn’t match their circumstances. In addition, the language used throughout was often “we must”, “we need”, “we must not”, suggesting a directive counselling approach. However, the primary concern is that because each chapter was so short, it felt like the issues were simplified. For example, the few pages on boundaries with a family that perpetrated abuse did not mention the possible major trauma impact on the survivor. Case-study solutions were presented as if they were relatively quick to determine and enact, but in reality, they may be very difficult and often not resolved for years after much counsel and prayer. It felt that the real-life complications of the proposed situations were not adequately acknowledged.

For those who want to think about boundaries, it’s a helpful starting point. For a quick summary of his thinking, see this blog post. Newheiser also provides a critique of the Cloud and Townsend boundary books, which some may find interesting.

I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.