Mental Health Support for Those in Ministry Roles

Those in ministry roles often carry enormous responsibility and compassion, yet may feel they must always appear strong. Over time, the weight of others’ expectations, pastoral care demands, and spiritual pressures can take a toll on emotional health. You may notice signs of stress, anxiety, or burnout and wonder where it’s safe to turn. Therapy offers confidential, faith-sensitive support to help you rest, reflect, and recover your sense of clarity and purpose. Investing in your mental health allows you to serve from a place of renewed strength and peace.

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“Even when you’re the one people turn to for guidance, you’re still human.”

Supporting Ministry Workers with Mental Health Concerns

When those in ministry experience mental health challenges

Those in ministry roles often carry enormous emotional, spiritual, and relational responsibility. Whether you serve as a pastor, chaplain, ministry leader, or support worker, the work can be deeply meaningful—and deeply demanding. Over time, it’s not uncommon to find yourself feeling exhausted, discouraged, or isolated.

You may be:

Struggling with burnout, compassion fatigue, or vicarious trauma
Feeling weighed down by others’ stories or ongoing pastoral crises
Living with depression, anxiety, or low self-worth but unsure how to seek support
Feeling overwhelmed by conflict, unresolved tensions, or disappointment in leadership relationships
Wrestling with grief, spiritual doubt, or a sense of disconnection from your calling
Recognising you were part of unhealthy systems and unsure how to move forward with integrity

Whatever your current situation, you are not alone. Mental health support is not a sign of failure—it’s a way of honouring the weight you carry and creating space to tend to your own wellbeing.

How can ministry leaders recognise and manage vicarious trauma?

Ministry often involves walking closely with others through pain, loss, or crisis. Over time, continually hearing distressing stories or witnessing suffering can lead to vicarious trauma, which is the emotional residue that arises when someone is deeply empathically engaged in others’ trauma. While ministry leaders are not “trauma professionals” in the clinical sense, the pastoral role often involves similar exposure to human suffering and moral injury.

Signs of vicarious trauma can include emotional numbing, irritability, intrusive thoughts about others’ experiences, difficulty feeling joy, or changes in worldview and faith. Leaders may begin to feel disconnected from God, cynical about ministry, or burdened by an overwhelming sense of responsibility. Establishing clear emotional and relational boundaries is crucial — not to create distance, but to preserve compassion and presence.

Psychological support and therapy can help clergy and ministry workers identify early signs of vicarious trauma, process difficult experiences safely, and learn strategies to replenish emotional reserves. This might include reflective practice, exploring beliefs about responsibility and guilt, or identifying if other challenges such as anxiety or depression are affecting them. Through this work, leaders can sustain empathy and avoid burnout while continuing to serve authentically and wisely.

The Paradox of Service: When Helping Others Leads to Personal Strain

Many ministry leaders feel a deep sense of calling to care for others, often placing their congregation’s needs above their own. Over time, this can lead to compassion fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and a loss of personal identity outside the role of service. Within faith contexts, there may also be unspoken messages that equate rest or vulnerability with weakness, creating guilt around taking time for self-care.

Psychologically, this reflects a dynamic seen in many helping professions — the gradual erosion of emotional boundaries and self-care routines when empathy is continually extended outward without being replenished. Ministry leaders may also fear judgment or misunderstanding if they disclose mental health concerns, especially within communities that interpret distress through purely spiritual lenses. Therapy offers a confidential, non-judgmental space to explore these pressures and re-establish balance between serving others and attending to one’s own wellbeing.

How is psychological therapy different from pastoral supervision or spiritual direction?

Although all three support wellbeing and reflection, psychological therapy, pastoral supervision, and spiritual direction serve different but complementary purposes.

Pastoral supervision focuses on the quality, safety, and sustainability of one’s ministry practice. It provides a reflective space to consider pastoral relationships, boundaries, and ethical issues.
Spiritual direction is oriented around the person’s relationship with God — discerning movement of the Spirit, exploring faith questions, and deepening prayer life.
Therapy, by contrast, is designed to address emotional, cognitive, or behavioural difficulties such as anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, or interpersonal conflict. Although it may cover some of the same things as supervision, it draws on psychological science to help individuals understand patterns, manage distress, and promote long-term wellbeing.

For ministry leaders, therapy can complement supervision and spiritual direction by providing a confidential setting to process experiences that are emotionally charged or personally painful, without concern for professional evaluation or theological framing. Psychological support allows space to explore internal dynamics — such as perfectionism, guilt, or people-pleasing — that may affect both ministry and personal life. Working with a psychologist who understands faith contexts ensures this process is both clinically sound and spiritually sensitive.

What Mental Health Support for those in Ministry Can Look Like

Therapy can help ministry leaders:

Recognise signs of burnout and learn how to recover
Manage anxiety, depression, or emotional dysregulation
Reflect on complex workplace or congregational dynamics
Process trauma or grief—your own or that of the people you support
Make space for spiritual questions without fear or shame

Reconnect with a sense of identity and purpose, whether that includes continued ministry or a shift in direction
Some leaders come into therapy unsure whether they can even articulate what feels wrong—they just know they feel tired, lost, or not like themselves anymore. Therapy offers a confidential, non-judgmental space to begin that process.

Frequently Asked Questions about Therapy for Recovery from Clergy Perpetrated Sexual Abuse

What are signs that I might be experiencing ministry-related burnout?

Ministry-related burnout rarely happens overnight — it develops gradually, often in people who are deeply committed to their work and care deeply about others. In ministry, the early signs can be subtle: persistent tiredness that doesn’t lift with rest, irritability or emotional numbness, and a loss of joy in areas that once felt deeply meaningful. You might notice yourself dreading tasks that once inspired you, struggling to focus, or feeling detached from your congregation, your sense of purpose, or even your faith.

Physical symptoms such as headaches, difficulty sleeping, or recurring illnesses can also appear as your body signals the need for rest and recovery. Emotionally, you may feel guilt for not “doing enough,” or pressure to keep serving even when you have little left to give. Over time, burnout can erode empathy and make ministry feel like a burden rather than a calling.

These experiences are not signs of weakness or spiritual failure — they are invitations to pause, reflect, and seek support. Talking with a psychologist who understands the emotional and spiritual demands of ministry can help you identify the causes of burnout, restore balance, and re-engage with your work and faith in a more sustainable way.

What might ministry look like moving forward in light of this mistake?

When something has gone wrong in ministry, it can be hard to imagine what the future might hold. For pastors, ministers, clergy and faith leaders, a mistake can shake not only their confidence but also their sense of calling and belonging within a faith community. The nature of the mistake matters — some may involve personal misjudgment, boundary confusion, emotional reactivity, or poor decision-making under stress. Others may be more serious, involving ethical breaches, misuse of power, or behaviour that has caused harm to others.

Whatever the specifics, the path forward depends on two essential things: accountability and restoration. Both are necessary — and both can coexist. Accountability ensures that responsibility is taken, harm is acknowledged, and processes for repair and protection are followed. Restoration focuses on healing, growth, and learning — for the individual, those affected, and the broader faith community. Therapy can support both elements by helping ministry leaders process guilt and shame, understand what led to their actions, and explore the psychological and relational patterns that contributed to the situation.

Moving forward, “ministry” may look very different. For some, it involves stepping away permanently due to loss of licence, or to prioritise personal healing and family stability. For others, it may mean a slow and supervised return, with safeguards, mentoring, and greater awareness of personal vulnerabilities. In all cases, humility and transparency are vital. There is no quick path to rebuilding trust; however, with time, consistent accountability, and genuine change, many people find new ways to serve that are wiser, healthier, and more sustainable.

Therapy can help clarify questions such as:

How did this happen, and what factors contributed to my decisions?
What does accountability and integrity look like now?
What am I learning about my own patterns, limits, and areas of vulnerability?
How can I integrate the lessons of this season into future work or relationships?
How can I repair relationships or step back responsibly while prioritising the wellbeing of others?
What supports do my family and I need to navigate the consequences of this?
What does repentance, restoration, and repair mean in practical terms?
What can I learn about myself — emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually — to prevent repetition and foster genuine healing?
Is returning to ministry in its former capacity wise or possible — and what other avenues of service might honour my gifts and experiences?

For some, this process leads to renewed ministry within a new structure or role; for others, it opens up unexpected but meaningful paths beyond formal ministry — such as community work, counselling, advocacy, education, or creative projects. Even when public ministry is no longer appropriate, the call to live with purpose, humility, and compassion remains.

However, not all distress after a “failure” in ministry stems from actual misconduct. There are also times when pastors or ministry leaders experience a deep sense of failure due to underlying schemas — long-held beliefs such as “I must never disappoint others,” “I am only valuable when I’m needed,” or “I am unworthy unless I perform perfectly.” In these cases, the person may feel enormous guilt or self-condemnation even when they have done their best and, to the best of their ability, acted with integrity.

Understanding these schemas is vital. Schema Therapy can help uncover how early experiences of criticism, high expectations, or emotional neglect can shape the way we interpret failure, criticism, or conflict in ministry. A leader with a strong “unrelenting standards” schema, for example, might feel intense shame for ordinary human limitations, or perceive healthy feedback as personal rejection. Therapy can help differentiate between true accountability and distorted self-blame, allowing space for realistic reflection rather than overwhelming guilt.

Psychological support during this time can help you manage the emotional turbulence, navigate systemic or relational complexities, and begin to rebuild an identity grounded not in position or status, but in authenticity and integrity. Healing after a ministry mistake is rarely simple, but it is possible — and with the right support, it can become a season of deep transformation and renewed grace.

How can I maintain healthy boundaries in ministry?

Healthy boundaries in ministry are not about being distant or uncaring — they are about sustainability, wisdom, and love expressed through balance. Boundaries help ministry leaders serve others without losing their own sense of identity, family life, or wellbeing. They include practical limits around availability (such as setting clear times for rest, sabbath, and family), emotional limits (not carrying every burden as your own), and relational limits (knowing when to refer someone for professional or specialised support).

At the same time, it is important that boundaries are not so rigid that they create disconnection or harm. Psychological research shows that when people experience relational strain, they may instinctively distance themselves or emotionally withdraw — a coping strategy that can look like stonewalling or detachment. In pastoral settings, rigid or avoidant boundaries can inadvertently cause relational distress and confusion. Congregants or team members may feel dismissed, unheard, or spiritually neglected. In some cases, when boundaries become overly defensive or are used to control access or information, this dynamic can even contribute to an imbalance of power or the perception of spiritual or emotional harm. Ultimately, these type of rigid boundaries tend to cause further strain for clergy or pastors, because they increase relational tension and friction.

Healthy boundaries are therefore both firm and flexible — clear enough to protect wellbeing, yet compassionate enough to allow genuine connection. Therapy offers a confidential space to explore how your own patterns of relating, past experiences, or personality traits influence the way you set and maintain boundaries. A psychologist who understands the complexities of pastoral relationships and church dynamics can help you identify when a boundary is healthy, when it’s too porous, and when it may have become rigid or self-protective in ways that hinder trust or cause your further stress.

Boundaries are not barriers to ministry — they are what make safe, ethical, and sustainable ministry possible. When pastors and ministry leaders model balanced boundaries, they demonstrate to others that care and accountability can coexist with compassion, creating healthier and more resilient faith communities.

Can therapy help when I’m questioning my calling or faith, or struggling to understand why I have such conflicting feelings about a particular practice or theological idea?

Yes. If you have a valid referral and Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, you may be eligible for Medicare rebates for up to 10 psychology sessions per calendar year. This is deducted from the session fee.

I’ve had a really hard time recently in ministry and am considering leaving. Do you support people working through these questions — and possibly leaving ministry?

It’s not uncommon for pastors, ministry leaders, or people of faith to go through seasons of doubt, confusion, or tension between their beliefs and personal experiences. These moments can feel unsettling — especially for those whose work or identity is deeply intertwined with their faith. You may feel torn between loyalty to your tradition or community and the private awareness that something no longer feels aligned. This inner conflict can create anxiety, guilt, or even a crisis of identity.

A psychologist does not offer theological answers or interpret doctrine. However, therapy can help you understand the psychological and emotional processes behind the tension you’re feeling — and that understanding can bring clarity and peace. For instance, someone who is grappling with a theological concept about obedience or submission might find that early life experiences of control or fear are shaping how they perceive that teaching. Another person might feel distress about a church practice because it unconsciously mirrors past experiences of exclusion, coercion, or spiritual pressure they experienced.

Understanding these deeper dynamics can bring clarity. By identifying what belongs to your emotional history versus what belongs to your current faith experience, you can approach spiritual questions with more compassion, curiosity, and freedom — rather than fear or self-judgment.

For some, this conflict overlaps with a condition known as scrupulosity, a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that focuses on fears of sin, blasphemy, or moral failure. People experiencing scrupulosity often feel intense guilt or anxiety about not living up to perceived spiritual or ethical standards, leading to repetitive prayer, confession, or reassurance-seeking. Historians have speculated that some famous preachers and ministers struggled with scupulosity, including Martin Luther and John Bunyan, In therapy, this can be gently addressed through evidence-based approaches such as Schema Therapy or Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), helping individuals find relief from intrusive guilt and rediscover a healthier, grace-filled faith. You can learn more about this in detail on my page: Scrupulosity (Religious OCD).

Therapy does not replace spiritual discernment or pastoral guidance — but it can complement it. By making sense of your inner conflicts and emotional responses, you can engage in theological reflection from a place of greater clarity and calm. Whether your questions lead to reaffirmation, re-evaluation, or simply more honest faith, therapy provides a confidential space to explore these matters with integrity, gentleness, and psychological understanding.

My Church or Denomination have agreed to pay for my psychology sessions. Are you able to bill directly to them?

Yes. With your permission I can enter into an agreement with the denomination so that they can pay the invoices. Please be assured that no other information is shared with them other than what is required to manage payment. What you say in sessions remains confidential, apart from mandatory reporting requirements, or if I recieve a subpoena.

I’m concerned about seeking support from someone who doesn’t really understand my world as a minister or clergy — someone who doesn’t understand the spiritual dimensions of my work or the complexity of the systems I’m part of.

That concern is very understandable. Many clergy and ministry leaders describe feeling misunderstood when they’ve sought help in the past — particularly when a therapist has little awareness of the spiritual, relational, and systemic pressures that come with vocational ministry. Ministry life is unique: it blends the personal and professional, the spiritual and organisational, and often places leaders in positions of emotional and moral responsibility that are hard to explain to those outside church contexts.

My work is shaped by both professional experience within church systems and a personal familiarity with ministry life. I have worked for a Christian denomination alongside clergy as a Domestic and Family Violence Advisor, helping churches respond safely and wisely to complex pastoral situations. I have served in volunteer leadership roles, including as the local coordinator, regional coordinator, and contributor at a national level for a ministry to mothers of preschoolers. My husband has also served in various church leadership positions. These experiences have deepened my understanding of how theology, organisational structures, and power dynamics intersect with human vulnerability and wellbeing.

It is these experiences that have led to my passion for helping those in ministry carry out their role without experiencing unnecessary emotional or psychological burdens, and to help them navigate challenges in ministry ethically and with insight, self-awareness, and integrity. Because my research has also centred on abuse and truama, I have also spent some time understanding elements of practice that can contribute to unhealthy or controlling dynamics within systems, including churches, and the impacts these can have on the people in them.

As a psychologist, I don’t impose theology or attempt to provide guidance on doctrine, but I do respect the spiritual meaning that shapes your experience. Therapy offers a confidential space to explore emotional and relational challenges, burnout, or faith tensions in a way that honours your values and recognises the depth of your commitment to your ministry and community.

If you are a pastor, priest, chaplain, or ministry leader seeking someone who understands both the inner life of faith and the outer realities of church systems, my approach provides a safe, thoughtful, faith-affirming and spiritually sensitive environment to help you process, reflect, and heal.

As someone in ministry, I feel that I have experienced spiritual abuse. Can you help me process this?

Yes. People in ministry can experience spiritual abuse, and it can be a deeply painful and disorienting experience. While most discussions about spiritual abuse focus on congregants, ministry leaders themselves can also be harmed — sometimes by another leader, by governing bodies, or even by parishioners who misuse influence, spirituality, or community standing to exert control or punishment.

Experiencing harm in a faith context can shake one’s sense of trust, safety, and calling. You may find yourself questioning your relationship with God, your role in ministry, or the integrity of those you once served alongside. It can also bring feelings of shame, isolation, or self-doubt — especially when spiritual language or theological reasoning has been used to justify the harm.

Inherent in any form of abuse is the question of whether power has been misused. Spiritual abuse involves a misuse of power or authority to control, silence, manipulate, or harm another person — often under the guise of spiritual concern or righteousness. In church contexts, this can happen in many directions. While leaders can misuse their authority over others, it is also possible for members of a congregation, a board, or a leadership team to misuse their influence — for example, through gossip, coercion, intimidation, or coordinated exclusion.

At the same time, not all experiences of pain or conflict in ministry are spiritual abuse. Church systems rightly include forms of oversight, accountability, and governance that are meant to protect others and ensure safety and integrity. When power is exercised responsibly — even when it feels confronting — it can serve as an important safeguard within ministry environments. Understanding the difference between appropriate accountability and power misuse can be complex, especially when emotions are high or relationships have broken down.

Therapy offers a safe and confidential space to explore these nuances. Together, we can:

Examine the situation carefully to clarify whether there has been misuse of power or whether conflict reflects necessary accountability.
Process the emotional, spiritual, and relational impact of what has occurred.
Identify healthy boundaries and ways to restore trust, safety, and confidence in your own judgment.
Explore how to move forward in a way that aligns with your values, integrity, and wellbeing — whether that means remaining in ministry, taking time for recovery, or transitioning to a new season.

As a psychologist who has worked alongside clergy and church organisations I understand the systemic and relational complexities that make these situations difficult to navigate. You do not have to make sense of this alone. Therapy provides a space where both your pain and your calling can be held with respect, allowing you to move toward clarity, healing, and restoration.

I’m hesitant to see anyone local to me for therapy. Do you offer online therapy? Is it possible to know where you are located?

Yes. I provide online therapy via secure telehealth to clients across Australia. Many pastors, ministry leaders, and people of faith prefer online sessions because they offer privacy, flexibility, and the assurance that their personal circumstances remain confidential.

For those in ministry or close-knit communities, concerns about conflict of interest or multiple relationships are understandable and valid. In smaller regions or faith contexts, it can feel uncomfortable to seek support from someone who may also be part of your local networks. Ethical practice in psychology requires avoiding dual or overlapping roles that could affect confidentiality or professional boundaries. Choosing online therapy helps to reduce that risk, allowing you to engage safely with someone who is not directly connected to your community or organisation.

While my practice is based in East Brisbane, all sessions are conducted online. This means you can access therapy from anywhere in Australia, with no need to visit in person. I understand the desire to see a psychologist who is not in your immediate area — particularly when your work or ministry role makes privacy more complex. If I am not a suitable psychologist for you, then I can help you find a suitable alternative.

Online sessions provide the same professional and evidence-based care as face-to-face appointments, while offering additional comfort and distance from potential dual relationships. For many in ministry or leadership, this approach makes it easier to seek help confidently and confidentially, knowing that your wellbeing and privacy are fully protected.

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