Our mental health resources page includes organizations, books, posts, printables, and groups that have helped our family’s mental illness journey. Although you may find these useful, they do not take the place of professional help. Check back additional sources will be added. Click the logos to take you to the site.
Embracing Faith & Mental Illness Caregiver Support with Maree Dee
We offer five unique ways for individuals who care for someone with a mental illness to participate in our community.
#1—Mental Health Newsletter for Supporters (sent on the 15th of each month)
Join our monthly newsletter for those who support someone living with a mental illness. Each email will inform, empower, and encourage you—offering practical insights to help you better support your loved one while also taking care of yourself.
You’ll receive helpful tools, tips, skills, blog highlights, and occasional updates about upcoming events and resources.
#2—Private Facebook Group
Our private Facebook community is Christ-centered for people who care for someone with a mental illness. It is a safe place to express your concerns, ask questions, and seek support. We hope you will build relationships and find encouragement among people going through similar circumstances.
#3—Real Talk, Real Support Zoom Call
Maree hosts 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸, 𝗥𝗲𝗮l 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 monthly via Zoom every second Wednesday from 5:00–6:15 pm (Mountain Time). Connecting with others who understand what it’s like to love someone with a mental illness can be incredibly encouraging. Together, we can be better caregivers!
Although it is an informal time to gather for prayer and support, the meetings generally center around a topic related to loving someone with a mental illness. To receive the Zoom link, you must be on the newsletter email list or part of our private Facebook group.
#4—Valuable Talks to Empower Those Who Support | Zoom
Join us for our Valuable Talks to Empower Those Who Support Series, held on the first Saturday of each month from February to June and from September to December, from 9–10:30 am (Mountain Time). Maree or a guest speaker will deliver Zoom presentations designed to offer support, education, discussion, and life-changing skills. To receive reminders, subscribe to our Embracing Faith & Mental Illness email list or visit our page for all upcoming talks. Registration is required.
#5—Mental Health Blog Posts
Ongoing blog posts offering faith-filled encouragement, lived experience, and practical insight for individuals, families, and those who support someone with a mental illness.
Additional Mental Health Resources and Support
Circles of Hope: Mental Health Caregiver Support
Maree is a co-founder and frequent speaker of Circles of Hope: Mental Health Caregiver Support. This group provides support, skills, and education in a faith-based environment for people who love someone with a mental illness. They meet on the third Tuesday of every month at Verve City Church, Chino, CA, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. (PT), in person and via Zoom. Click here to receive an invite.
Circles of Hope: Anxiety & Depression Peer Support
This group is a peer-led group for anyone experiencing anxiety or depression. It offers space to process thoughts, feelings, and stressors. These meetings do not take the place of traditional therapy and include insights from both the Bible and current neuroscience. Click here to receive an invite.
National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder
The National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder is a resource for families and people in recovery. It also offers education and Training for Professionals. Click here to visit the website.
Additionally, the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder – NEA.BPD offers an incredible class called Family Connections. This course is for individuals who support someone with BPD or emotional dysregulation. It is a place where you will learn about the disorder and skills that will make a difference in your family. Please click here for more information about this class. Maree is a trained Family Connections instructor and speaker and has served as a board member for this incredible organization.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
NAMI | National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Click here to visit the website.
Furthermore, the National Alliance on Mental Illness offers an excellent class called Family to Family. It is for family members, significant others, and friends of people living with mental illness. Please click here to learn more about it.
Suicide Crises Lifeline Number: If you are in crisis, call the Lifeline number at 988 or 1-800-273-8255 (24/7)
Crisis Text Line
Text Home to 741741 in the US.
Visit Our Suicide Awareness Page
September is Suicide Awareness Month—a time to raise awareness, break the stigma, and offer hope. Learn how you can recognize the signs, support those in need, and be part of the solution. Click to find a wealth of resources on suicide loss and prevention. Together, we can make a difference. Visit our Suicide Awareness Page for more information.
Upcoming Talks
One Skill to Help You Avoid Compassion Burnout
Supporting someone with mental health challenges can quietly lead to exhaustion and resentment. In this practical session, Maree Dee, Founder of Embracing Faith & Mental Illness, teaches how observing personal limits protects your health, strengthens relationships, and sustains long-term compassion. Participants will learn six signs of burnout and a six-step framework for implementing personal limits effectively
Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 9–10:30 am Mountain Time | Zoom
Top Mental Health Articles on Embracing the Unexpected | Maree Dee
Finding Faith, Hope, and Love in the Unexpected
10 Powerful Reasons To Embrace Gratitude, Even in Tough Times
How to Run the Race When Life Feels Unbearable
How to Conquer Worry in Unexpected Circumstances
The Best Thing to Do When Life Is Difficult
Celebrating Mother’s Day is Important When Your Child Has a Mental Illness
Mental Health Support: What Is One Powerful Gift Everyone Can Offer?
Mental Illness: How to Step in and Help a Family Like Mine
When Waiting on God: How to Embrace the Delay Well
Two Choices That Help in the Wait When God Closes a Door
Podcasts on Mental Health
(Tap the graphic to listen)
Books on Mental Health
Here are a few of my favorite books that have helped me along this journey with mental illness in our family. I hope they will help you too. Warning: Some readers may be triggered.
If you see a book you would like to order – click the title of the book. It will take you straight to Amazon, where you can purchase it. Check back – I will keep adding books.
Anosognosia, Poor Insight, LEAP
- I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! How to Help Someone Accept Treatment – 20th Anniversary Edition by Xavier Amador
Anxiety, Stress, & Worry
- The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Anxiety: Breaking Free from Worry, Panic, PTSD, and Other Anxiety Symptoms (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) by Alexander L. Chapman Ph.D., Kim L. Gratz, Ph.D., and Terence M. Keane, Ph.D.
- The Worry Trap: How to Free Yourself from Worry & Anxiety Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Chad LeJeune PhD.
- Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry by Amy Simpson.
Bipolar Disorder
- An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison
- Perfect Chaos: A Daughter’s Journey to Survive Bipolar, a Mother’s Struggle to Save Her by Linea Johnson & Cinda Johnson
Borderline Personality Disorder
- Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder: A Family Guide for Healing and Change by Valerie Porr
- The Essential Family Guide to Borderline Personality Disorder: New Tools and Techniques to Stop Walking on Eggshells by Randi Kreger
- The Buddha and the Borderline: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder through Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Buddhism, and Online Dating by Kiera Van Gelder
- Loving Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder: How to Keep Out-of-Control Emotions from Destroying Your Relationship by Shari Y. Manning
Depression
- Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
- Hope Prevails Bible Study: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
- Climbing out of Darkness: A Personal Journey into Mental Wellness by Mike Jacquart with Marina London
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
- The High-Conflict Couple: A Dialectical Behavior Therapy Guide to Finding Peace, Intimacy, and Validation by Alan E. Fruzzetti, PH.D.
- DBT Skills Training Manual by Marsha M. Linehan
- The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook by Matthew McKay, Jeffrey C. Wood and Jeffrey Brantley
General Mental Health
- Blue Genes: Breaking Free from the Chemical Imbalances That Affect Your Moods, Your Mind, Your Life, and Your Love Ones by Paul Meier, M.D., Todd Clements, M.D., Jean-Luc Bertrand, D.M.D. and David Madt Sr., M.A.
- The Emotionally Sensitive Person: Finding Peace When Your Emotions Overwhelm You by Karny D. Hall, PhD.
- Sparks of Redemptive Grace – Seeking and Seeing God Amid a Loved One’s Mental Illness by Catherine P. Downing
Mental Health & The Church
- Mental Health and the Church: A Ministry Handbook for Including Children and Adults with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Other Common Mental Health Conditions by Stephen Grcevich, MD
- Grace for the Afflicted: A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness by Matthew S. Standford, PhD.
- Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission by Amy Simpson
Parenting a Child With Mental Illness
- Among Lions: Fighting for Faith and Finding Your Rest While Parenting a Child with Mental Illness by Kirsten Panachyda
Self-Injury
- Inside a Cutter’s Mind: Understanding and Helping Those Who Self-Injure by Jerusha Clark and Earl R. Henslin
- When Your Child is Cutting: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Children Overcome Self-Injury by Sony Khemlani0Patel PhD.
- Secret Scars by Abigail Robson
Suicide
- Fear Gone Wild: A Story of Mental Illness, Suicide, and Hope Through Loss by Kayla Stoecklein
Validation
- The High-Conflict Couple: A Dialectical Behavior Therapy Guide to Finding Peace, Intimacy, and Validation by Alan E. Fruzzetti, PH.D.
- I Don’t Have to Make Everything All Better: Six Practical Principles that Empower Others to Solve Their Own Problems While Enriching Your Relationships by Gary Lundberg and Joy Lundberg
- DBT Skills Training Manual by Marsha M. Linehan
Printables
We would love to have you join our community.
Embracing the Unexpected | Maree Dee
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