Behavioral Health

Ministries   /   Office for Family Life   /   Office for Family Life Topics   /   Pastoral Care   /   Behavioral Health
For Emergency assistance Dial 911 available 24/7
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 988 Available 24/7*
For Crisis Assessment: Dial 1-866-830-6011 Available 24/7*
For Suicide Prevention: Dial 1-877-727-4747 Available 24/7*
Veteran Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 (press 1) Available 24/7*
Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741
New Hope Peer-to-Peer Support Line: 1-714-639-4673 Available Mon – Fri | 7:30 AM – 9:30 PM and Sat – Sun | 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

*Toll-free
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Overview

“The Church reminds the political community of its duty to recognize and celebrate the divine image of man with actions that support and serve all those who find themselves in a condition of severe mental illness. This is a task which science and faith, medicine and pastoral care, professional skill and a sense of common brotherhood must help to carry out through an investment of adequate human, scientific and socio-economic resources.

Whoever suffers from mental illness ‘always’ bears God’s image and likeness in himself, as does every human being. In addition, he ‘always’ has the inalienable right not only to be considered as an image of God and therefore as a person, but also to be treated as such.”

– Saint John Paul II, Address to the International Conference for Health Care Workers, on Illnesses of the Human Mind, 30 November 1997

Resources From The Diocese Of Orange

Upcoming Events In The Diocese

Join a Parish Mental Health Ministry!

We welcome parishes to start or expand their ministry in reaching out to one another to help in the very common incidence of mental illness. (1 in 5 adults will meet diagnostic criteria for a mental illness this year. 1 in 18 will experience a serious mental illness.)

About us: We are lay ministers who are there to be a good listener and to help each other get to mental health resources and providers when we need it. We know there is hope for healing in mental health.

Reaching out to those who are trying to hide their mental health condition or to those who live on the margins is part of our call to evangelization and it strengthens our faith.  Mental illness is diagnosed individually, but its prevention and reducing its pain are in the hands of the community. Jesus calls us to love one another as he has loved us. We see our ministry as a pathway for the laity to learn better how to love one another—even when suffering seems unspeakable. We also believe this ministry will allow people to be truly seen and be truly known and also know that they belong and have a purpose.  If you want to be a leader or get involved, follow the instructions below.

How do I get involved?

  1. If you haven’t done so already, please complete our short application form.
  2. Read our Welcome Packet.
  3. You will be signed up for monthly newsletters about our ministry to learn about what is happening around the county. You can unsubscribe at any time.
  4. You will be connected to your parish mental health ministry, if there is a team there already. If there is not one yet in place, someone will contact you about either joining a nearby parish ministry or about starting one at your parish. Click here to learn more about starting a new mental health ministry at your parish. Para información sobre cómo iniciar un ministerio de salud mental en su parroquia, haga clic aquí.

Other Resources

A Pastoral Letter from the Bishops of California on Caring for those who suffer from Mental Illness Addressed to All Catholics and People of Goodwill.  Read and download here: English | Spanish | Vietnamese

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The Diocese of Orange pledges to be stigma free. When someone has a mental illness or an addiction, do you see the condition or the person? In a #StigmaFreeOC, we see people as they truly are no matter the condition they’re living with. Take the pledge to be stigma free at StigmaFreeOC.com.

NAMI Orange County conducts free educational programs, meetings and support groups throughout the entire county addressing every aspect of mental health. Please take a few minutes to browse through our website to learn more about our many free programs, educational meetings, support groups and advocacy we provide for those families and clients dealing with the effects of mental illness. Phone: (714) 544-8488

Addictions

Alcohol And Chemical Dependency

Adult Children Of Alcoholics World Service Organization
Find an ACA meeting near you

Al-Anon • Alateen:for families and friends of alcoholics
Alcoholics Anonymous
  • S. Orange County Central Office
    30011 Ivy Glenn Drive Ste. 104
    Laguna Niguel 92677
  • 949-582-2697
Catholic in Recovery
Marijuana Anonymous Of Orange County CA
Mariposa Women And Family Center
Mission Hospital Mental Health And Wellness Services
  • Outpatient Treatment Program/Rehabilitation Programs, including for young adults & adolescents
  • 31872 Coast Highway
    Laguna Beach, CA 92651
  • 949-499-7504
  • Maternal Mental Health/IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program)/Pregnancy and Postpartum Support Group
  • 949-415-3098
National Association For Children Of Alcoholics
  • NACoA is the national nonprofit 501 (c) 3 membership and affiliate organization working on behalf of children of alcohol and drug dependent parents.
  • 10920 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 100
    Kensington, MD 20895
  • 888-55-4COAS  or   301-468-0985
National Catholic Council On Alcoholism And Related Drug Problems, Inc.
  • The National Catholic Council on Addictions, affiliated with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, is committed to assisting its members to a greater awareness and acceptance of alcoholism, other chemical addictions and prevention issues.
  • 1601 Joslyn Road Lake Orion, MI 48630
  • 800-626-6910
  • ncca@guesthouse.org
  • guesthouse.org
Orange County Area Of Narcotics Anonymous
St. Joseph Hospital
  • Medically supervised detoxification from alcohol or other chemical dependence
  • 1100 West Stewart Drive
    Orange, CA 92868
  • 714-771-8134
  • 714-771-8900  (intake)

Pornography Addiction

Web-based Resources:

Integrity Restored
Our mission is to restore the integrity of individuals, spouses, and families that have been affected by pornography and pornography addiction. Integrity Restored provides education, encouragement, and resources to, break free from pornography, heal relationships, and to assist parents in preventing and responding to pornography exposure which is so devastating in the lives of our children. We also hope to be a resource that assists clergy in assisting families at the parish level, so that the domestic church truly becomes what it is, the human space in which we encounter Christ.
Covenant Eyes

Mission: What people do online impacts their lives offline. Our goal is to equip people with tools that provide protection and encourage accountability and trust in the fight against Internet temptation. We bridge the gap between technology and relationships.™

Free online resources from Covenant Eyes are available for pornography use and recovery, family protection, support for couples, and churches.

National Center On Sexual Exploitation
Founded in 1962, National Center on Sexual Exploitation is the leading national organization opposing pornography by highlighting the links to sex trafficking, violence against women, child abuse, addiction and more. The organization changed its name from Morality In Media to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation early in 2015 to better describe the organization’s scope and mission, which is to expose the seamless connection between all forms of sexual exploitation. Our Mission: Opposing sexual exploitation. Defending human dignity. Our Vision: All individuals have a right to be free from the effects of pornography and all other forms of sexual exploitation.
Reclaim Sexual Health

A professional and science-based Catholic online program designed to help individuals overcome unhealthy sexual behaviors.

STRIVE

Mission: To expose the reality behind the fantasy of pornography and to equip individuals to find freedom from it.

Exodus 90

The Exodus 90 app helps men find freedom in Christ. This spiritual exercise encourages users daily for 90 days through prayer, asceticism, and fasting so that they can become free from what enslaves them.

Books:
  • Be A Man! by Fr. Larry Richards
    Fr. Larry Richards draws on his many years of ministry and his own experience as a man as he tells men how to focus on the right goal, how to live as a beloved son of God, and of the need to acknowledge one’s faults and to live according to the Holy Spirit. He calls men to admit their weaknesses and limitations, while urging them to find strength in faith and genuine love to overcome their sins and faults.
  • Boys to Men  by Tim Gray and Curtis Martin
    A Bible study designed specifically for men who want to build their spiritual strength. Each challenging lesson combines rich Scriptural teaching with centuries of Christian wisdom to train today’s men for the virtuous life. With thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter, this book is ideal for individual or group study.
  • Breaking Free: 12 Steps to Sexual Purity by Stephen Wood
    Breaking Free is a must read for all men who desire sexual purity, need help getting rid of porn, or want to prevent a porn addiction. Breaking Free will teach you how to give up porn, find accountability, look for accountability software, protect yourself against sexual addictions and sins, and how to prevent future problems that could destroy your marriage and family life.
  • Contrary to Love: Helping the Sexual Addict by Patrick Carnes, Ph.D.
    Dr. Carnes explains in a detailed and thorough fashion that the behaviors of sexual addicts are not actions of love, but of abnormal, compulsive rituals performed in a desperate attempt to self-treat the feelings of despair and anger that has become the fabric of the addict’s life. The stages and progression of sex addiction, including assessment, intervention, and treatment methods and discussed. It also covers family structure, bonding, boundaries, and recovery topics.
  • Delivered: True Stories of Men and Women who Turned from Porn to Purity by Matt Fradd
    Deliverance from pornography is possible. Through a collection of powerful testimonies, this book not only reveals why pornography is so damaging, but shows how the vice can be overcome and the damage undone.
  • Every Man’s Battle, Every Young Man’s Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker
    Every Young Man’s Battle shows young men how to rise above today’s debased, self-seeking culture by examining God’s standard, training your eyes and mind, cleaning up your thought life, and developing a plan using strategies are biblical to stay sexually pure.
  • Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction  by Mark R. Laaser
    This book offers a path that leads beyond compulsive thoughts and behaviors to healing and transformation. Sensitive to the shame of sexual addiction without minimizing its sinfulness, Dr. Mark Laaser traces the roots of the problem, discusses its patterns and impact, and maps out a biblical approach to self-control and sexual integrity.
  • In the Shadows of the Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behavior by Patrick Carnes, David Delmonico, and Elizabeth Griffin.
    The authors explain how the anonymity of online access, the ability of people to use their computers in private, and the powerful rationalization that virtual interactions are not “real” can combine to entice people to spend hours online, sacrificing real relationships and increasing their sense of loneliness. They give many case histories of people who have engaged in compulsive online sexual behavior, the damage they have caused in their lives, and the process that they have used to break free of their compulsive behavior.
  • Mending a Shattered Heart: A Guide for Partners of Sex Addicts by Stefanie Carnes
    Anyone who has discovered their loved one, the one person that they are supposed to trust completely, has been cheating on them will want to read this book. Readers have an opportunity to explore whether the person they are in a relationship with is simply behaving badly or truly suffers from a disease called sex addiction. It shows the seriousness of sex addiction and offers hope by showing that treatment can be successful, but hard work needs to be done—by both the partner and the addict.
  • Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction by Patrick Carnes, Ph.D.
    Patrick J. Carnes is a nationally-known speaker on addiction and recovery issues. In this landmark book, Dr. Carnes discusses three levels of sexual addiction, describes the addiction cycle and its progression, and presents the faulty core beliefs of the addict and the coaddict and their healthy counterparts. This is the book to start with if you are first seeking to understand sexual addiction and recovery.
  • Preparing your Son for Every Man’s Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker    
    It is vital that fathers and mothers prepare their sons to withstand the sexual onslaught of their culture through movies, television, music, and the Internet. But what should you say? And how should you say it? The authors behind the best-selling Every Man series have put together all the resources and guidance you need to experience frank, thorough, and natural conversations with your son about sexual integrity.
  • Shattered Vows  by Debra Laaser
    Infidelity doesn’t have to ruin your life—or your marriage. If you have been devastated by your husband’s sexual betrayal—whether an isolated incident or a long-term pattern of addiction—you need to know you don’t have to live as a victim. This sensitive guide provides practical tools to help you make wise and empowering decisions, emotional tools to develop greater intimacy in your life, and spiritual tools to transform your suffering.
  • The Pornography Epidemic: A Catholic Approach by Peter C. Kleponis, PhD
    Dr. Peter Kleponis, a Catholic licensed clinical therapist, offers this small book as an overview of the issue. In clear, straightforward language he defines pornography, identifies the root causes of pornography use, and explains its effects on marriage and family life. He offers specific recommendations, most of which emphasize the need to monitor the use of technology. The book can be especially helpful for parents who wish to protect their children from pornography.