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Renew Your Mind (RYM) was developed to enhance access to evidence-based strategies for managing mental health challenges within African American communities, who often prefer seeking support from faith leaders. By integrating spiritual and psychological principles, faith-based interventions uniquely promote mental well-being among African Americans. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is recognized as the gold standard in evidence-based mental health interventions, and its methods are often tailored to effectively reach racial and ethnic minority populations. RYM aligns with biblical teachings while incorporating evidence-based cognitive and behavioral strategies. It seeks to equip Black faith leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide informal support to their congregations in culturally acceptable manners. This presentation will outline the conceptual development and structure of the intervention, emphasizing key theoretical frameworks and the pivotal role of faith leaders in its execution.
Methods:
The development of RYM was a collaborative effort between Black faith leaders with mental health backgrounds and therapists of color skilled in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This adaptation of CBT emphasized spiritual integration, framing cognitive restructuring techniques within biblical narratives, particularly Romans 12:2, which highlights the renewal of the mind. Faith-based coping strategies such as prayer, scripture meditation, and communal support were included to enhance spiritual relevance. Core CBT techniques were translated into spiritual terms, with real-life examples from Black church life. Informed by Implementation Science, the implementation strategies of RYM were carefully designed to reflect typical Black church experiences, incorporating sermon-style delivery, collective prayer, and Black church music, which is a sacred and deeply meaningful component to Black churches. We collaborated with well-known community musicians and soloists from Pittsburgh, PA, demonstrating the type of worship music that can be used in each individual CHURCH session. In addition, sessions were designed to use storytelling, call-and-response engagement, and worship traditions, fostering cultural familiarity and enhancing acceptance within the faith community.
Results:
Final RYM intervention consisted of four 90-minute modules that can be conducted through consecutive weekly training sessions or as a comprehensive one-day workshop. Each module features didactic sessions that introduce essential CBT concepts, followed by sermon-style sessions that translate these concepts and techniques into spiritual language. The didactic sessions on CBT are designed to be delivered by mental health clinicians, while the sermon sessions are led by Black preachers. Each CBT concept and technique is paired with Scripture verses that reflect corresponding ideas. The sessions conclude with collective prayer and a shared musical experience, complemented by meditation. The music is thoughtfully selected by Black church musicians to reinforce the core CBT concepts and techniques discussed in both the didactic and sermon sessions.
Conclusion and Implications:
The CBPR partnership within the CHURCH project established a framework for strong collaborations among mental health clinicians, researchers, and Black faith leaders, resulting in the development of RYM. RYM represents a model for integrating faith and mental health in a structured and accessible format. Future efforts will focus on refining its content and delivery to enhance its impact and accessibility.