CNE: Supporting the Spiritual Development of Youth with Mental Health Challenges

Supporting the Spiritual Development of Youth with Mental Health Challenges

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Time: 6 pm to 7 pm Central Time on Zoom:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86265956209

Description: This session provides an overview of mental health and why it needs to be wholistic. Michelle Solomon shares research findings on how youth diagnosed with bipolar disorder described their spirituality and how their experiences affected their spirituality. She covers the work behind promoting spiritual health, how health professionals can promote the wellbeing through spirituality integrated interventions, and how health professionals can promote their own spiritual wellbeing.

Bio: Dr. Michelle Solomon is a Registered Nurse and completed her BScN, MScN, and PhD at Western University in Canada. Over the past 15 years, she has practiced mental health care in both hospital and community settings, worked in mental health research, served as a nursing instructor, and provided leadership in peer support in the London Ontario community. Her dissertation explored how youth living with bipolar disorder describe their understanding of and experiences of spirituality. This research aims to provide an awareness of the spiritual dimension in youth mental health and the importance of its integration into well-being.

Learning outcomes:

1. Identify how spirituality was understood in youth living with bipolar disorder, and the relationship between spirituality and bipolar disorder in the study population.

2. Describe the inner and outer work that they can do to promote the spiritual wellbeing of others and themselves.