For one experiencing a diagnosis of mental illness, it can be frightening and the cause of great sadness and/or anger. It can be equally traumatic for family and friends to learn that their loved one has a mental illness. It is important to know that it’s okay to feel this way and that you and your loved one are not alone. Many people from all walks of life have suffered from mental illness. There is help and there is hope for a better future.
For those who are the adult family and/or friends of those living with unipolar depression (major depressive disorder) or bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder), Tim and Nancy Reside, serving as Mental Health Consultants and Mental Health Coaches, offer encouragement, information, and education by way of consultation sessions and support group opportunities.
- Consultations By-Appointment-Only: Tim and Nancy Reside are not clinicians nor licensed counselors. They are themselves mental health consumers with decades of life experience and service to others as consultants and coaches as well as educators and facilitators of support programs. Click for biographical and credential information. The consultation sessions offered can be with (1) just the family and/or friend caregivers or support givers; (2) the caregivers or support givers together with the care recipient; or (3) with just the person living with mental health challenges seeking assistance.
- Support Groups: Bright Tomorrows offers two curriculum-based psycho-educational support groups from September-May. The faith-based and hope-affirming Christian materials used are clinically accurate. The Bright Tomorrows Support Group (BTSG) meetings are typically on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays at 7PM. This support group is designed for adults with a bipolar disorder or a depression diagnosis. The Bright Tomorrows Family Group (BTFG) meetings are typically on the 2nd & 3rd Thursdays at 7PM. This is a support group designed for the family and friend support givers of those with mental health concerns. Both groups meet together on the 3rd Thursday for a combined group event. If you would like to know more, go to our “Support Groups” page.
A THERAPIST’S RECOMMENDATION: “I have referred numerous individuals, couples, and families to the Resides for a personal consultation and to their support group. They provide comfort, encouragement, and hope borne out of their personal experience. Tim has learned to manage his illness—relying on his strong faith, his insatiable desire to read and learn, and a humble willingness to listen to those he loves and trusts. We are very fortunate to have this couple sharing their wisdom and experience with our community.” —Licensed Marital and Family Therapist & Licensed Professional Counselor
COST: We are supported by the freewill tax-deductible donations of those who benefit and/or appreciate the work and ministry services offered under the auspices of Bright Tomorrows. We welcome churches and para-church organizations to consider including Bright Tomorrows in their benevolence budget.
In addition to donations given in person or by way of postal service, donations can be made online. Simply click on the blue and yellow DONATE button on this website for instructions. To ensure that cost is not a prohibitive factor, we do not charge for our services.
DISCLAIMER: Although the results of attending Bright Tomorrows support group meetings are often found to be therapeutic, a support group is not a therapy group. The objective of the support group is not to resolve the deeper mental health-related issues that require one-on-one professional therapeutic assistance. The focus of these Christian support group meetings is two-fold: (1) to provide a safe environment that is faith-affirming, hope-inspiring; and informally structured; and (2) to promote supportive communication among brothers and sisters in Christ who share common experiences, challenges, and concerns.
Bright Tomorrows does not recommend or endorse the use of any specific treatment or medication. Individual group participants must assume responsibility for consulting with their physicians and mental health care providers (psychiatrists, therapists, medical doctors, etc.) regarding medications and treatment protocols.
While all information offered by Tim and/or Nancy Reside, including discussed and suggested coping strategies and skills, is offered in good faith, each recipient is advised that they need to assume personal responsibility for verifying the validity and applicability of such information and/or suggestions. Again, individual group participants should consult with their medical and mental health care providers.
You can contact Tim & Nancy to make an appointment by email.
A simple e-mail form is provided on our Contact Us page.
The Bright Tomorrows Support Group Mission Statement:
We are dedicated to promoting mental health and assisting those who are struggling with mental illness and/or mental health-related concerns toward healing-recovery as a lifestyle.
Our mission is to offer ongoing support that reflects the compassion of Jesus Christ to individuals struggling with bipolar disorder or unipolar disorder (major depressive disorder) by…
- INVESTING help
- INSPIRING hope
- INFORMING understanding
- INSTRUCTING in ways that EQUIP and EMPOWER
Questions most often asked in the sessions described above are:
• How can we get a clear diagnosis?
• What is major depression?
• What is bipolar disorder?
• How do I handle crises?
• How does one learn how to cope with major depression?
• How does one learn how to cope with bipolar disorder?
• What about psychiatrists, counselors, therapists, and support groups?
• What are the best treatments now available?
• What and where are the sources for getting more information and education?
• How do I become aware of local services available within the community?
• How do I cope with the possibility of suicidal thoughts or threats?
• What about multiple mental health challenges?
• What about faith, religion, and spiritual resources—prayer?
• Can a person with major depression or bipolar disorder be healed?
• What do I do if family members and/or friends won’t accept as fact the mental illness?
• What do I do if family members and/or friends won’t accept that help is needed?
• How can I communicate better about mental illness with family and friends?
• What does it mean to be a caregiver?
• How can I be a non-anxious and non-agitating healing presence of peace?
• How do I take care of myself in all of this?
• What is my responsibility for my own spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health?
• What are the responsibilities of family and/or friends for the mental health of a loved one?
• Where’s the money for all of this going to come from?
• What are all these medications for—are they all necessary—what about side effects?
• What if a person with a mental illness won’t take their medication?
Thank you for your inquiry.
If you have further inquiries, feel free to email the President of Bright Tomorrows, Tim Reside.