Committee on Mental Illness and Wellness

The NCPD Committee on Mental Illness and Wellness (CMIW) works to accompany our brothers and sisters with mental illness and their families while assisting the Catholic community by providing resources and education for spiritual and pastoral support. The Council provides:

Resources and training for pastoral staffs and parish leaders;
Information, referrals, and advice; and
Advocacy for persons with mental illness and their families to promote a just society and an end to stigma.

Visit the NCPD Mental Illness webpage for more information.

Related Disability or Ministry:

Mental Illness

Language:

English

Brother Fred Cabras OFM Cap., LCSW - Co-chair

Board Liaison

Licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), Director of Social Services for the Capuchin's Soup Kitchen, Detroit, MI

Br. Cabras is a Roman Catholic priest, ordained in 2019, and a member of the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph since 2011. Br. Cabras is a Capuchin Franciscan. Before relocating to Detroit in 2020, Br. Cabras worked as a licensed inpatient and emergency room psychiatric social worker at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he worked with a multidisciplinary team. He also previously served as coordinator of a social justice program providing regional resources for the homeless, as assistant staff member for a day program for adults with developmental disabilities, as case manager for persons experiencing homelessness while also offering sacramental ministries to a local Catholic community. He received his Master of Divinity Degree from the Catholic Theological Union, a Master of Social Work with a specialization in Mental Health from Loyola University, and a Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Illinois, in Chicago, IL. Br Cabras is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) for the State of Illinois and Michigan. Br. Cabras serves on the Governance Board of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD) and as the Board Liaison to NCPD's Council on Mental Illness and Wellness (CMIW).

Dr. Jean Nanos, Psy.D., Co-chair

Dr. Jean Nanos, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 27 years of experience in various mental health settings, serving individuals, couples, and families across the lifespan. She holds a doctorate from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and is a member of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Nanos specializes in psychological testing for adults and children and utilizes evidence-based treatments, including CBT, DBT, and ACT. She is Level 1 Gottman trained and PSYPACT authorized for telepsychology services. Previously, she directed clinical services for a nonprofit, developing school-based programs and training clinicians.

Tison Thomas, Ph.D., M.S.W., Board Liaison

Tison Thomas is a Syro-Malabar Catholic, an Eastern Rite member of the Catholic Church living in the United States, deeply committed to advancing the church’s role in serving individuals with disabilities and addressing the diverse needs of our communities.

He currently serves as the Diocesan Secretary for Faith Formation within the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago, where he supports faith formation efforts for more than 10,500 children across the United States and serves on the Diocesan Pastoral Council. Through this ministry, Tison has witnessed firsthand the grace and importance of ensuring that individuals with disabilities are welcomed and fully engaged in faith formation and parish life, an experience that continues to deepen his understanding of inclusion and the call to serve all members of the Body of Christ.

Professionally, Tison serves as the Acting Director of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a federal agency dedicated to improving the lives of individuals living with mental illness and substance use disorders. With a Ph.D. and Master’s degree in Social Work, a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and more than three decades of experience in behavioral health, he has devoted his career to shaping policy, advancing evidence-based programs, and strengthening systems that promote dignity, recovery, and hope for all.

Jennifer L.K. Charles, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, National Catholic School of Social Service of The Catholic University of America

Jennifer, has a clinical social work background in community mental health, including crisis stabilization and mobile crisis response. Guided by her practice and educational experiences, Charles’s research focuses on the identification of and issues related to the stigma of mental illness. Particularly of interest to her are the negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of mental health service providers toward their clients as well as the influence of stigma on the mental health help-seeking behaviors of college-aged adults. She earned her Ph.D. in 2015 from Virginia Commonwealth University, her M.S.W. from Barry University, and her B.A. from Virginia Tech.

Chris Miller, Ed.D.

Dr. Chris Miller is an educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area, currently working for NAMI Santa Clara County, supporting FaithNet efforts. He most recently worked as a high school teacher at De La Salle High School in Concord CA, after working for 3 years at Catholic Charities Santa Clara County supporting the Community Action Poverty Simulation program as well as serving as the youth and young adult coordinator at a 5,000-family parish in San Jose, CA. Prior to this position, Chris taught theology and served as director of campus ministry at a Catholic boarding school in Connecticut. He also worked as the Director of Youth Ministry at a Catholic parish in Palo Alto and worked as a Catholic middle school teacher in Gilroy and San Jose, CA.

Chris is currently enrolled in a certificate program in restorative justice and chaplaincy at Santa Clara University and recently earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology at Notre Dame de Namur University and a Graduate Diploma in Canon Law through Saint Paul University. In 2019, he graduated with a doctoral degree in education from the University of San Francisco, focusing research on the Kairos Retreat experience in Jesuit High Schools in the United States. A graduate of Santa Clara University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in history, a California Teaching Credential, a master’s degree in education, and a master’s degree in Pastoral Ministries, Chris is also a 3-time alum of Boston College where he completed a post-master’s program in youth and young adult faith, a post-master’s certificate in spiritual formation, and a certificate in Jesuit Studies.

Chris is a member of the Los Gatos Morning Rotary and currently serves as co-chair of the Pastoral Care and Mental Wellness Ministry Network through the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, a member of the California State Mental Health Policy Workgroup, and a member of the NAMI National FaithNet Advisory Council.

Steve Nash

Mental Health Advocate - Kansas City, MO

Steve Nash, a Mental Health Advocate and Complex Trauma investigator, focuses on a subtle yet significant paradigm shift in mental health. This shift, fueled by a more comprehensive understanding of trauma, exposes critical gaps, blind spots, and biases that significantly impact our approaches to education and treatment.

Informed by evidence-based science, which demonstrates the far-reaching effects of childhood trauma on physical and mental well-being, Steve urges individuals, parishes, and dioceses to recognize the essential role of faith-based components in trauma-empowerment and post-traumatic growth. He points to growing research that reveals the synergistic combination of faith and evidence-based science can have a profound positive impact on the majority of people within our parish communities.

Steve has presented Complex Trauma education programs and facilitated discussions for diverse audiences and is currently engaged with faith-based ministries at both local and national levels. While supporting growth within the Catholic faith, he aims to illuminate this largely unexplored dimension of the trauma puzzle, a dimension he has observed, experienced, and investigated from multiple perspectives.

Father Viet Nguyen

Father Viet Nguyen was ordained a Catholic priest on June 30, 2018, for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, bringing a unique perspective to his ministry with his academic foundation in understanding the human mind and behavior.

Father Viet has served in a variety of pastoral roles, including as a High School Chaplain, Parochial Vicar at a large suburban parish, and currently as Pastor of three small rural parishes in Kansas. Through these experiences, he has ministered to people across a broad spectrum of life circumstances, offering spiritual guidance and support.

In his ministry, Father Viet has worked extensively with persons struggling with mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and addiction. His pastoral work in both urban and rural settings has given him a deep appreciation for the unique struggles faced by persons in diverse communities, particularly in areas where access to mental health resources is limited.

Deacon Ed Shoener

Deacon, Diocese of Scranton PA; Founder of the Catholic Mental Health Institute and the Katie Foundation

Ed Shoener was ordained a permanent deacon in 2004 and serves at St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Diocese of Scranton. Shoener is a founding member of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers and the Catholic Institute of Mental Health Ministry at the University of San Diego and the Scranton Mental Health Ministry. He earned a graduate certificate in spiritual direction from the Aquinas Institute of Theology. Shoener’s family and friends founded The Katie Foundation after his daughter, Kathleen, died by suicide in 2016. Katie’s obituary went viral because it spoke to the needs and concerns of people who live with mental illness. He lives with his family in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Ben Wortham

Ben is the vice president for behavioral health integration, leading the integrated health strategic priority and providing technical support to 168 Catholic Charities agencies across the country. Ensuring these agencies have robust relationships with healthcare systems is a major priority for his team. Ben also leads CCUSA’s aging section, co-leads the veterans section and works with the Healthy Housing Initiative.