We're here to support you

Sanctuary’s mission is to equip the Church to support mental health and wellbeing. We provide resources that meaningfully engage the topics of faith and mental health. Our content is developed in collaboration with theologians, mental health professionals, and people with lived experience of mental health challenges. These resources prepare communities of faith around the world to raise awareness, reduce stigma, support mental health, and promote mental wellbeing.

You can learn more about Sanctuary on our About Us page.

It only takes a couple of minutes to create your free account. You can do so here or by clicking the yellow Sign Up at the top right of our resource portal. After setting up your account and verifying it through your email, you'll have immediate lifetime online access to all of Sanctuary's resources. Your account information, including your password, is completely private and will never be shared with third-party organizations. Any website usage reports created for grant applications or donor updates are completely anonymized. Your privacy and security are important to us. Please email us if you have any questions. 

A free account allows you to access all of Sanctuary's resources in one place, including all of the related materials such as films, coursebooks, and discussion or reflection guides. You’ll notice a friendly pop-up appears when you first access a resource, giving you an opportunity to share with us if you plan to facilitate a resource in a church or organization. This helps us provide support and collect feedback for reporting to grantors, donors, and advocates who are passionate about mental health and faith.

NOTE: For those who had a Sanctuary account prior to May 4, 2022: If you had an existing Sanctuary account and you have been actively using our resources in the last two years, you should have received an invite to set up a new account on this resource portal. A new account and password is required to access our resources. You will not be able to use your login and password from our old system due to privacy protections. To set up your new account, click on the Sign Up button. Follow the instructions to set up your account.

To reset your password, click here. You can also click on the blue Login button at the top right. This will take you to the login pop up. Select "Reset Password" (found under the login information and blue Login button). You will be emailed a secure link to set up a new password.

NOTE: You must firsthave created and verified your Sanctuary account. This is done by signing up for an account via our resource portal and clicking on the "Verify Account" link provided in the account verification email. If you have not already done this, you will not receive a reset password link.

Inputting login information for Sanctuary accounts created before May 4, 2022 in order to reset your password will not work. If you had an account prior to May 4, 2022, you must create a new account and password due to privacy protections.

If you have done the above and don’t receive a reset password link, please check your spam folder.

If you continue to have issues, please email us at support@sanctuarymentalhealth.org.

Sanctuary's resources are designed to be led by anyone who has experience facilitating small groups. They do not require you to have any special knowledge about mental health; they only require a willingness to create a safe space for conversation and learning.

If you’d like to facilitate a group but are feeling nervous about doing it alone, why not consider collaborating with an experienced small group leader or a mental health professional in your church?

While Sanctuary’s resources can be run with any interested parties in your church or parish, it can be helpful to have church leaders experience a resource first so that they are acquainted with the approach and language used in the course. It’s also immensely helpful for church leaders to demonstrate their support for a resource like The Sanctuary Course by going through it themselves. Our resources aim to create a base of shared knowledge and a common language for talking about mental health while also challenging stigma and shifting the culture surrounding mental health. For this reason, it’s helpful to have as many members of your community participate as possible. We encourage you to invite pastors, elders, deacons, religious educators, or other church staff and lay leaders to participate.

We recommend group sizes of twelve people or fewer to allow everyone to participate in discussions; you may choose to host a larger group and have them break into smaller groups for discussion. Many churches also run several groups at one time. This helps keep group sizes small, allowing more in-depth discussions and deeper personal connections within the group.

You can go through resource materials on your own, but they are designed to be done in small groups. This is because the resources are designed to open up conversations, help reduce stigma, and bring multiple experiences to the one conversation. The materials also contain sensitive content, so it is good to be able to process with others. Our participants continue to report that using the materials in a small group is very beneficial for them and their community.

All of the materials are accessible through this online resource portal as soon as you have created a free account. Depending on your group, facilitators might choose to share the materials in different ways.

All group members are encouraged to create a free account on this portal to access the materials themselves. For security purposes, it is preferred that each group member has an account rather than multiple group members sharing login information for the same account.

Facilitators can also download all the materials for their group and email them directly to the participants.

All materials are downloadable by clicking the links at the bottom of the main page of each resource (see “Downloadable Materials”), or on individual session pages by clicking the blue “Download” button beneath each item or clicking on the names of the materials in the grey Download Materials box at the bottom of each session page. Film and audiobook files will instantly download to your computer, so be sure to check your downloads folder for the files. These are larger file sizes, so please be aware that they might not be easily shareable via email. PDFs will display in a preview window; from this window you can download the files to your computer. You are welcome to share the PDF files with other members of your group. 

You may want to print the materials to share in a group setting, or set up a projector or TV to watch the films together. Or you might meet online and share your screen with your group as you walk through the materials together (participants may prefer watching the films on their own screens). We recommend sharing the materials in whatever way is most simple for your community, depending on your needs and meeting format. If you need help, please email us. We are happy to help.

Please note: nothing will be mailed to you. Once you have created an account and verified your email address, you have immediate access to our resources through this online resource portal.

If you need help, please email us. We are happy to help.

Promotional materials are available for some resources. On the main page of each course, scroll to the bottom. Links to a downloadable version of the trailer as well as other promotional materials are accessible in the "Downloadable Materials" section.

Yes! You can print these PDFs on a home or office printer, but please be advised that a large amount of ink will be required, particularly for The Sanctuary Course and The Sanctuary Course for Catholics. Feel free to send them to an online printer or a local printer in your area. The price of printing will depend on the printer you choose, whether you print in black and white or colour, and whether the copies need to be shipped.

The Sanctuary Course for Catholics professionally printed and spiral bound coursebook is available for purchase through Catholic.Market, a third-party distributor. At this time, The Sanctuary Course materials are not available for purchase in physical format.

We had a number of requests for an audiobook version of our coursebooks. Having The Sanctuary Course and The Sanctuary Course for Catholics on audiobook makes the course more accessible for all kinds of people, including those with visual impairments, those who prefer listening to reading, or those who prefer listening while on the go. Individuals can choose to listen to the material in advance of their group meeting.

On the main resource pages for The Sanctuary Course or The Sanctuary Course for Catholics, there is a button to download the entire audiobook at the bottom of the page. You can also download each session as an individual file on the specific session pages.

For best viewing quality, download the films to your device. This will prevent a slow internet connection from interfering with your experience. The films for each resource are downloadable on the main resource page as well as the individual session pages. On the main resource page, you will find the films at the bottom of the page under “Downloadable Materials.” Under “Browse Sessions” you can view each session individually by clicking the blue “View” button. When viewing an individual session, you can download the films by clicking the blue “Download” button underneath the embedded film.

All of the materials that you’ll need are accessible online. We encourage you to follow your government’s recommendations for group gatherings and physical distancing. It is possible to use Sanctuary's resources in an online environment using virtual meetings to facilitate discussions and watch the films together. We encourage you to walk through these materials in community.

We are working on translations to make our resources more accessible for global audiences.

The Sanctuary Course para Católicos (Español) is available on this portal. Simply click the "ES" on the top right of the page to visit the Spanish version of this portal, or click here.

Other translations of The Sanctuary Course will be available in the future. If you would like to partner with us in translation, please email us.

Absolutely! Some of our older resources are not available on this portal. Please email us to let us know what you are looking for so that we can assist you.

Registering your group helps us better serve and support facilitators, follow up to hear your feedback, and report to our donors and grantors about how the course is being used around the world.

If you aren’t sure yet if you will facilitate a course, would prefer not to register, are a group member but not the facilitator, or if you are simply wanting to browse our resources, select “No/unsure” on the first pop-up that appears when you access a resource. You’ll have another opportunity to tell us about any resources you’re facilitating as you progress through the materials, simply as a reminder that we are available to connect with and support you in your experience using our resources.

First, login to your Sanctuary account. Click on your name, then "Account." You will be taken to your account profile. In this area, click on "Organization." You will be able to change the church or organization you are connected to there.

You are welcome to share the trailer and any files in the promotional materials package. However, we ask that you do not post the films or any other resource materials (for example, a leader's guide, participant's guide, or coursebook) on your website or other platforms. We ask that you only post the link to our resource portal where your group’s participants will be able to create an account and access the files for free. You are also welcome to share the materials with your group by email, but we ask that you only do so with those participating in the group or involved in planning/facilitating the group. This helps us honour our legal obligations for copyrights and permissions and improves our ability to estimate our impact for reporting purposes. If you have any questions, please contact our customer care team.

We’re developing a tool to connect people with churches who register that they are running The Sanctuary Course and The Sanctuary Course for Catholics, but at the moment it is still in process. We recommend talking to your church leaders about how you can help facilitate The Sanctuary Course or The Sanctuary Course for Catholics in your church community; if you are not part of a local church, we suggest gathering a group of friends or interested acquaintances to go through the materials together.

We’re so glad you have used The Sanctuary Course or The Sanctuary Course for Catholics and hope that it was a gift for you and your community. We are actively developing more resources which will be released on this resource portal, so be sure to keep an eye out for them—if you’re subscribed to our newsletter, you’ll be the first to receive updates. 

In the meantime, you may want to consider facilitating The Sanctuary Course or The Sanctuary Course for Catholics with another small group in your community, or you can check out Faith, Grief, and COVID-19: A Conversation for a four-part guided discussion on grief and loss in the pandemic. You may also like to browse The Sanctuary Blog, The Sanctuary Podcast, and resources from our Partners and Friends. We’re so thankful that you’re keeping the conversation going! 

Sanctuary does not provide medical, counselling, or crisis services. If you are seeking recommendations for Christian counselling services, we recommend speaking with your local pastor or Christian leader and asking if they keep a referral list.

If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, a mental health emergency, or if you are concerned for the safety of someone you know, it is important to seek help immediately. Crisis phone numbers for several countries are listed below. If you are looking for local mental health services or information in another location or language, we encourage you to search online or reach out to your local parishes and health care providers.

Australia: 000 | Canada: 988 or 911 | European Union: 112 | New Zealand: 111 | United States: 988 or 911 | United Kingdom: 999

Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with us—it’s so important for us to hear from those using our resources about their experiences. You can submit feedback for a specific resource through our short surveys here or you can email us at support@sanctuarymentalhealth.org

We’re sorry to see you go. If you’d like to delete your account, please email support@sanctuarymentalhealth.org so we can ensure your account is deleted and your communication preferences are up to date.

We're delighted that you're willing to support us with a one-time or recurring gift! A donation form can be found on the Give page and is also linked at the top of the site. Donations are tax-receiptable in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Your financial support allows us to spread awareness about our resources, reach more people, and continue developing new, high-quality resources about mental health and faith for communities around the world.