Why we exist

One of the initial questions people ask when they hear about something for the first time is, “Why?” In this case, to be more specific, “Why is The Lyndon Foundation important, needed, or worth my time to consider?”

The Need

The answer is simple, whether we like to admit it or not, each of us experiences a time or times in our lives when a counselor is wanted or needed to offer us a fresh perspective, a reframing of the past, an objective viewpoint, or the encouragement to move in a new direction.

You do not have to look very far to find clear and convincing evidence that people need help, assistance and care regarding their mental, emotional and spiritual health.

According to a Washington Post article, anxiety symptoms in adults increased from 8 percent in 2019 to 29 percent in 2022 and depressive symptoms increased from 7 percent to 23 percent.

Fortunately, we live in a time where this fundamental truth about the human experience is not only understood, it is now well-accepted that treatment for these important issues is needed to help people attain and enjoy a better life experience. One simply needs to do an internet search to find a plethora of psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, counselors, coaches, centers, clinics and medications devoted to such treatment.

It is important to note that none of the above takes into account the thousands of churches, pastors and priests who find themselves committed to hours of counseling each week.

Unfortunately, we believe that many of the individuals and resources committed to mental, emotional and spiritual health and improvement are well-intentioned, but, overall, are ineffective or insufficient.

On one hand, most of these professionals rely on a secular model for treatment that either denies or ignores the existence of our Creator, God. In so doing, they completely miss the mark of true healing which, by design, requires a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that can only come by repentance for our sin and submission to Christ as our Lord and Savior. In this, our communion with God is restored and we will find true healing.

On the other hand, there are indeed Christian counselors and pastors who are dedicated to exposing people to the Biblical truth about their sin, their need for Jesus Christ in their lives, and to seeing people’s mental, emotional and spiritual needs healed through this process alone. While this model of treatment can be effective in some cases, in others it can miss or ignore the signs of true scientifically based mental or emotional needs such as clinical depression, a well-accepted medical illness.

For this reason, The Lyndon Foundation is committed to growing and expanding a Biblical counseling model that is both Christian and clinical, exposing individuals to their need for Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and, at the same time, diagnosing, as necessary, mental and emotional needs for more professional care such as severe depression, anxiety, dependency, etc.

The Biblical Basis

There is also a very strong Biblical basis for providing and seeking wise counsel, especially in the book of Proverbs:

• Proverbs 1:5 … Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtains guidance

• Proverbs 3:5 … Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding

• Proverbs 11:14 … Where there is no guidance, people fall, in an abundance of counselors there is safety

• Proverbs 12:15 … The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice

• Proverbs 12:18 … Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing

• Proverbs 13:10 … By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom

• Proverbs 15:22 … Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed

• Proverbs 18:15 … An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge

• Proverbs 19:20 … Listen to advice, accept discipline, and at the end, you will be counted among the wise

• Proverbs 20:5 … The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, a man of understanding will draw it out

• Proverbs 27:9 … The sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel

• Proverbs 27:17 … Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another

The New Testament also contains numerous examples where we are reminded of the importance of encouraging, counseling, instructing and supporting others:

• Acts 20:31 … for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish (counsel) everyone with tears

• Romans 15:14 … filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another

• 1 Corinthians 4:14 … I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish (counsel) you

• 1 Corinthians 10:11 … Now these things … were written down for our instruction

• Galatians 6:2 … Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ

• Colossians 1:28 … Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom

• Colossians 3:16 … teaching and admonishing (counseling) one another in all wisdom

• 1 Thessalonians 5:14 … admonish (counsel) the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak

  
  

The Void

The American Psychiatric Association has stated that mental health issues are, “ … a medical condition, just like heart disease or diabetes. And mental health conditions are treatable.” In addition, the APA has explained, “Mental health is the foundation for emotions, thinking, communication, learning, resilience, hope and self-esteem. Mental health is also key to relationships, personal and emotional well-being and contributing to community or society. Mental health is a component of overall well-being. It can influence and be influenced by physical health.”

The United States Congress established May as Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans' lives and to celebrate recovery from mental illness after recognizing the number of veterans suffering from mental health issues after WWII.

In a September 2022 article on News and Research the Harvard Medical School stated, “Depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses are among the leading causes of death and ill health around the world, contributing both to human suffering and to lost opportunities for economic development and prosperity, according to numerous studies. And, in recent years, researchers have tracked a disturbing increase in mental health disorders.”

In April 2023, Forbes Health published these statistics, reflecting the need for the type of counseling services The Lyndon Foundation is designed to support:

• In 2020, 21% of US adults experienced a mental health condition, 32.1% experienced a mental health condition along with substance abuse

• As of 2020, suicide is the second leading cause of death for US children ages 10 to 14, preceded only by unintentional injury

• While the percentage of U.S. adults receiving mental health treatment increased from 19.2% in 2019 to 21.6% in 2021, 42% of U.S. adults with a diagnosable condition reported in 2022 that they could not afford to access the treatment they needed

• 93.5% of adults with a substance abuse disorder did not receive treatment in 2022

• 10% of youth covered by private insurance did not have access to mental health services in 2022

• Underscoring a shortage of mental health professionals, a recent report cited only one provider was available for every 350 individuals in need of services

Based on the current US population of approximately 332M these statistics tell us:

There are over 106M people in the US who have recently experienced a mental health issue along with substance abuse and of those over 44M people were unable to afford any kind of treatment.

For every one of those 106M there was only one provider to help 350 of them, compare that to the fact that there one lawyer for 250 of them.

Based on the Kansas City Metro population of approximately 2.4M the above statistics tell us:

There are just over 770,000 people in the Kansas City Metro area who have recently experienced a mental health issue and of those over 323,000 were unable to afford any kind of treatment; and even if all 770,000 plus could have, there is still approximately one provider per 350 in need.

These numbers tell us, unfortunately, that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people unable to afford professional counseling that recognizes the need for a Biblical foundation and framework along with the importance of clinical treatment that fits within that framework.

What We Do:

The Lyndon Foundation was created to do three things:

Support Christian counselors financially and professionally in the KC Metro area

Assist students obtaining a Masters degree in Christian counseling in the KC Metro area

Equip lay people with a heart for ministry in Christian support, helping, and mentoring in the KC Metro area