Although I’m new to St Luke’s, I’ve spent my career working across mental health services. I have many years’ experience in clinical/operational leadership and management in organisations such as Victim Support, Anchor Counselling, YMCA etc. Combined with my experience as a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor in private practice, and my BSc from All Nations Christian College, St Luke’s felt like the perfect fit.
Ministry is a privilege, but it can also be demanding in ways that are not always visible. Clergy often find themselves supporting people through bereavement, trauma, relationship breakdown, safeguarding concerns and crisis, while carrying the expectations that come with leadership, public ministry and their own personal lives. For many, the boundaries between work and home are understandably blurred, which can have a significant impact on identity.
Over the coming months, St Luke’s will be evolving how we support access to restorative care. Our vision remains unchanged, to see flourishing clergy, healthy churches, and transformed communities. Our mission is to serve the Church as an independent, evidence-based, wellbeing advocate, building communities of practice while caring for those broken in ministry. However, we are increasingly focusing on those whose needs are more clinically complex, whose circumstances make it harder to access the right support, or whose presentations require specialist assessment and intervention.
My role is to help ensure that the care we fund is consistently safe, effective, and evidence based.
That means looking beyond individual grants to understand the quality of the services we commission, identifying opportunities for learning, and helping shape how St Luke’s develops in response to changing needs. It also means thinking carefully about how we evaluate the impact of our work so that we continue to provide support that makes a difference.
The Church has rightly been giving increasing attention to clergy wellbeing in recent years. Longitudinal research into clergy flourishing has highlighted that wellbeing is shaped by many interconnected factors, including mental health, relationships, vocation, spirituality, and practical pressures. At the same time, St Luke’s own review of counselling provision across dioceses has shown that support is available in many places, but that accessibility, independence and consistency vary considerably across the country. These findings remind us that there is no single solution. Supporting clergy well requires collaboration, flexibility and a willingness to learn from one another.
I know many dioceses already provide excellent counselling and wellbeing services, and I want to be clear that my role is not to duplicate that work. Instead, I hope to work alongside diocesan colleagues, learning from the expertise that already exists and sharing insights where they may be helpful. St Luke’s can offer independent, specialist psychological support, particularly where needs are more complex or where additional expertise may be beneficial.
As we continue to develop our service, I hope we can build stronger connections across the Church, not simply through referrals but through shared learning, thoughtful conversation and a common commitment to high-quality care. The challenges facing clergy continue to evolve and so must the way we respond to them.
During these first few months, my priority is listening. I’m taking time to understand the experiences of colleagues within St Luke’s, to learn from our diocesan partners and to explore how our services can continue to meet the changing needs of clergy and their families.
I’m looking forward to serving alongside you. I hope this role will help strengthen the excellent work already taking place across the Church and contribute to ensuring that clergy and their families can access compassionate, high-quality psychological support whenever they need it.
– Sarah Kaye, Clinical Quality Learning Lead