Kay Warren

The Psychiatry Section of CMDA is honored to have Ms. Kay Warren, co-founder of Saddleback Church with her husband Rick, as our banquet speaker on Tuesday evening, May 23rd, during APA 2017 in San Diego, California.

Kay is an international speaker, best-selling author, and Bible teacher who has a passion for inspiring and motivating others to make a difference with their lives.

She has experienced dark times as she has had two bouts of cancer, watched life-threatening illnesses attack her children and grandchildren, and has lived with mild depression most of her life. She is best known for more than 10 years as a tireless advocate for those living with mental illness, HIV and AIDS, and the orphaned and vulnerable children left behind. As an advocate, she has traveled to 19 countries, calling the faith community as well as the public and private sectors to respond with prevention, care, treatment and support.

When her youngest son, Matthew, took his life in April 2013, her life was dramatically altered by the catastrophic loss. As she and her family continue to grieve the loss of Matthew, she has determined to be a voice for those living with mental illness. Her message to the faith community is to eliminate stigma, shame, and fear and to create warm and accepting places of refuge for those who suffer.

She and Rick and Saddleback Church are key sponsors of the Hope for Mental Health movement which is bringing much needed focus to the need that the church must step up and be ready to minister to those with mental illnesses. Studies show that when people are struggling with mental illnesses, the first place they call is the church. In many cases, the church is not ready to reach out and embrace those asking for help. We as Christian psychiatrists can help fill this void in our churches as we partner and invest in the congregations where we attend and serve.

The Psychiatry Section of CMDA is excited to hear what Kay has to say to us with respect to her opinion of the role Christian psychiatry can play in the lives of those with mental illnesses. We are confident that her message will challenge us and encourage us to more fully engage wherever we are.

Kay is author of several books including Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough (Revell, 2012). The book was adapted from a Bible study she first taught at Saddleback Church in July 2011 that more than 5,000 women attended during the four-week sessions. In the book, Kay describes how painful experiences – two bouts of cancer, watching as life-threatening illnesses attacked her children and grandchildren, and living with mild depression most of her life – have shaped her conviction that joy is a choice and within the reach of every person, no matter how desperate or dark circumstances may be.

She is also author of Dangerous Surrender, which was originally released in 2007 and revised, expanded, and published as Say Yes to God (Zondervan, 2010), and coauthor of Foundations: 11 Core Truths to Build Your Life On with Pastor Tom Holladay (Zondervan, 2004).

Additionally, Kay has written for Christianity Today, Purpose Driven Life, CNN.com, and The Washington Post; and has been featured in Newsweek, Reader’s Digest, Guideposts, Sojourners, POZ, and Today’s Christian Woman magazines, among others.

Kay attended California Baptist College and earned her B.A. from California State University, Los Angeles. Her children are Amy and Josh, and Matthew who is in Heaven, and she has five grandchildren: Kaylie, Cassidy, Caleb, Cole, and Claire.

VIDEO Here