RECORDING ACCESS - Mental Health Institute Spotlight Session: The Mental Load
Description
About this event
The Mental Load refers to the invisible mental and emotional effort or burden that is required to manage life, particularly running a household. It’s the mental work of planning, list making, anticipating needs, remembering, organising and decision making—not just for oneself but also for others such as our children, partner, housemates, and other family members. It’s the moment you're lying in bed at 11pm mentally running through tomorrow's lunchboxes, the dentist appointment you haven't booked, and whether anyone bought a gift for that birthday party on Saturday.
While the mental load is not a mental health challenge, it is a challenge to healthy relationships. And as with any aspect of life, we believe God’s Word has wisdom to offer.
Join us for dinner with Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, Lauren Errington (men and women welcome), followed by keynote speaker Justine Toh and conversation and theological reflection hosted by Louisa Raggatt with Dr Laurel Moffatt and Rev. Natalie Ray. Across the evening, we’ll explore what the Mental Load is, why it matters, how it affects our relationships, and how Christians can navigate it with wisdom, grace, and courage.
Speaker: Dr Justine Toh
Justine Toh makes sense of the entanglements of people, culture, and belief in articles published in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, ABC Religion & Ethics, The Canberra Times, and Eureka St. A Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity, Justine is the author of the mini-book Achievement Addiction, an occasional guest-host on programs on ABC's Radio National.
Questions?
Contact us at hello@deaconessministries.org.au with any questions. We're looking forward to seeing you in May!
Speakers
Lauren Errington, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Clinical Family Therapist and Accredited Supervisor
Lauren Errington has 15 years of experience working in tertiary level mental health services and private practice contexts in Australia and Scotland. Lauren currently offers counselling through the Family Systems Practice, where she continues to work with a wide range of mental health presentations including social anxiety. Lauren has been the Executive Director at the Family Systems Institute since 2021 and is a trainer and writer on Bowen Family Systems Theory and its application to clinical practice. Over dinner, Lauren will help us reflect on the emotional landscape of the Mental Load—how big conversations affect us, what rises to the surface, and how we can pay attention to what’s happening within us.
Louisa Raggatt, Director of Marketing, Communications & Engagement
Louisa an experienced digital content creator who has spent more than 15 years growing and shaping communities in various professional, voluntary and church ministry contexts. She is married to Mark and together they juggle three kids and one highly anxious dog. Louisa will host a conversation with Dr Laurel Moffatt and Rev. Natalie Ray unpacking the complexities of the Mental Load, their lived experience of it as married and single women, and how our faith makes a difference in this area.
Dr Laurel Moffatt, Principal of Mary Andrews College
A lecturer, teacher, writer and researcher, Dr Laurel Moffatt has spent the last decade combining her research and writing skills with her love of Jesus and the Bible. With a background in tertiary education and more recent experience as the Diocesan Researcher for the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, she brings strengths of not just qualifications and experience, but curiosity and grace to lead Mary Andrews College as Principal.
Rev. Natalie Ray, Assistant Minister at Toongabbie Anglican Church
Natalie is an Assistant Minister at Toongabbie Anglican Church where she oversees the Maturity and Magnification Portfolios. Natalie has been in pastoral ministry for over 20 years, both in Australia and Canada. She has joined the faculty of Mary Andrews College in 2026, lecturing in Biblical Studies.
Agenda
- 6:00 pm
Dinner & Guided Conversation (6:00-7:00pm AEST, in-person only)
Over dinner, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Clinical Family Therapist Lauren Errington will help us reflect on the emotional landscape of the Mental Load—how big conversations affect us, what rises to the surface, and how we can pay attention to what’s happening within us. You’ll have time at your tables to share, listen, and connect with others. We encourage men and women to join us.
- 7:00 pm
Evening Session (7:00-8:30pm AEST, in-person, online, recorded)
The rest of our evening will be available in-person or online. We understand full schedules, so we encourage you to buy a ‘recording’ ticket if you are unable to attend the live event, and you can watch it at a time that works for you. The program includes: • A 40‑minute keynote from Justine Toh, exploring the Mental Load through the sociological, historical, and cultural aspects—including implications for how we want to live. • A panel conversation hosted by Louisa Raggatt, with Dr Laurel Moffatt and Rev. Natalie Ray, unpacking the complexities of the Mental Load, their lived experience of it as married and single women, and how our faith makes a difference in this area. • Q&A, offering space for honest questions and shared wisdom.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
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