We applaud UIC Associate Professor Kristin Berg and the Behavioral Health Stratified Treatment (BEST project) for seeking to better understand the needs of young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We at JCFS Chicago share the project’s goals of early identification and treatment of mental health challenges to improve health and vocational trajectories across the life.

This is still hard. And we wish it weren’t. We wish we were wistful about 2021 coming to an end. 
We wish the pandemic was definitively coming to an end. And so, as we look ahead to 2022, let’s begin to imagine how we will recover from this crisis.

When describing how JVS Career Services can help, JVS Career Services Director, Jeff Blumenfeld explains, “Ari came to us confused about his career path. After a number of one-on-one career counseling sessions, he was able to move forward and land a good job.”

The ongoing stress, fear, grief, isolation and uncertainty created by the pandemic can wear anyone down, but many teens have had an especially tough time coping emotionally. In a recent WebMD poll, researchers found that 46% of 977 parents of teens said their child has shown signs of a new or worsening mental health condition since the start of the pandemic.

The long-awaited vaccine is accessible to more and more people, yet many feel ambivalent. The sense of apprehension and even dread at the thought of life returning to “normal” is called “re-entry anxiety."  

We are living in unprecedented and uncertain times. While we can change little of the world around us, we can build up our resilience, our ability to adapt and cope with our situation. 

What is compassion meditation, and how can it be so impactful so quickly? In this form of meditation, one offers simple phrases of good will to oneself and to others. Even short periods of compassion meditation has been found to reduce stress and increase positive emotions.

by Nina Henry, JCFS Chicago Addiction Specialist

With much of the world shut down, loneliness has become a familiar facet of everyday life, especially for older Americans living alone, in nursing homes, or retirement communities.

It is estimated that about 1 in 4 Americans have a mental health condition but despite its prevalence, misunderstanding and stigma surround mental illness. 

JCFS Chicago, No Shame On U, and MISSD (Medication-Induced Suicide Prevention and Education Foundation) have received a JUF Breakthrough Fund grant to launch a critical initiative: Suicide Prevention and Support in the Chicago Jewish Community. The overall goal of this initiative is to initiate dialogue that enhances understanding of suicide, reduces the stigma surrounding it, and ensures appropriate and compassionate responses.