MENTAL HEALTH OVERVIEW
Mental Illness is the disability that crosses all age groups, cultures and economic backgrounds; 1 in 4 will experience it in their lifetime. It is the illness that isolates because of fear and shame, even among family members. The stigma of mental illness manifests itself even in our Jewish communal life, where often it is seen as a weakness, not an illness, causing victims and their families to hide this disability from the community and delay or deny medical treatment.
In 2012, Temple Isaiah, Lafayette, and Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills, partnered on a URJ grant to develop and distribute communication tools for Congregations to help them address the challenges of mental illness in our communities.
These guides were developed with clergy support from their own congregations and the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center. These guides also incorporated the comments and stories of individuals from their synagogues and from other support groups in the SF Bay area.
These unique materials were presented at the December 2013 URJ Biennial meeting along with a workshop highlighting Temple Isaiah’s and Beth Am’s congregational work to reduce the stigma of mental illness. Eight additional congregations across the URJ landscape participated in the workshop at the biennial in San Diego last November and have provided some limited feedback based on their use of the materials thus far.
The goal of this project was to open the eyes and ears of all sisterhood members and their congregations to the silent suffering that exists. Beth Am Women and Women of Isaiah are working to reduce the stigma of mental illness so that affected people will speak up and speak out, and get the help and support they need. The Guide and Brochure are the first steps toward this goal which can be accomplished one congregation at a time.
These materials are available below for download and use by all interested sisterhoods and congregations.
For more information on this award winning program, contact Jane Marcus at jane.e.marcus@gmail.com or Diana MaKieve at dimakieve@gmail.com.
Downloadable Brochure
Useful References
Mental Illness Support Group Guide
In 2012, Temple Isaiah, Lafayette, and Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills, partnered on a URJ grant to develop and distribute communication tools for Congregations to help them address the challenges of mental illness in our communities.
- Communicating One on Many: A facilitator guide to be used by congregations to help them design and launch support groups for individuals or family members of the mentally ill.
- Communicating One on One: A training guide/brochure for visiting/communicating with those who cope with mental illness.
These guides were developed with clergy support from their own congregations and the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center. These guides also incorporated the comments and stories of individuals from their synagogues and from other support groups in the SF Bay area.
These unique materials were presented at the December 2013 URJ Biennial meeting along with a workshop highlighting Temple Isaiah’s and Beth Am’s congregational work to reduce the stigma of mental illness. Eight additional congregations across the URJ landscape participated in the workshop at the biennial in San Diego last November and have provided some limited feedback based on their use of the materials thus far.
The goal of this project was to open the eyes and ears of all sisterhood members and their congregations to the silent suffering that exists. Beth Am Women and Women of Isaiah are working to reduce the stigma of mental illness so that affected people will speak up and speak out, and get the help and support they need. The Guide and Brochure are the first steps toward this goal which can be accomplished one congregation at a time.
These materials are available below for download and use by all interested sisterhoods and congregations.
For more information on this award winning program, contact Jane Marcus at jane.e.marcus@gmail.com or Diana MaKieve at dimakieve@gmail.com.
Downloadable Brochure
Useful References
Mental Illness Support Group Guide
