HHS Advancing the Conversation on Mental Health and Wellness

Congregation Har HaShem is pleased to have hosted friends from the Boulder JCC, Jewish Family Service of Colorado – Boulder Office, and Mental Health Partners for a Mental Health First Aid Training. The staffs of the participating institutions spent the entire day on March 16 learning valuable skills to help assess situations and offer assistance. Topics of discussion included depression, anxiety, psychosis, and substance abuse.

We are grateful to Mental Health First Aid – Colorado for helping us attain a grant to bring this opportunity to our community. Let’s all grow more aware of recognizing mental health challenges among friends and loved ones and breaking down the reluctance to address them.

“This was a very important program and I am proud that our congregation is advancing the conversation on mental health and wellness within the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Fred Greene.

Toward that end, Congregation Har HaShem will be hosting “Countering Stigma: A Panel Discussion on Depression in the Jewish Community” on Thursday, April 7 at 7:00 pm. The panel will feature Deborah Greene, the family member of a person who lived with depression, Jed Shapiro, Ph.D, a psychiatrist and board member of Interfaith Network on Mental Illness, Rabbi Fred Greene, who will share wisdom and insights from Jewish tradition, and two people living with depression. Panelists will share wisdom, stories, and hope. Resources will be available for attendees to take home.

Additionally, a monthly, drop-in, spiritual support group titled Refuat HaNefesh begins on Monday, March 28th from 6:30-8:30 pm, and will continue to take place on the fourth Monday of every month at Congregation Har HaShem. The group is for family members and friends of people suffering from mental health challenges, and is co-facilitated by Rabbi Deborah Bronstein and Dr. Susan Ollar, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist.

Additional information on both programs can be found here.