Supporting Youth Mental Health: Challenges, Resilience, and Growth Conference

Breakfast will be available in the Auditorium on L2.

From Stressed to Resilient: Helping Youth Navigate Change Keynote Speaker
Deborah Gilboa, M.D., (Dr. G)

Stress has become a constant companion, especially for pandemic-recovering youth. Rather than avoiding stress, Dr. G will offer a different perspective on the neuroscience behind its impact, and how our interactions with students can strengthen their resilience and support improved mental health. She will outline ways to help others navigate stress and change, and strategies for more effective interactions, to help individuals and groups reach their goals.

*This session will offer one NYSE CE credit for social workers.

From Stressed to Resilient: Strategies That Can Work for You
Facilitators TBA

Continue the keynote discussion by spending 45 minutes in professional cohorts, exploring ideas that emerged and road-testing them through real situations from the youth in our lives. Participants will consider how they could use these strategies, which would be the most beneficial in their particular role, and how to build their own network of support for current and future problem-solving.

Lunch will be available in the Auditorium on L2.

Session 1 of 4
How Caregivers Can Respond to Self-Harm without Judgment
Jeremy Wernick, LCSW, NYU Langone

As the incidence of self-injurious behaviors among young people increases, it is important that youth leaders are prepared to identify and respond appropriately, using a non-judgmental approach. Participants will learn to identify risk factors for self-harm and respond appropriately to situations in which youth are struggling to cope effectively with the unique challenges of camp and other immersive recreational programs. We will also discuss the importance of differentiating responsibilities as staff versus the role of licensed mental health professionals.

Tags: Camp Professionals, School Professionals, Youth Professionals
 

Session 2 of 4
Cultivating Mental Wellness + Support for Mental Health Challenges in the
School Setting
Sharon Goldstein, LICSW + Paul Hyry-Dermith, Ed.D

Learn how Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, in partnership with BRYT (Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition), used the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework to help schools (including Jewish day schools) develop comprehensive systems of support integrating Social-Emotional Learning and mental health interventions at the universal, supplemental, and intensive levels to promote success for all. Participants will have the opportunity to use the MTSS framework to engage in an initial asset and gap analysis of their own schools’ infrastructure, supports, and interventions, and discuss next steps toward comprehensive systems development.

*This session will offer one NYSE CE Credit for social workers.

Tags: Mental Health Professionals, School Professionals
 

Session 3 of 4
Emerging Adulthood in a College Context
Brielle Stark-Adler, Ph.D.

Develop an understanding of the development tasks of emerging adults, exploring recent major societal shifts in this unique period of life including changes in transitional life events, religious adherence, and individualist vs. collectivist focus. Understand the major clinical pathologies prevalent in this population as well as the role of college as a niche developmental context with unique protective factors.

*This session will offer one NYSE CE Credit for social workers.

Tags: Mental Health Professionals
 

Session 4 of 4
Recognizing Red Flags for Parents
Drew Fidler, LCSW- C, director, BBYO Center for Adolescent Wellness

This training focuses on equipping parents to recognize and respond to mental health issues in their teens. The training covers typical adolescent development, mental health diagnoses in childhood and adolescence, warning signs of mental health challenges, and strategies for recognition and intervention.

Tags: Parents

Session 1 of 5
Trauma-Sensitive Yoga
Lara Land

Description: Deepen your understanding of nervous system regulation and the mind-body cooperative in this one-hour, interactive yoga workshop taught by senior yoga instructor and trauma sensitivity specialist Lara Land. Explore the connection between releasing tension in the body and increased mental ease. Discover which postures to incorporate for specific emotional endeavors. Learn techniques for incorporating simple, trauma-sensitive breath work, mindfulness, and yoga into your teachings and practices. This is an accessible program and all are welcome.

Session 2 of 5
Curiosity, Connection + Creative Arts
Jordyn Jacobs, LCAT, ATR-BC

Description: The creative arts are a useful and meaningful tool for expressing emotions and building connections with children, adolescents, and one another. Art-making can provide a non-threatening avenue of communication with young people, less direct than sometimes-challenging verbal communication.. With art, there is no right, wrong, bad or good! In this experiential session, we will explore our own creativity and discuss how therapeutic art-making can be utilized to create meaningful connections, increase self-esteem and resilience, and promote emotional well-being in adolescents and young adults. You will walk away from the session with concrete ideas for how to engage the young people with whom you work in authentic and meaningful creative expression...and hopefully feel inspired to create more art yourself!

*This session will offer one NYSE CE Credit for social workers.

Session 3 of 5
Play a New Role: Introduction to Trauma-Informed Drama Therapy
Heidi Landis, LCAT, RDT-BCT, TEP

Description: We are all born with the ability to imagine, play, explore and create. But more often than not, trauma and difficult life events keep us from moving forward. The role of creative arts therapy is to help us imagine new life possibilities again. When words are not enough, creative and dramatic  tools can help us access the often deeply hidden parts of our lives. This didactic and experiential workshop will provide participants with a greater understanding of how trauma-informed action techniques, embodiment and play used in a therapeutic setting can support the growth, development and therapeutic goals of those they work with.

*This session will offer one NYSE CE Credit for social workers.

Session 4 of 5
Studio Mitsui—Embodied Resilience in Action
Yoshi Silverstein, founder and executive director, Mitsui Collective

In this session, we'll come together "in the studio" to explore embodying resilience through a grounding in Jewish wisdom and frameworks for spiritual connection and centering. Participants will experience a range of embodied practice modalities, including movement, breathwork, and stillness, with ongoing reflection and discussion woven throughout the session. All bodies welcome.

Session 5 of 5
Jewsicals and MESH
Eliana Rubin

Jewsicals (Jewish musicals) are short, musical numbers crafted around our sacred texts. Join together as we learn about Jewsicals through the lens of mental/emotional/social health, mash-up Torah study and musical theatre, explore what makes effective storytelling, and create our own Jewsicals so that we may bring them back to our youth! No prior musical theatre experience necessary.

Snacks will be available in the Auditorium on L2.

Session 1 of 4
Gen Xers as Parents
Betsy Stone, Ph.D.

The environment we grow up in impacts the ways we parent. What are the sociological shifts that have led to these two very distinct groups of parents? How might this knowledge help us to work with them to support their children?

*This session will offer one NYSE CE Credit for social workers.

Tags: Mental Health Professionals, Professionals
 

Session 2 of 4
Recognizing Red Flags for Professionals
Drew Fidler, LCSW- C, director, BBYO Center for Adolescent Wellness

This training focuses on equipping professionals who work with youth to recognize and respond to mental health issues. The training covers typical adolescent development, mental health diagnoses in childhood and adolescence, warning signs of mental health challenges, and strategies for recognition and intervention.

*This session will offer one NYSE CE Credit for social workers.

Tags: Mental Health Professionals, Professionals
 

Session 3 of 4
Understanding the Experiences + Mental Health Needs of LGBTQ+ Teens
Rakhel Silverman, Keshet

LGBTQ+ young people today have unique challenges and needs. Join Rakhel, a trans young adult themselves, from Keshet, the LGBTQ+ Jewish organization, to learn how to best support the mental health of the LGBTQ+ youth you work with. Attendees will review the core terms and concepts related to LGBTQ+ identities, understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults, and learn core tools for affirming and supporting LGBTQ+ populations.

Tags: All
 

Session 4 of 4
Living in a World with Social Media: Benefits + Risks
Gabriela Fiszbein, LCSW, Child Mind Institute

Many parents worry about the consequences of their teen’s social media use. The session will focus on the positive and negative effects of social media on mental health and what signs to look for. Gabriela will provide strategies and tips for how to talk to your child about social media and mental health and help them engage in healthy social media use.

Tags: Parents

Learning with Youth: Resilience Strategies That Work
Deborah Gilboa, M.D.

Stress is a constant in the lives of young people—of all people, for that matter. Dr. G challenges the idea that all stress should be avoided, offering a framework to decide which types of stress are unavoidable or useful, and techniques for navigating those and abandoning the rest. She will interview a panel of teens and young adults about their own experiences and beliefs, with the goal of identifying strategies that have been worthwhile for building resilience and strengthening mental health.

Tags: All including Teens

Breakfast will be available in the Auditorium on L2.

Cultivating Selfhood + Community as Mental Wellness Supports

Facilitator: Betsy Stone, Ph.D.

Panelists: Yoshi Silverstein, founder and executive director, Mitsui Collective
Michal Smart Fox, Jewish spiritual educator
Lori Zlotoff, LCSW, REDI and camper care manager, Camp Harlam

Hear different perspectives on how a holistic range of modalities for building community, spirituality, self-expression, faith, and belonging come together to help teens thrive.

Lunch will be available in the Auditorium on L2

Session 1 of 4
Mental Health Treatment and Youth: Barriers + Strategies to Promote Engagement
Michelle Munson, Ph.D., LMSW + Aaron Rodwin, LMSW, NYU Silver School of Social Welfare

Explore barriers to engagement in therapy and the therapeutic process for teens and young adults. Learn evidence-based strategies for increasing engagement and how to implement those strategies. Session will cover modalities such as art and music as engagement tools.

*This session will offer one NYSE CE Credit for social workers.

Tags: Mental Health Professionals
 

Session 2 of 4
Vessel for Professionals: A Practical Wellness Model for Helping Professionals + Those They Serve
Daniel Epstein, LPC

This interactive session addresses several wellness domains, including social, environmental, physical, and emotional wellness, and provides professionals with a framework to explore and reinforce their own best practices for personal and professional satisfaction. The model is also easily adapted to use with youth as counseling clients, students, and in other capacities.

*This session will offer one NYSE CE Credit for social workers.

Tags: Mental Health Professionals, Professionals
 

Session 3 of 4
When to Worry about a Teen's Worries 
Regine Galanti, Ph.D.

Anxiety is a normal part of teenage life, and it’s also one of the most prevalent mental health concerns, impacting one in every three children at some point in their development. In this workshop, we will discuss the difference between normal, healthy worry and anxiety that is more problematic. We will identify signs and symptoms of anxiety, and the principles that underlie successful strategies of anxiety management for teens. Finally, we will discuss practical strategies and next steps that you can take to help a teen struggling with anxiety cope. 

*This session will offer one NYSE CE Credit for social workers.

Tags: Mental Health Professionals
 

Session 4 of 4
Setting the Stage for Healthy Relationships
Drew Fidler, LCSW
Drew Fidler, LCSW- C, director, BBYO Center for Adolescent Wellness

Adolescence is a challenging time—from changing brains and bodies, to new and varied interests, to social lives. Teens are constantly managing changing peer-to-peer relationships and conflict. During this session we will explore how adults and organizations serving youth can help teens manage peer relationships—romantic and platonic—build healthy boundaries with peers, and foster healthy, safe spaces.

Tags: Tags: Youth Professionals, Camp Professionals

Dessert will be served. Location TBA.

Registrants are invited to participate in either of these special Shabbat programs being held the evening of Fri, March 10.

Find More Connection + Joy in Your Daily Life with Jewish Mindfulness (20s + 30s)*
Fri, Mar 10, 7 pm
Discover the power of Jewish mindfulness and meditation. Yael Shy will guide you through Jewish mindfulness practices that will help reduce anxiety, befriend your inner critic, and deepen your connections. Register here.