Every Friday morning since we began working from home, before starting our work day, JFS staff have gathered for zoom ‘huddles.’ This isn’t a time and space for any work agenda but, rather, to check in, celebrate, and share with each other.
This morning, January 22, 2021, a longstanding member of the JFS team, and the familiar, kind face so many colleagues, clients, and community members were used to seeing upon entering our Wilmington office before the pandemic, shared a poem celebrating our strength, progress, and teamwork during this difficult time.
Marsha Atkison, M.Ed., Wilmington Receptionist
I have been with JFS for 23 years in several different capacities including part- and full-time positions. For the past 10 years I have proudly worked the reception desk which is my passion and niche.
JFS is a place of CARING. Our hearts and souls are wrapped around those we desire to help. As a staff, we are a compassionate team of “people-people”. I think of my JFS colleagues as a FAMILY.
I penned the following while reflecting on this past year, especially related to the ways JFS has responded to the COVID crisis:
References made in the poem:
More than 100,000 people in Delaware have filed for unemployment since COVID-19 became a public health crisis. In response to the significantly increased need for holistic support services, Jewish Family Services of Delaware recently launched the Employment Support Network, an innovative, trauma-informed approach to support Delawareans struggling with the complex challenges of sudden unemployment.
With a long-standing reputation for meeting the changing needs of our community, JFS quickly recognized the need to respond vigorously and innovatively to the pandemic as many of our clients, friends, neighbors, and colleagues are experiencing increased anxiety and mental health challenges while navigating employment changes, food and housing insecurity, and social and economic hardships.
As a social service agency providing mental health support in various forms, it is difficult for JFS to ignore how unemployment leads not only to a lack of resources, but also to psychological trauma; those who find themselves suddenly unemployed often suffer a deep loss of identity and self-esteem and interpret such an event as an irreversible failure. These threats to emotional stability can lead to increased depression, anxiety, and substance abuse; this, paired with the challenges of unemployment, fracture the social fabric on which many rely, isolating individuals from their peers, support systems, and financial resources. Data from Delaware’s public health officials indicates this spiral is occurring.
After sudden job loss, individuals are directed to collect employment assistance from the Department of Labor. However, the current unemployment system fails to address the concurrent loss of insurance and elevated trauma of those filing for unemployment; professional emotional support is not prioritized.
Additionally, our mental health system lacks the coordination and capacity to address trauma and stress caused by unemployment at this scale.
The importance of taking a more comprehensive approach to unemployment caused by the pandemic is further magnified by the fact that this has already proven to be more than a temporary challenge. Many of the jobs lost during the initial waves of COVID-19 will likely not return and, as such, families will need additional support systems to help them navigate uncertain terrain; they need help building the strategy, network, and confidence required to weather these tumultuous times and regain their footing.
Through a collaborative partnership with Social Contract, Delaware 211, the United Way of Delaware, Stand By Me, and the State Office of Volunteerism, Jewish Family Services of Delaware now has a program to address such challenges for these individuals highly impacted by the pandemic.
The Employment Support Network assists Delawareans who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 through one-on-one emotional wellness support, job search and financial coaching, mental health resources and referrals, and help navigating social services.
“Due to the sheer magnitude of the current crisis, the unemployment system is not equipped to address the holistic needs of individuals and their families, especially during this unique crisis,” said Latasha Coley, Program Manager of the Employment Support Network. “The isolation and despair from unemployment can derail families and disconnect them from the community… we need a system that specifically links mental health providers to those recently unemployed and works to rebuild community connectedness.”
The Employment Support Network connects unemployed individuals to an interdisciplinary team of trained staff and volunteers dedicated to helping each client meet their personal and professional goals. Through personalized coaching, strategic goal-setting, weekly communication, and emotional support, the team helps each program participant build their network and social capital, increase confidence and access to resources, and take the necessary steps towards regaining employment and overall stability.
“We understand the impact sudden unemployment can have on someone’s financial stability and emotional well-being and JFS is committed to helping those individuals and families,” said Basha Silverman, Chief Executive Officer of JFS. “We are proud to launch the Employment Support Network to help our community overcome such unprecedented challenges caused by COVID, and thrilled to do so through an innovative, volunteer-driven program which prioritizes holistic healing and progress.”
In addition to the collaborative effort made to develop and launch the program, the Employment Support Network has received significant support from community funders to make this relief program possible and help Delawarean’s re-enter the workforce with confidence.
“Jewish Family Services of Delaware continues to deliver outstanding programs to our community and the Employment Support Network has been introduced at a critical time,” said Nick Moriello, President of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware, one of the program’s major funders. “We look forward to partnering with JFS in getting our fellow Delawareans back to work.”
Mental health and emotional well-being are just as important as physical wellness; few know this better than the therapists who lend themselves every day to helping others face their challenges—the clinical team at Jewish Family Services is dedicated to helping those we serve heal, grow, and succeed. Meet some JFS therapists and learn more about what inspires them to do this work.
JFS: Why do you think therapy is important?
PC: Human connection can have such a significant impact on healing and the experience of feeling heard, respected, and appreciated can be one of the biggest contributors—this is what therapy can provide.
JFS: Tell us about a unique therapeutic approach you use. Why do you like it?
PC: I love to incorporate the arts, particularly music, into my therapeutic process with patients; sometimes, people do not want to talk during sessions, and that’s okay because music can be a powerful way for people to communicate without saying a word—to include music can make the therapeutic process more helpful and meaningful for the person. I also love the interactive, collaborative nature of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), which equips parents of young children with tools to help them successfully manage challenging behaviors and relationship issues.
JFS: If you hadn’t become a therapist, what other dream job might you have pursued?
PC: Professional dancer, music producer, or physician.
JFS: Can you bust any therapy myths?
PC: Many people believe therapy is just for “crazy” people, but people from all walks of life—with a variety of experiences and backgrounds—come to therapy. It is a great feeling to witness a person’s relief after a therapy session, especially when that person was visibly nervous and unsure about seeking therapy at all.
JFS: What inspired you to become a therapist?
JJ: When I was younger, my family was going through a lot of problems and my mother decided to put me in therapy to sort out what I was not willing to discuss with her or my father. When that was successful and helpful for me, I realized I wanted to give back to other children through my career.
JFS: What about your work do you find the most rewarding?
JJ: The most rewarding moments in my work are when a client has a break through on something they were having a difficult time with. It’s also great when a client gets excited to share about their progress and how they are using the techniques you taught them.
JFS: Tell us about a unique therapeutic approach you use. Why do you like it?
JJ: My favorite approach that I like to use for clients is play therapy because it enables the client to have fun, let loose, and be creative while expressing themselves in a safe space—it can be fun for me too and I get a lot of great insight through these sessions!
JFS: Can you bust any therapy myths?
JJ: Therapists are not mind readers!
JFS: What inspired you to become a therapist?
NL: I decided to become a therapist when I was about ten years old—my uncle was a social worker and would talk to me about the type of things he did. He was probably the single greatest influence on my career goals and my approach to working with people.
JFS: What about your work do you find the most rewarding?
NL: This may be the obvious answer… but helping people heal and grow is definitely the most rewarding!
JFS: Do you have a favorite motivational quote to share with the readers?
NL: “There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue these.” – Michael Nolan.
Start your therapy journey with JFS today!
Contact us at 302-478-9411 ext. 306 or complete our online intake form to get started.
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Time and life are unpredictable and 2020 has certainly shown us that anything is possible. Over seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, communities across the country and around the world are coping with stressors like many have never experienced before. Amidst this health crisis, unemployment is at an all time high, economies are suffering, education systems are scrambling, and families are living in tension while quarantined in their homes; uncertainty, anxiety, isolation, and depression are rising and, with additional stressors from a tumultuous election season and ongoing social unrest, it’s no wonder people are struggling to carry on with any sense of hope.
JFS Delaware is committed to making our robust services and resources accessible to everyone and quickly jumped into action with the Siegel JCC to provide a collaborative response to our community’s cry for help and connection.
On October 27-29, with support from Jewish Federation of Delaware and other community partners, JFS and the JCC hosted our 4th Wellness Summit virtually, to continue the community conversation on mental health through informative presentations, interactive Q&A sessions, and wellness activities.
The award-winning, collaborative program was created in 2018, in memory of JCC staff member, Sarah Segerstrom, who died by suicide at the age of 16. Thoughtful community partnerships with local health and wellness organizations helped our team create our vision and goals of opening up honest lines of communication around mental health and reducing the stigma around mental illness.
“When we lost Sarah, our friends at JFS showed up for us,” recalled Siegel JCC Brand Director, Anna Saul. “The Wellness Summit is the joint work of transforming tragedy into something meaningful. It is wonderful collaborating with an organization whose mission, like ours, is focused on strengthening community.”
Over the last three years, the Wellness Summit has continued to evolve and has provided a forum for sharing grief, learning about the impact of mental health, and finding ways for individuals, families, and the entire community to cope with challenges and heal.
Past Wellness Summit participants have shared their feedback and agree, “there is clearly a need to have actual conversations about mental health,” and, in the face of such unique adversities, there was no doubt another Summit could help the community connect and cope.
This Virtual Wellness Summit, focusing on resilience during challenging times, covered important mental health topics such as anxiety & coping with uncertainty, navigating change, stress & self-care, suicide prevention, isolation & loneliness, and more. Sessions and conversations were led by community professionals including licensed therapists and psychiatrists, public health professionals, and community educators and advocates; our team was joined by local partners and presenters from NAMI Delaware, the Mental Health Association in Delaware, Nemours, Christiana Care, Minding Your Mind, Albert Einstein Academy, and other nonprofit organizations and clinical practices.
“We are motivated—personally and professionally—to share the experts we call our friends and colleagues with the community at large,” shared JFS’ CEO, Basha Silverman. “This year’s summit was uniquely special—the virtual offering made the topics and interactions accessible for so many people who may not have had the ability or courage to walk into the auditorium and raise their hand if it was live, in person.”
The Wellness Summit’s virtual design made it possible for people throughout the state of Delaware, across the U.S., and even from other countries to gain hopeful insights and helpful resources which may otherwise not have reached them. Over 230 unique participants tuned in to hear the wisdom and wellness we had to share over 14 sessions; our thoughtfully planned conversations and carefully curated resources reached a curious and grateful audience and, due to our virtual platform and presence, remain online for more to hear, share, and explore.
“I needed this event, these speakers, and the information they delivered,” shared an enthusiastic attendee. “It felt accessible, appropriately anonymous for those who wanted that, and had resources available at the click of a button!”
Our resolve in 2020 to strengthen our community, provide resources, and help people thrive is stronger than ever. Our community and those we serve need and want to talk about mental health—how to help family members, friends, and themselves.
Inspired by the event’s success, a passionate Wellness Summit committee member reminds us all, “We need to keep talking about it to make inroads to ending the stigma and to give people—teens, parents, adults, educators, and all community members—the mental health care and support they need, want, and deserve.”
Call the Delaware Hope Line at 1-833-9-HOPEDE or text DEHOPE to 55753
Get started on your mental health journey with JFS. Therapeutic counseling and psychiatric services are available through secure telehealth options. Call 302-478-9411 or get started with our online intake form.
Thank you to the Hockessin Bookshelf for helping us curate some recommended mental health reading lists through bookshop.org!
Adult Mental Health Books>>>
Personal Growth & Self-Help Books>>>
Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support independent bookstores and give back to the community. The Bookshop site, which launched in February, was created to help independent bookstores better compete for online sales and has successfully raised over 7 million dollars to support over 400 indie bookstores across the country.
When shopping this online bookstore, please make sure you see the Hockessin BookShelf* logo at the top left corner of your screen, so that your sales will be rung out through their affiliate page and directly support their local business. You can search for and purchase books that are not listed among our recommendations, just be sure you see the Hockessin BookShelf logo at the top prior to purchasing.
Learn more about the Hockessin Bookshelf at hockessinbookshelf.org
View all the Hockessin Bookshelf’s reading lists at bookshop.org/shop/hockessinbookshelf
*The Hockessin BookShelf is an affiliate of Bookshop and are not the ones fulfilling or shipping your orders! Please contact Bookshop.org directly for problems with your order.
On Wednesday, November 4, 2020 JFS’ Chief Strategy Officer, Rosi Crosby, and Board Member, Avie Silver spoke with Lora Lewis of WJBR’s Focus On The Delaware Valley podcast. Together they discussed, JFS’ history in Delaware, response to the COVID-19 crisis, volunteer opportunities, and more.
Listen to the podcast or read the transcription below!
Lora Lewis: And welcome to Focus on the Delaware Valley, I’m Lora Lewis and with me today from Jewish Family Services we have Rosi Crosby, she is the Chief Strategy Officer! Hard to say in the morning, and Avie Silver she is a board member—ladies, welcome!
Rosi Crosby: Thank you for having us.
Lora: Rosi we’ll start with you, very quickly, can you give us that mission statement? What is Jewish Family Services?
Rosi: Sure. JFS Delaware’s mission is to strengthen individuals and families through counseling and support services.
Lora: Oh, that’s easy! And, let’s now then roll it back about a hundred and two years, this is a, this was a faith-based organization dedicated to its own community and a community of immigrants—can we start off with a discussion about how you were founded and how that history has shaped you into what you are today?
Rosi: Absolutely. I’ll take the first part of that, which is the history of the organization, but I’m gonna let Avie take the next section, which is how our Jewish values shape what we do today. So, go back about a hundred and twenty plus years now, believe it or not, and there were immigrants coming from all over the world, and settling into various communities. And at that time, there weren’t government services that were available to help them with housing and employment and shelter and food. And so what groups of volunteers essentially did is come together and create organizations. At first, they were very, a hundred percent driven by volunteer support, you know, neighbors helping neighbors. And that’s essentially how the Hebrew Aid Society started here in Delaware. And, it evolved, it grew, but the needs of the community didn’t. People are still coming to Jewish Family Services for the basic needs that they have, to be able to find good social support services. It has had six directors in its history, Basha Silverman is the most current CEO and she has been with us for about four years, so the fabric of JFS is very, very, very strong. Fast forward, the Lutheran Society, the Catholic Charities, the Hebrew Aid Society realized that they had the opportunity to support beyond their ethnicity, to support beyond their religion, to support the community as a whole. And that is exactly what has happened with Jewish Family Services. I will let Avie talk a little bit about the people we’re serving currently, and how you don’t have to be Jewish to come to JFS.
Lora: Avie?
Avie Silver: Yeah, as Rosi was giving the history, it’s so interesting especially in the times that we’re in right now and the topics that we hear about and we learn about, immigration being one of them, people, you know, Jews came over here from Russia and elsewhere, lots of other places. We immigrated over here and didn’t have any services, so from that came the Hebrew Aid Society which then, you know, which then evolved and similar with the other faiths, doing the same thing it becomes that you don’t just need to help people of your faith, because you’ve done that, you’ve, you’re still gonna continue to do that but you’ve done the big, you’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting already. Now let’s do that for the rest of human society. And the place that that comes from is, for me in the way that I was raised, tikkun olam, it’s something that, that one of the values of Jewish people is called tikkun olam, and what that means in its simplest terms is to repair the world. We feel it is our obligation to help repair the world, as many other religions and faiths and ethnicities do, we believe in humanity. And so Jewish Family Services has evolved to really open their arms and welcome in the entire community, whether that’s help with refugee services because folks are coming over here seeking a free life, and we help provide the things that they need, or whether it be, you know, somebody struggling with anxiety right now because they have three children and they’re homeschooling them and there’s COVID and they’re scared of everything else that’s going—they can turn to JFS and get those services. What our Jewish values have taught us is how to adapt and how to evolve, and how to transfer that to heal the world. And that’s what JFS does, they do it for Jewish people and for everybody else, so when Rosi says you don’t have to be Jewish to go to JFS, you definitely don’t have to be Jewish to go to JFS.
Lora: Well looking back a hundred and twenty years ago—I shorted you eighteen years there—so looking back all those years ago you’re looking at a population that needed help with everything from language skills and education to basic needs like shelter and food. Getting them established in the community, and today, you’re kinda doing basically the same thing you’re administering to the mental and physical health of the community.
Rosi: Absolutely. You know, specifically talking about refugee support because it is an important topic and something that—in Delaware, JFS is the only organization that initially helps refugees and that is able to have a wraparound support for refugees and emigrés for up to five years. Imagine coming from the Congo, arriving at JFK, taking a van down 95, and walking into an office, a Jewish Family Services office, and there is a group of volunteers welcoming you to our community, and starting the process of getting you settled in our community. That person fills out some paperwork, gets into a volunteer’s car and is driven to a fully furnished and stocked apartment, and then the next day a case manager from Jewish Family Services comes to their homes and gets them to the doctor’s, gets their children registered in schools, sets them up with an ESL learning instructor, starts to have that individual fill out job applications. I mean it is just so comprehensive, and that is all because our community comes together to support that one family. And we’ve been lucky to be an organization that has been here for our community through every wave of immigration, every wave of refugee support. And we will continue to be here when that returns in its glory.
Lora: That’s a very holistic approach there, and this is done by a combination, you eluded to volunteers who are helping and of course obviously, mental health professionals, social workers and all, but, do you wanna describe the organization, and then I wanna hear about who you’re serving and what are the programming, what’s the programming that you offer. And we’re gonna talk pre-COVID, and then we’re gonna get into what the heck is going on now.
Rosi: Well I’m very grateful to Avie, she’s recently helped JFS with a comprehensive brand survey and analysis, and we now have a playbook to describe the many, many programs in our arsenal. But just to give you a sense, last year JFS served over three thousand individuals statewide, so, New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County. Pre-COVID we had three offices, we now have two physical spaces, two physical offices in New Castle and in Sussex County. We temporarily closed our Newark office and we’re not sure when that will come back. Right now, all of our services are being done virtually and effectively. Our youngest client is four years old and our oldest client is over one hundred years old, so we’re serving people in the lifespan. Some of the support we have as we talked about, about fifty percent of the work that we do is psychotherapy, we have licensed clinical social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists on staff, as well as a psychiatric nurse practitioner who’s able to help, help our team, and help our clients with medical management. Each team, even in our psychotherapy department works as an interdisciplinary team. So you come in at JFS and you get a great therapist, but if you need that additional support, psychiatric support, the team works together to provide that. We provide those psychotherapy services both in our offices as well as in the community. We work with community centers, camps, schools, we work in the most at-risk communities in Delaware helping to provide the therapeutic support that individuals need. Now we’re not gonna talk about COVID yet ‘cause I have a whole new set of things we’re doing to address the needs, the psychotherapy needs of individuals during COVID so I’ll put that aside. The second, the other half of the work that we do is called support services, and that’s everything from providing job readiness services for individuals with disabilities in schools, age fourteen to seventeen where our team, our FutureLink team goes in and provides them job skills and readiness, all the way to, we have a physician who provides dementia support, and her interdisciplinary team is able to help individuals with dementia and their families through their journey as they experience the challenges associated with dementia. So, it’s very vast, broad, and holistic, a very interdisciplinary holistic approach to providing services.
Lora: Avie, do you wish to jump in there?
Avie: Sure, yeah, I just will echo what Rosi said, I think one of the most fascinating things about JFS and what holds my passion to an organization like this is that holistic approach, it is, when you call, if you have a problem, they don’t just, they’re listening to you, but there’s also a whole bunch of other things that are happening to you, a person’s life isn’t just one person’s life, it’s everybody that’s affected by that person or who, you know, who that person’s being affected by, and JFS recognizes that. So, if a parent gets dementia, that’s really difficult to deal with, but it’s difficult having to figure out all of the things that that person needs and how, what if you’re, what if you’re far away, and they’re here? And you have to deal— JFS does all of that for you. They have the insight and the foresight to already have put in place what an individual might need through that course and they have the experts there that are able to direct that, and to know when you might need that help, or to be there with your or, if somebody else in the family needs help, it, really when they say family, it is a, it’s for the family it’s not just for the individual, and I think that’s—in an organization that is out there helping our community—that’s what you want it to be. You want it to be a holistic, helpful, for the family, so you know that no matter what you’re not alone, because that’s the hardest part.
Lora: And this is a statewide, all three counties of Delaware are served by you. And, you know what let’s get some business out of the way here, if you’re just joining us, I’m Lora Lewis and this is Focus on the Delaware Valley, and today we are talking with JFS Delaware, Jewish Family Services, and if you’d like more information about what they do and the programming that they offer, they’re easy to find—jfsdelaware.org, jfsdelaware.org. They have a warm body answering the phone during business time, and the rest of the time you just leave a message they’ll get right back to you. 302-478-9411, but the easiest way of all is jfsdelaware.org. Again, today we are speaking with it’s Chief Strategy Officer, Rosi Crosby, and board member, Avie Silver. I just asked you about your statewide organization, and from four years old to a hundred and two, and, how does somebody actually get involved with your services, how do you, how do you work with a family?
Rosi: That’s a great, great question. So, I wanna outline a little bit about the staffing of services. So, not only are we statewide, but we have thirty providers. Providers are therapists, doctors—yep therapists and doctors they’re called providers. So, that’s a huge number of choices that a client has when they need to access JFS services. So, how would you get connected to a therapeutic provider? You might get a referral from your doctor, you might go online and say, “I need a therapist in Wilmington” and JFS will come up, you may be, get referred to JFS through a friend. We have a lot of, there are a lot of doors that you might come to through JFS. JFS has support groups, you may have attended a support group and you’re like, “that was really helpful, that support group helped me strengthen my skills, I feel ready to receive additional therapeutic support.” We do a lot of outreach in the community. We’re, as I mentioned, we’re in the community at community centers, in schools—the JFS name is, if you’re listening, you’ll hear it—”oh! JFS can help!” “Oh, I heard about JFS tell me a little bit more about it.” And that, you start the conversation, and all of a sudden you realize that JFS is a viable place for you to call, to check it out, to go on the website and figure out whether or not it’s the right service for you. NAMI Delaware has JFS linked on their website. The Mental Health Association of Delaware has JFS listed on their website, the state of Delaware’s Help is Here Hopeline has JFS listed as a provider to help individuals get support. JFS has providers, they’re therapists, we have expertise in trauma, in domestic violence, in substance abuse, in marriage counseling, in children, in play therapy, that’s why our youngest clients are four. We have a robust team of people that have specific therapeutic skills that are coveted—in Delaware there’s a shortage of therapists, the needs are increasing, the demand is increasing, the stress is increasing, and JFS is consistently recruiting for new team members, particularly because we are statewide but also because we have a very solid group of clinical supervisors and staff and experienced professionals that can help one another and feed off one another and build each other’s capabilities to handle the clients that we’re getting in. And you can imagine, I think right now we have eighteen hundred clients that we’re seeing in our therapeutic department—that’s a lot of people that are reaching out on a weekly, or biweekly, or monthly basis to receive support, and so, that’s one way that people come, is through word of mouth, through podcasts like today, just knowing that our doors are open and our providers are available. The other thing that you asked about was case management. Some of the barriers that people have to accessing services is things like transportation, financial concerns, unemployment, childcare, daycare. Our case managers work with our therapists to ensure that and remove barriers to support, remove those little things that prevent somebody from picking up the phone and getting help. Maybe it is those three kids that are, you know, running around you, well, if you don’t take care of yourself first how in the world are you gonna be able to take care of those three kids? That’s something that we’re noticing that telehealth is really improving, not having to worry about where do I put the kids when I go to my therapy appointment, now we have to worry about which car do I sit in when I have my therapy appointment or what door can I close so that I can have it privately. But there are barriers that are being removed through telehealth that JFS is responding to and our team has responded to. So that is definitely, that’s definitely something that I wanted to explain, is the robust nature of our therapeutic department.
Lora: And what about body, and occupation—jobs, education opportunities, etcetera like that. Do you have programming in that area?
Rosi: So, I think what JFS is most proud of is our ability to adapt and respond to the current needs of the community. Right now, because of COVID, over a hundred thousand individuals have been, have lost their jobs in Delaware. And that’s not only in Delaware, we know it’s across the country—and these are individuals, some who’ve never been unemployed in their life, who weren’t expecting to be in this situation that they are in now and may or may not be prepared—prepared emotionally, prepared financially, or just prepared physically for that change. So JFS is launching, along with a number of community partners, a program called the Employment Support Network. And without going into a lot of detail, because I could talk for the entire half hour about this very important and exciting new program, it is designed exactly the way that Avie described earlier, to support the individual holistically and that family that that individual cares so deeply about. So, through the Employment Support Network individuals who were recently unemployed will be assigned a team of people to help them get through the journey. Somebody who will be helping them with their, with financial coaching. Someone who will be helping them with job coaching and job search coaching. Somebody who will connect them to the resources they may or may not need around their mental health. Be able to connect them to urgent needs, if they have urgent needs. And this team, this collaborative team of people, can you imagine being unemployed, walking into an organization and getting three people, well at least three people assigned to just your case? That to me just sounds like a gift from Manna, you know, it’s unheard of, and we really are very grateful to the funders who believe in this program. To the Longwood Foundation, to the Welfare Foundation, to Discover Bank, to Barclay’s Bank, these organizations are the ones who believe, who understand that there is an urgent need for the recently unemployed and have come to trust Jewish Family Services to deliver on programs that support these individuals and their families. Did you hear the amazing list of funders that I listed earlier? For anybody in Delaware they know they’re the most, you know, and I feel terrible, I probably forgot some, Delaware Community Foundation, United Way, you know, Discover Bank, Barclay’s Bank, Longwood Foundation, Welfare Foundation, these are the core organizations in Delaware that are responding to the needs, and JFS along with Social Contract, as I mentioned the United Way of Delaware, the state of Delaware labor office have come together to create a program that’s going to help these individuals get through what hopefully will be a very temporary period in their lives, but it’s acute. And the way that somebody handles unemployment is different depending on their personal circumstances and we want to—as we do with all of our programs—make each program personalized, intensive, and create an interdisciplinary team that can support that family. From the beginning…
Lora: … to the new normal.
Rosi: To the new normal. I don’t even want to say the end ‘cause that’s not really what it is. We’re always here for people, we’ve been here for a hundred and twenty years, and we just keep evolving.
Lora: Well that pretty much addresses your COVID response there. If someone is hearing this though, you, I, as I said, it takes a team, it takes volunteers—you’ve got a dedicated staff, but it does take volunteers, and obviously it takes funding—if someone wants to get involved, if someone has plenty of time or if someone has very little time, are there, and are there immediate needs that somebody can help you with?
Rosi: I’m gonna let Avie take the first part of that question, as a board member we treasure their volunteer time that they spend helping to guide and lead this organization, and I’d love to hear how Avie got involved and why she stays involved, and then I’ll follow up with some very specific opportunities for volunteer engagement.
Lora: Okay.
Avie: So, JFS has been part of my life forever pretty much, so I’m not gonna go into all of those details—I pretty much bleed JFS, it’s just an amazing organization. As far as getting involved, so you know when I, I actually asked to be on the board, I love this organization so much, and so that—my contribution as far as volunteerism, that’s how I am serving currently, but as other opportunities come back, you know, come about, such as this Employment Support Network, and things like that, you know, when it comes to delivering food to families in need, when it comes, there’s always volunteer opportunities and there’s always an opportunity to jump on. When there’s a need in the community, JFS is responding to that need. So, if there’s a need in the community and you wanna volunteer, JFS is already taking care of it, call them, and they’ll put you in place to help you help with that need. So, there’s so many people that have that drive, that passion, that energy, they’re saying look at what’s happening in the world right now we wanna help. Call JFS—they have plenty of places for you to help, there are people in the community, and there’s so many ways to serve. Right now, it’s taken the whole village to do it, and we need everybody to help.
Rosi: So, an example of specific needs that we have right now is, we have families that need to learn English and we need ESL instructors and they are really hard to find. We are delivering “Stay-at-Home Survival Kits” to over one hundred families, we’re trying to do it on a biweekly basis. Imagine having to put those kits together and deliver them to their homes where, you know, contactless delivery, but regardless it’s getting in the car and delivering those gift baskets and we call them “Stay-at-Home Survival Kits”. We are doing meal delivery in collaboration with other organizations for home-bound seniors. JFS is launching our Holiday Helpers program where families who typically have been, who, families during the holidays who typically come to our offices to see their therapists—and our therapists are helping to identify those clients with the most need—typically in the past, I don’t know, ten years maybe twenty, they’ve been able to come to JFS and to, get holiday bags, holiday bags of goodies that our very, very generous donors have helped to fill with basic necessities, but also candles and scarves and gloves and hats and things that make people feel warm and fuzzy. We can’t do that this year, we can’t have clients coming in and walking through the office and picking those things up, but we’re putting Holiday Helper bags together and we need help to support, we need help putting those bags together. Those are the sort of, what I call the one-and-done volunteer opportunities and that’s important because we all want, you know, to do something that feels good whether it’s pack a box of food or deliver a “Stay-at-Home Survival Kits”. We have individuals that are making phone calls to families, checking in on them—”are you ok?” Having just meaningful conversations with individuals who might be experiencing isolation. That’s another example of, you can do that for a short of a period of time or as long of a period of time as you’d like. And then we have these very new and very complex, exciting volunteer opportunity through the Employment Support Network. We’re recruiting up to a hundred volunteers to help be a mentor to recently unemployed people, working directly with the JFS staff, the community managers, the case managers, to ensure again that they have a team of people helping them through this journey. I could go on and on about the different volunteer opportunities but I’m gonna wrap it up, because—the main number, 302-478-9411—just tell us what you need, if you’re experiencing something personally, or tell us what you’d like to do because you’d like to give your talent and your time to JFS and we’ll make the connection.
Lora: And of course, donations are always appreciated.
Rosi: Www.jfsdelaware.org, absolutely.
Lora: And that is jfsdelaware.org for Jewish Family Services of Delaware, jfsdelaware.org, you can call during business hours and leave a message otherwise 302-478-9411, but they have a really spiffy cool website, go to jfsdelaware.org for more information about everything that we’ve talked about today. And here’s where I toss you two, and say thank you for all you’ve been doing, and thank you for being on today. My guests, Rosi Crosby, Chief Strategy Officer, and Avie Silver, board member for Jewish Family Services of Delaware, you know ‘em as JFS. Ladies, thank you!
Rosi: Thank you!
Avie: Thank you!
Lora: I’m Lora Lewis, this has been Focus on the Delaware Valley.
Mental health professionals and other human services or nonprofit workers dedicate their careers to helping others heal, succeed, and thrive. Meet some of JFS Delaware’s talented, compassionate therapists and learn what inspired them to pursue a profession all about giving back and serving our community.
JFS: What inspired you to become a therapist?
RM: It only takes one person to positively impact someone’s life permanently, and I want to be that person to help people process, cope, and heal. Therapy is important in the empowerment and wellness of someone’s life and it is a privilege to be part of their journey.
JFS: Tell us about a unique therapeutic approach you use. Why do you like it?
RM: My favorite therapeutic approaches involve creative therapies like art, music, and sand tray interventions. Seeing clients work through their experiences in artistic and freeing ways—seeing their enthusiasm and engagement in their own therapeutic work—is incredibly rewarding.
JFS: If you hadn’t become a therapist, what other dream job might you have pursued?
RM: I would love to be a park ranger, helping preserve nature and the animals within it! I love going hiking and doing what I can to keep nature beautiful, safe, and clean. And I would look super official in uniform!
JFS: What inspired you to become a therapist?
SN: Working as a teacher, I encountered several children living in dysfunctional families and homes. I would do my best to step in and support them, but I couldn’t do enough; becoming a therapist allowed me to have a greater impact to help people through their traumas.
JFS: What about your work do you find the most rewarding?
SN: Inspiring and seeing any effort by my clients towards positive change—no matter how big or small—makes my work very rewarding. Just laying the foundation for healing can be a huge accomplishment…Rome wasn’t built in one day.
JFS: Do you have a favorite motivational quote to share with the readers?
SN: “Do not watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
JFS: Can you bust any therapy myths?
SN: Some may think, as mental health professionals, therapists do not need therapy…but oh yes, we do! We are as human as anyone else.
JFS: What about your work do you find the most rewarding?
SR: Whether it be processing trauma, learning new behavior management skills, or negotiating new boundaries and communication, witnessing families reconnect and learn to function and love each other again is one of the most powerful and rewarding experiences of this work.
JFS: Why do you think therapy important?
SR: Therapy provides a space to explore, reflect, practice, and heal. Therapy gives us ways to look underneath the surface and build compassion for our most vulnerable and precious parts.
JFS: Do you have a favorite motivational quote to share with the readers?
SR: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anais Nin
JFS: Can you bust any therapy myths?
SR: Going to therapy doesn’t mean you are weak. In fact, it’s quite the opposite—therapy challenges us to look within and acknowledge our wounds, which takes bravery, courage, and self-compassion.
JFS: What inspired you to become a therapist?
PS: After taking an introductory course during my senior year of high school, I discovered psychology sparked an interest in me like nothing else ever had. I majored in psychology in college and have been working in the field ever since!
JFS: What about your work do you find the most rewarding?
PS: I find it incredibly rewarding to see a client gain insight or awareness about themself that helps them live a more fulfilling and authentic life. This is also why I think therapy is important—it creates the space for that growth to happen.
JFS: Tell us about a unique therapeutic approach you use. Why do you like it?
PS: I believe effective therapy begins with the connection between therapist and client; finding the best therapeutic approach for each client happens in that space. I often utilize mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy to introduce clients to ways they can better understand their thought patterns and how those patterns influence to their feelings and behaviors.
JFS: If you hadn’t become a therapist, what other dream job might you have pursued?
PS: I often say that I was born a social worker and can’t imagine being anything else! I entertained the idea of being a high school English teacher or a writer, but I couldn’t be happier with my decision to become a social worker; this feels like how I’m meant to contribute to the world.
Start your therapy journey with JFS today!
Contact us at 302-478-9411 ext. 306 or complete our online intake form to get started.
On Monday, October 26, 2020 JFS Psychiatrist, Dr. Andy Feinberg, and Chief Strategy Officer, Rosi Crosby spoke with Tom Archino of Rehoboth’s Social Network Podcast. Together they discussed, JFS’ history in Delaware, response to the COVID-19 crisis, upcoming Virtual Wellness Summit, and more.
Listen to the podcast or read the transcription below!
Tom Archino: Alright good morning, this podcast is brought to you by Home Theater Solutions. HTS is your local technology expert, serving Delaware for sixteen years. HTS specializes in TV installations, home automations, Sonos audio systems, security cameras, and Wi-Fi networks, for all of your home and business tech needs—give ‘em a call at 1-800-690-2029, or visit them at HTSAV… three, two, one, good morning!
Rosi Crosby: Good morning!
Andy Feinberg: Good morning!
Tom: So, how are we doing this morning?
Andy: We are doing great.
Tom: Awesome.
Rosi: We are ready to change the world this morning, Tom!
Tom: Oh wow, ok! Well it is Monday; we got all week to work on it—that’s awesome!
Rosi: Exactly.
Tom: So, I have the pleasure of having the folks from Jewish Family Services, Rosi Crosby, and Andy Feinberg, they decided that—see now, I’m gonna screw up here we go—
Andy: It’s alright
Tom: Wonderful to have you guys on the Rehoboth Social Podcast, this is one small business helping another one small non-profit, helping another, and it’s great to have you all on, how’s it going? Talk to me, let’s learn about the family services!
Rosi: Well, thank you again, Tom, for having us—this is an incredible opportunity for us to share the Jewish Family Services story across the region. For those who don’t know, Jewish Family Services is a one hundred and twenty-year-old organization in Delaware—we’ve been here for centuries. And we specifically expanded our footprint into the Sussex County community about six years ago, and we’re really proud of the work that we’re doing there. JFS is responsible for helping individuals and families grow. We do that through a support network of counselors, therapists, and psychiatrists, as well as case managers—it takes a village to help us through the challenges of today’s times and JFS is here…of course we are here right now virtually, all of our entire team is available through telehealth but, prior to that, we’ve had a, you know, prior to COVID, we had an office where people could come and get the help that they needed, and we are really excited that you’re giving us this opportunity to share our story.
Tom: Wow, that’s awesome, and I think everything that we’re going through right now, it probably, despite the help that we probably needed before, I’m sure that there’s a lot of extra help that’s needed now.
Rosi: Absolutely.
Tom: So, like, what, so, you know, what’s a, you know, how’s it been, so you’ve been here [Sussex County] for five years, is that what you said?
Rosi: Yes, we have been and you know, we’ve continued to grow, JFS has a team of, total team of sixty people throughout the state, our Sussex County team has grown to about fifteen providers. It’s really important to know that JFS, Jewish Family Services, while we are founded and based on Jewish fundamentals and values, we serve everyone in the community, regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic status, gender orientation, and we’re really proud of that—that’s something that many people don’t know. You might hear the name Jewish Family Services and think that you need to be Jewish but, eighty percent of our clients are not Jewish and that’s something that we want people to know. Our doors are open to anyone.
Tom: So what’s some of the, what’s some of the problems that you guys are running, you folks are running across at this time? Maybe what are the challenges that you are facing now, compared to maybe, you know like, April of last year?
Rosi: That’s a great question– I’m gonna let Dr. Feinberg take that, yeah.
Andy: Absolutely, absolutely.
Tom: Andy, so what—
Andy: Hi Tom it’s great to be with you and so, starting tomorrow we’re part of a Wellness Summit, and also other organizations are part of it as well, and we’re—I’m focusing in my part, I’m speaking tomorrow afternoon really about the impact of COVID pandemic on people’s anxiety levels, and how people are coping and what to do and what not to do to, to help with this, and people who are vulnerable and whose anxieties are escalating into a treatable medical condition and when you know you’ve got that and when to call for help through JFS. And I’m gonna also be emphasizing the team approach that we use. Patients who are referred—and by the way, during the Wellness Summit there will be slides showing how to reach us—for people who are, who do call for treatment with us, first see a therapist for a couple of times, couple of sessions, to work on, look at situational factors that are having an impact on them, like COVID, and then they send them on to me if I need to help with medical treatments.
Tom: So, this Wellness Summit, is this open to the public?
Rosi: Yes.
Andy: Yes absolutely, now I’ll let Rosi tell you about that.
Tom: Yes.
Rosi: So, the Virtual Wellness Summit is free and open to the public, it starts tomorrow morning, it’s a three day summit, and there are probably fifteen sessions that you can join, including both meditation class, a yoga class, several conversations that will be held about increased anxieties and coping and resilience during the pandemic. We are seeing, in our practice, exponential growth in the need for someone to talk to. It’s… the anxieties and the pressure are coming from all directions. We don’t have to go very far to know that a family is taking care of children, and doing school, doing remote learning. The increase in substance abuse, the increase in domestic violence, the increase in feelings of isolation, and anxiety and fear, the increase in the feelings of uncertainty. For many people this might be the first time that they ever even had these feelings, so the idea of talking to someone about that might be new and uncomfortable, and JFS is receiving calls like that. First time, people who, for the first time in their life, wanna talk to a therapist. And then for those who have been receiving mental health counseling perhaps their entire life, those anxieties are, I don’t know if the right word is exasperated, they’re increased, it’s harder to manage, they’re harder to deal with, their coping tools are needing to be utilized at heightened levels. And our team is ready. Our team is ready and available to support the community with this, these needs. Every organization that provides behavioral health is seeing an increase. Every organization is seeing a shortage of professionals that can help support the community. We’re all realizing that waiting lists are becoming a reality. And that’s new, Tom, that’s not something that we’ve experienced before, recently.
Tom: Right. Well, so, is there like a number one thing that people are most stressed out about, that’s creating, I would imagine jobs, working, providing, would probably be close to the top of the list. I know as far as Rehoboth and where we live, and I’ve said this to other people, I feel like we’re in a little bit of a bubble because we are in such a small community that’s, you know, relies on tourism and everything. What has felt somewhat normal, obviously the masks and everything, but we’ve had a lot of people, the place has been pretty busy, but I think we’re really gonna start, the reality is gonna start setting in, that things are gonna be different and we’re gonna definitely start seeing it in the fall and when winter comes, you know, it’s gonna be a challenge. And I know for me, for a guy that works every day, but that tends to be the top fear or anxiety that I struggle with, is, am I gonna be working, am I gonna be able to provide for my family?
Andy: I had a list, you know I had my wife brainstorm what are the individual factors, you know, associated with COVID that are causing stress in families and it’s, you know, I think, we could all generate a long list of individual things, you’re right, in some communities, in some areas, it’s better, easier than others, but even, you know, gee, you think about a relatively trivial piece— people who really enjoy dining out, and they wanna be careful and the restaurants have had outdoor dining, which people think is relatively safe, but what’s gonna happen when it gets too cold out to do that you know, so there are a lot of pieces to it, but wow, it’s very complicated, and you know, I hope my list of individual stressors resonates with people tomorrow you know, my goal was to find things that everybody can feel you know, it’s hard, it’s been hard.
Tom: Well and another thing that I think that people are struggling with is, so, you know with any challenge, you know, you can either surrender to the challenge and accept it, and do what it takes to get through it, or you can, you know, quietly fight and kick and scream, and then, you know, but I think one of the biggest challenges for, well, I think dying was a big fear, I think that’s starting to, you know, and that’s the challenge everybody has a different case with this, with this COVID thing, but for me, one of the big challenges is keeping my mouth shut you know, keeping my opinions to myself. And sometimes, that can kind of like boil inside, you know, because I’m like listen, I don’t want to be part of the problem, I’m gonna keep my opinions to myself, but it’s in there. And you know, trying to understand, I think the biggest challenge for me is recognizing what’s stressing me out.
Andy: Exactly. That’s it exactly, and you say, well what are those things? And then you hit on something else too, which is, as Rosi mentioned also, resilience. You know, and one of the, some of the things I’m gonna talk about tomorrow are, what you can do, healthy ways of coping with all that’s going on. Things we still can do, and we, being careful, about COVID, and we are still very healthy, developing resilience. It’s very important.
Tom: Patience I think is another great word—
Rosi: Wow—
Tom: Sorry Rosi, go ahead
Rosi: I’m really excited that, this is our fourth Wellness Summit that JFS has collaborated with the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Federation of Delaware, NAMI Delaware, the Mental Health Association of Delaware, Nemours, all of these organizations are coming together to bring tools and tech– tools to the community to help strengthen us through these difficult times. And the resources that we want to share with the community, Tom I will make sure that you have them for your audience, because as a, you know, as a program that happens on a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we’re even hearing “ugh, how can I possibly take the time, how can I take an hour, two hours out of my day to attend this summit, I’ve got one kid on one arm, and I’ve got, you know, my mom on the other, and we’re all in the house together, how in the world am I possibly gonna take an hour for myself?” And it’s critical that you take that hour for yourself, and I’ve encouraged employers to shut down the office for an hour and watch Dr. Feinberg’s presentation. It’s forty-five minutes, it could build a team environment, it could be a team-building activity to just acknowledge that we’re all under the same pressure and that we feel that we are working harder than ever, and longer than ever is real, because we are trying to stay above water, we want to keep our jobs, we want to keep the restaurant open, we want to keep our customers happy, we want our kids to be healthy, we want our relationships to be strong. Oh my gosh, that’s exhausting!
Tom: Yeah, and well, you know, Andy and I have some history, we’ve known each other a while, and he knows my story, and you know, my story’s always more of a spiritual based kind of thing, it’s always the battle between self and humility, and you know, when I do other meetings for other things and really it, at this point in my life with that, it’s really about the inconvenience, you know, it’s really about doing other than what I want to do. And, that’s usually where the miracle takes place, if I can inconvenience myself for forty-five minutes because really, that’s, I mean, if we’re gonna break it down, that’s what it is. I mean if you’re, if you’ve got a baby on one arm, you’re cooking, you’re managing your folks, to go and watch a zoom meeting, or, you know, to see Andy’s presentation, you know, it’s a challenge, it’s an inconvenience really. But that’s really to me where, where the miracle takes place, that’s usually where I find where that I find that I feel that I get the most out of something, is when it’s a big pain in the rear—you know what I’m saying? And that’s what, the challenge for me, and I can only speak for myself through all of this, is it’s a big inconvenience.
Rosi: I know that the oxygen mask scenario is overused but it’s real. If you don’t put on your own mask first, how can you help others? And—
Tom: That’s right.
Rosi: And you’re helping others every day by sharing information and having conversations, and you know, JFS and Andy and all of these other partner organizations, that’s all we want, is to just strengthen the community through counseling and support because that’s what we need right now, we need each other.
Tom: Yup, we do. And I think you’re using this scenario if we’re on an airplane, so—
Rosi: Yes
Andy: Save yourself first—
Tom: Yeah ok good, ‘cause I was like I think I’m just wearing the paper mask, am I missing something?
Rosi: Oh! Right! Right.
Andy: That’s right…
Rosi: Thanks for the clarification…
Tom: Did we just go to oxygen over one night, or did I miss that?
Andy: That’s a serious requirement…
Tom: A gas tank, an air tank—
Andy: That was great, that was great to clarify thanks, that was great…
Rosi: …clarification
Tom: And I think that’s a great point, you know what, if you’re not taking care of yourself, you can’t be there for other people. It’s just—
Andy: Yeah.
Tom: You may, you might think you can, but it gets really, really hard. And you know, I share, I talk to my kids about anxiety because listen, before COVID, we had anxiety. I mean, it’s just life, life is much more complicated than it was as I was growing up, these kids these days, and adults, have a lot more challenges, and we talk about recognizing that, identifying what the real, because to me, and I, like I said, I come from a more spiritual side, and I, you know, I don’t understand the doctor side of it, but to me it’s always been recognizing it, identifying it, saying it out loud, and maybe sharing it to our higher power whatever we choose to call something that we would pray to, and we share a little prayer, and my buddy Matt used to always say, “every story shared cuts the anxiety in half.” Share it out loud—
Rosi: Oh, I love that.
Tom: Talk to it, talk to people about it, you know, ‘cause there was a point maybe a few months ago I had to say out loud, “I’m depressed,” I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t feel well, I was, you know, bummed out just like the rest of us, and I had to start saying it. And you know, I’m a hairdresser so, unfortunately on that day everybody that sat in front of me found out I was depressed! But it was that act, you know, of that humble act of telling somebody else, that listen, I’m stressed out, and every person that I told that to said the same thing– “I’m depressed as well.” And it started to make, it was a turn for me, and at least I understand it, I’m recognizing it, I wanna work towards, to get away from it, but the first thing I had to do was identify it, and say it out loud! There’s a real freedom to that.
Andy: True, so true, it’s you know, it’s one of the, if you think about the psychotherapy part of what we do in JFS, if you think about all the components of psychotherapy, and say, well one of the many is simply that—just someone to talk to about what’s going on with you, and how therapeutic that is in itself, and trusting that you can open up to this person, and by the way, I would say that, you know, one of the things I miss the most about this experience during COVID and working from home is, going into the office in Lewes, and just right on John J. Williams Highway, and conveniently located, and you know, back in the day before COVID, go in a little early and just see who’s there, the therapists, and we just talk about this one and that one and you know, and catch up on things together and they are a wonderful group of therapists, they’re all, you know, all of us are you know, seasoned, experienced, and they’re easy to talk to, so your point is very well taken Tom, that’s very, very important.
Tom: Yeah and I don’t think people realize the power of sharing our fear. Putting it out there, people hold it in, they don’t, whether it makes them appear weak, or like they don’t have it together. And unfortunately, and I know for me and I’m sure it’s for a lot of people that, you know, if I don’t manage this stuff, old behavior shows back up. And the old behavior is the behavior that I don’t want, you know, I’m in recovery, and you know the most important thing for me today is to maintain that. And it isn’t usually a right turn, it isn’t usually a suggestion, it’s usually overwhelmed by anxiety and really for me what’s not going my way, and that fear that that old past might show up, or look like more of an option today, and whether it’s you know, what I struggle with, or whether it’s eating, or spending too much money, all of those things are, you know, they’re not far away, and it doesn’t take much, and that’s why I think, you know, we wanna be happy, but we also wanna protect ourselves, all the hard work that we’ve done, and sometimes a good conversation will start to be the beginning.
Andy: Absolutely, and the thing about COVID is that, you know, we’re all in this together, you know, it’s you say, well if you’re a therapist or psychiatrist and your patient comes to you who has had some horrible, traumatic experience that you’ve never experienced in any way, you know, it’s a little harder to get in that person’s shoes, which we have to do in our field, but when we’re all experiencing to some degree or another, the same darn thing, it’s way easier, way easier process to emphasize and to share.
Tom: Well, and you mentioned where you are located– so you’re on John J. Williams, which is Route 24, right, don’t want to confuse anybody, that’s Route 24, and are you by, where exactly are you, if someone wanted to come over, or if someone set up an appointment, how would they—
Andy: Well if you’re comin’ down from, coming down south on Route 1 and turn right on John J. Williams Highway right after the Burger King, used to be my landmark, but now they’ve closed— but right there, that’s the corner, turn down there and it’s an easy ride, you go past the Beebe places on the left, you go past the two schools, one on each side, and then the creek, the bridge over the creek, Love Creek, and then we’re on the right, right after Love Creek.
Tom: Okay, well, and you’re doing most things right now virtually anyway—
Rosi: Yeah the beauty of now is that we’re actually hearing that telehealth is more accessible for some, that they’re able to make their appointments, they’re able to manage their schedules more easily because they can do things virtually. We have not re-opened our offices as of now, in deference to not only our clients but to our staff to ensure their safety and their level of comfort in being in the community. As you can imagine it’s very difficult to have a therapeutic conversation with a mask on—that would be required if we were in an office, others are using shields, you know, this approach, zoom, and telehealth is right now our solution, and we’ll probably be doing that through the winter, well into the spring, but our team of professionals is also, you know, I mentioned the total number of people we have on staff in the therapy department, we have over thirty providers, so that gives most people the opportunity to connect with someone that they can connect with, and that is very important to us as well, we work very hard on making a match for individuals who are looking for support.
Tom: Great. Well I, some of the days I feel like we will never go back to the way it was, like this is the new normal, and it’s so convenient I’m almost wondering if it’s just easier to just continue like this.
Andy: Good question Tom, you know, I attended an online, virtual, American Psychiatric Association had a mini version, they had to cancel their annual conference, and there was a, one of the old, senior, emeritus psychoanalysis experts who’s a psychiatrist, a psychiatrist out of Kernberg spoke and here’s an analyst, and I figure, well, how can you do psychoanalysis remotely, you know. And he said it’s working, we’re doing it! It’s very effective! So, I said, great! You know, what I do is way easier than that to do, you know, remotely, and it’s working very well and you’re right I mean the convenience, and that I can see people from the Wilmington area who were referred to JFS, and you know, couldn’t do that easily before. So, who knows! Who knows how much of this is gonna persist when all of this is behind us? I don’t know.
Tom: Well we’re making the new normal, I guess. Haha! So, what is, so this, the Virtual Wellness Summit, so it’s three days, Andy you’re gonna speak, did you say, tomorrow?
Andy: Tomorrow, Tuesday at two o’clock.
Tom: Tuesday at two o’clock, how do we get on this Virtual Wellness Summit?
Rosi: That’s a great question, Tom! I encourage everyone to go to the jfsdelaware.org website. That’s J as in Justin, F as in Frank, S as in Sam, Delaware, one word, at jfsdelaware.org, and you’ll see right up at the top, an events tab, and click right on there and you can register for the Virtual Wellness Summit through the JFS website. You’ll see the entire line-up, again starting on October 27th through the 29th, not all day—morning, noon, and evening sessions so that we can accommodate everyone. Morning, midday, and evening sessions, not necessarily noon, and we just want people to be able to ask the questions and get the support that they need. We hope—
Tom: Is there a charge for this? Is that an appropriate question?
Rosi: Yes, it’s an absolutely appropriate question. It is free!
Tom: Ok! It’s appropriate ‘cause it was free, if it wasn’t I’d be uh-oh…
Rosi: Exactly, no! We have about three hundred people registered…
Tom: Oh, wow ok.
Rosi: Yeah, it’s a webinar format, you see the presenter, you’ll be able to use the Q and A chat function in zoom to ask questions, but you won’t see the other participants that are joining that particular seminar, so your privacy, and autonomy, and feelings will all be protected, you’ll see the presenters and the moderators, but you won’t see the other participants. Yeah, so we have about three hundred people registered, we actually have people attending from all over the world which is really exciting and interesting, this is a worldwide feeling and we need to build our worldwide resilience that’s just, we feel like it’s such a gift that we’re able to give right now. And we do hope if you’re going, if you can’t make this one, we hope that you’ll reach out to JFS to you know, just find the resources that you need, there are so many resources. The state is providing resources, the Sussex County Health Coalition is providing resources, JFS is providing resources, we’re gonna be here as we have been for the past hundred and twenty years, for the next one hundred years. We were here for the pandemic of 1918, we’ll be here through this, we will get through this as long as we– I loved what you said, what Matt said, that if we continue to share our stories, we’ll cut our anxiety in half.
Tom: That’s right.
Rosi: It’s incredible.
Tom: It works!
Rosi: It works.
Tom: I bet you when Andy finishes his presentation tomorrow, he feels pretty awesome. Haha! ‘Cause, you know, I’m sure you even get a little stressed out, a little fear, I mean, maybe a little nerves come in, but that to me is right before the miracle. And once it’s over, you know, you put yourself out there and all of a sudden, it’s all done and you’re like wow, I feel fantastic. I wanted to talk a little bit, so, if we could, because you know, Andy and I and his wonderful wife, we have a little history, we’ve known each other for, I don’t know, ten years?
Andy: Well, probably six…
Tom: Six, six years—
Andy: Yeah, something like that—
Tom: You wanna share your story, I know your story, I know you guys were, I think you were in Maryland—
Andy: Yeah!
Tom: And, you guys made the move over here—
Andy: Yes! I’ll talk about…
Tom: And maybe you wanna share a little of your story, and just some of your, little bit of your history, because not everybody knows how awesome you are like I do.
Andy: Oh, that’s right, haha! Yeah, I, we, Amy and I lived in Baltimore and had a busy psychiatry outpatient practice in Towson, Maryland, and we, it was a grind. It was a grind, busy practice, running, as you all know, running a small business is very demanding and we found that we could, thank god, afford to buy an affordable condo in Milton, in the edge of Lewes, start coming down for weekends, to long weekends, to unwind, loved the area. And we met a neighbor who was on the board of JFS and she told us, we heard about an event, fundraising event in Rehoboth, she introduced us to Basha Silverman, the CEO of JFS of Delaware and she’s like wow, you know, we need a psychiatrist, it was a desperate need, there’s a shortage, it’s getting better in a lot of fields since we’ve been coming here and living here, in terms of number of providers, accessibility of care, but psychiatry? Still, you know, there’s a real shortage. So I had not even considered retiring, you know, yet, but she said well, you know, we could do it! We could semi-retire, working part time for JFS. We moved here full time, a little over a year ago, and it’s great! Very happy to be here. And yeah, so as Tom, as you know, we’re in a community where you’ve got your business and that’s how we got acquainted! So, here we are.
Tom: Well and it’s funny ‘cause we’ve had this anxiety conversation before.
Andy: Oh yeah.
Tom: We talked about anxiety, we talked, we’ve had this conversation way before COVID.
Andy: Yup.
Tom: And I’ve always said, Andy, how many people that have anxiety are just not getting their way? And you used to laugh, you’re like, well I think it’s more than that, and I was like ok. Haha! I have to simplify things for my, for me to understand it, but this is, you know, COVID, after COVID, before COVID, this, it’s always a problem. You know it’s something that I think—
Andy: There’s always gonna be challenges and stress. There’s no question.
Rosi: So, Tom, you bring up a really good point, it’s the stigma of accessing care and breaking down those barriers, to knowing it’s ok to ask for help.
Tom: Well, and I, it’s always, I think if we look at it as like, “I’m having trouble, I need help,” or maybe, “how can I talk to somebody to make me better?” You know, it doesn’t always have to be, “I’m not good enough, I’m struggling,” maybe some people just need a good conversation to figure out maybe get a couple tools to be a better individual when it comes to certain– ‘cause listen, it’s COVID, I mean, I, you know, I can have the same stress, you know, if the water isn’t running right, you know, still, I still revert back to this panicky thing. So maybe in the end, through all this, maybe people can learn—I know that I’m learning, whether it’s patience, or surrendering, but I’m learning new tools to handle situations that you know, when COVID eventually we get through it, something else will come up, you know, I can maybe use these tools to handle the next problem.
Andy: That’s it.
Tom: That’s it, drop the pin, haha! Ta-da! Well, I appreciate you folks comin’ on the podcast, it is a, I’m so blessed to have this podcast and be able to enjoy conversations with people whether it’s you know, the Jewish Family Services, or the pizza place. Like you said in the beginning, it takes a village, sometimes villages look different, but we’re all, you know, for the common cause, of just trying to find a little serenity in our life.
Rosi: Yes, thank you for having us, Tom—
Andy: Thank you, Tom.
Rosi: We have so many incredible programs, I look forward to coming back on, you and I talked about that. We’re launching a very, very important program called the Employment Support Network.
Tom: Mmm, that sounds good!
Rosi: And, I, you also in the beginning talked about the specific needs of the community and anxiety provoking situations, and loss of a job is number one. Maybe number two. But we, JFS is responding to that need, we’re launching a statewide program to support that need, and it’s called the Employment Support Network, so we’ll talk about that in the future!
Tom: I love it! Every month!
Rosi: Every month! I love it.
Tom: Every month! Haha! Well so, if anybody is, if anybody out there is stressed out, you know, not sure, new to these unusual feelings that we’re having, you know, give these folks a call, or reach out, and we’ve given out the website, and—
Rosi: Let me give out the phone number too, ‘cause—
Tom: Absolutely.
Rosi: We still have a receptionist that answers the phone, and takes the calls—
Tom: And I’ll put it all on the link, and when we post the podcast, so we’ll have that, the website, and the phone number in the description.
Rosi: Fantastic. Thank you. 302-478-9411 is the main number, and that, and you’ll reach either Marsha or Rose and they will take care of you.
Tom: Question, do you, I know that it’s a weird time now, but, you know, hopefully once we start gettin’ through this, do you guys, or gir– sorry, you folks, ever need volunteers?
Rosi: You just set me up for that next conversation.
Tom: Okay!
Rosi: The Employment Support Network is designed around the use of volunteers. We are currently recruiting over one hundred volunteers.
Tom: That’s great.
Rosi: Yeah.
Tom: Well and I think a challenge that a lot of people are going through right now, is that there’s not much to do.
Rosi: Exactly.
Tom: And if you’re not… This is from my experience, if I’m not trying to help, if I’m not, and I use the word inconvenience people have, maybe have, it’s a preexisting condition word, but if you’re not suffering and helping others, it can get a little rough, so that’s great that you guys are offering volunteer opportunities once COVID gets, you know—
Rosi: Absolutely. And that will come with training, and support, and leadership, and everything else that JFS has. And so, we’re looking forward to rolling that out. You know, and if I can just say something that our volunteers have been currently doing, is making phone calls, delivering meals, reaching out, checking in.
Tom: That’s awesome.
Rosi: We all have the opportunity to do that if you just make one phone call a day.
Tom: And we’ll place that phone, we’ll place the number in the link if people are struggling with, I mean, the simple thing of eating. They can reach out and maybe you can direct them.
Rosi: Exactly.
Tom: Ok, alright.
Rosi: Exactly. Thank you so much Tom!
Tom: Thank you! Thank you so much!
Andy: Thank you.
Tom: It was great to have you folks on the podcast, I really appreciate everything you’re doing, and we’ll put all the links, and talk to you next month!
Rosi: Thank you!
Tom: Alright, buh-bye!
Written By: Madeline Driban, JFS Marketing & Communications Specialist
There has been an undeniable increase in prioritization of diversity and inclusion by community organizations and leaders; recent political activity and the rise in social equity movements have exacerbated the necessity of this focus by exposing the foundational, systemic inequities and forces of discrimination within institutions across our country. But “diversity and inclusion” is more than just a checklist item or buzzword to mention on social media—it is a concept encompassing on-going acceptance and respect. In those regards, there is a lot of work to be done to achieve a truly just, equitable society and the leadership to sustain it.
Valuing diversity and inclusion means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences along dimensions of race, religion, socio-economic status, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, or other ideologies. We must explore these differences to better understand each other and move beyond simple tolerance to embrace and celebrate our uniqueness. This requires a set of conscious practices which involve showing mutual respect for qualities, values, and experiences that differ from our own; recognizing how personal, cultural, and institutionalized discrimination create and maintain privileges for some and disadvantages for others; and building alliances across differences so we can work together in our pursuit of justice.
June 5, 2020 | JFS Staff show their support at a Black Lives Matter march in Wilmington after the death of George Floyd.
It is extremely important to support and protect diversity. By valuing individuals and groups free from prejudice, honoring our differences and strengths, and fostering an environment where equity and mutual respect are intrinsic, we will create a successful, collaborative, caring community free from discrimination. Sage writer and activist, Audre Lorde, has reiterated this many times—we must “take our differences and make them strengths…divide and conquer must become define and empower.”
As Delawareans continue to feel the impact of acts of violence and hatred—especially those resulting in the devastating losses of Black and Brown lives—JFS has joined the impassioned call for racial equity and justice for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). As an agency promoting the well-being of ALL people, we acknowledge the deep pain and anger of our colleagues, friends, family, and partners in these communities and will continue taking a stance on social justice issues.
JFS has always valued diversity, which is reflected in who we serve, who we hire, who we collaborate with, and what we do. Systemic injustices will not be resolved overnight and our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion within the internal and external practices, tone, and culture of JFS will be transformative and long-lasting. Sustainable change starts from within, which is why a diverse team of JFS staff members have formed a Diversity & Inclusion Committee to provide thoughtful direction and structure for the work we must do. Through ongoing dialogue, education, collaboration, and action we will carry out our goals to combat racial injustices in our agency offices and community at large.
June 5, 2020 | JFS staff, leaders, and supporters take a stance on social justice issues – Black Lives Matter.
We are working diligently to remove the barriers that impede progress and, while we understand there is much more to do, we are driven by the critical importance of this movement. It is not enough to merely accept or tolerate those who are different from us, we must celebrate what makes us different and find strength, joy, and meaning in our uniqueness.
Read about JFS Delaware’s Equity Diversity & Inclusion efforts>>>
Written By: Avie Silver, JFS Board Member
A five minute response presented during a Leadership Delaware Inc. panel discussion on “The Intersection of Race and Leadership.”
When I was 16, I travelled to Poland with 6,000 Jewish teenagers from around the world. We spent a week visiting the sites of some of the greatest atrocities of the Holocaust. We visited Majdanek, a death camp 5 miles outside the city of Lublin, Poland. At the far end of the camp there is a crematorium with five ovens; to the right, the city of Lublin, clearly visible just below the horizon.
We walked in and out of the crematorium. We walked alongside the mass grave and climbed to the dome of an adjacent building. We stood there, silently. The sun was setting. I stared as the shadows of our bodies were cast onto the 10,000 tons of human ashes that lay below. I turned around and looked past the crematorium to the city, and thought about all the people who said they didn’t know.
They could smell the burning flesh and brushed the ashes from their coats, but they didn’t know.
The silence was deafening.
Shadows on the Ashes (Photo Credit: Avie Silver)
I have been asked to share my experiences with racism, but I am white. I do not face the racism that so many others deal with every day. There is no box for me to check when asked what kind of American I am. I check Caucasian, because I am, though many would classify me as “other.” But if there were a box that said “Jew” … that opens up a whole different conversation…let me tell you why.
So how does this affect me?
How have I experienced being Jewish in America?
So, here we are with hate at the forefront of American life again. It feels different this time. There is more communication. There are more open hearts and minds. There are more people fighting for justice for people of color, and treatment of immigrants and asylum seekers, and equal rights for the LGBQTA community.
I stand with humanity, listen intently, and speak loudly.
Yet, I still only hear that deafening sound of silence.
Written By: Madeline Driban, Marketing & Communications Specialist
In our increasingly digital world, innovation is rapidly changing our day-to-day lives and we’re constantly finding new ways to connect. Therapeutic counseling is yet another field entering this digital space, helping more people access the support they need.
After 120 years of in-person care – in our offices, clients’ homes, schools and community spaces – JFS Delaware made this transition in less than a week in order to provide our counseling and case management services remotely. Organizations need to evolve quickly to remain relevant and efficiently meet the needs of constituents; it is crucial, especially when unexpected circumstances arise, to be equipped and prepared to carry on and deliver essential services. JFS is adapting to necessary changes, learning the newest technologies, building resilience as a team, and transferring important skills to the digital landscape.
With a push from unforeseen circumstances, JFS has expanded and grown our capacity to serve our community when we are needed most; our teams are learning and mastering the secure virtual platforms needed to continue our counseling, case management, and support services.
Although we are new to this modality, teletherapy has been around since the 1990’s and has been found equally effective as in person therapy treatment. Here are some of teletherapy’s most notable benefits for those seeking support:
Time is, perhaps, our most valuable resource. As such, commutes can be frustrating and stressful, especially for those already prone to anxiety. The last thing you should worry about is another place to be, finding the right building, waiting in a lobby, or racing not to miss any time with your therapist. With a lower barrier to entry, teletherapy eliminates the stress and frustration of travel, waitlists, and waiting rooms and gives you the time and space to accomplish so much more in your day between other appointments, meetings, chores, and activities – not to mention the benefits of staying in the safety of your home (avoiding traffic, accidents, and parking tickets) and reducing your carbon footprint. When sessions begin at the click of a button, you can make every minute count.
As part of JFS’ mission and values, we serve everyone; especially in times of increased need and anxiety, it is our responsibility to do what we can for vulnerable or at-risk individuals and families. For those living with a disability or illness, living in rural or more remote communities, lacking reliable transportation or childcare, fearful of the stigma of therapy and mental health, or those who are just unsure about trying therapy for the first time, teletherapy removes many of the obstacles – physical, emotional, or otherwise – towards seeking and receiving help.
Teletherapy can relieve many of these concerns and maximize privacy; you can be in the comfort of your own home with your cozy blanket, your special mug, a pet in your lap – all the things that make you feel at ease. What better way to experience therapy and open up than in your own safe space?
Teletherapy also allows for maximal flexibility for overworked or overcommitted clients. It’s easy to put off attending therapy when sessions are offered during limited office hours, while many people are at work or school; for many people who already have a lot of commitments to juggle, seeking out this form of therapeutic support can easily be bumped down the priority list. When a therapist is more easily available, has unique hours, or has the ability to schedule short-notice check-ins, it offers greater flexibility and encourages more people to seek the right support when they need it most.
Teletherapy is the mental health treatment of the future. Efficient, accessible, and flexible to each person’s needs, it’s not difficult to understand the benefits of choosing this method of care; in fact, research is overwhelmingly in favor of this mode of counseling. Individualizing treatment approach is an important part of the therapeutic process – one which JFS therapists and case managers have always prioritized – and telehealth is perfectly suited to adapt to each person’s unique needs. Whether as a regular part of long-term self-care or in response to acute, difficult circumstances, the availability and power of teletherapy is not something to be overlooked or underestimated.
Start your therapy journey with JFS today!
Contact us at 302-478-9411 ext. 306 or complete our online intake form to get started.