Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools – To expand the organization’s mental health and wellness initiative by formalizing a mentorship program for day school mental health professionals, developing new mental health resources, and collaborating with additional partner organizations.

Why is training and support for mental health professionals important within Jewish schools, specifically?

The mental health challenges facing young people today are profound and continue to grow. Studies show rising rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders among children and adolescents across North America. While research specific to Jewish day schools remains limited, school-reported data indicate that these trends are reflected in our communities as well. Jewish day schools are grappling with the youth mental health crisis and often lack the funding and resources available to their public-school counterparts. In many day schools, the school counselor is the only mental health professional on staff. For all of these reasons, creating opportunities for learning, connecting, and networking, is truly invaluable.

In what ways have you seen this project evolve? What impact have you seen thus far?

In the past four years, our School Counselor Cohort has doubled in size, reflecting the program’s sustained value. The shared learning is tailored to the unique milieu of Jewish day schools, providing content participants cannot access elsewhere. Case presentations create space for professional dialogue, strengthening both the skillset of individual counselors, and the broader community of practice. We also launched an innovative mentorship initiative, training cohort alumni to mentor new counselors and deepen leadership within the field. Participants consistently report feeling less isolated in their roles, benefiting from the cohort’s network, and gaining practical, relevant tools they can apply to their work.

Is there a Jewish teaching or ritual that helps guide you in this work?

ללמוד וללמד לשמור ולעשות

“To learn and to teach, to safeguard and to do” (Pirkei Avot 4:5) has been our guiding Jewish principle. Our school counselor cohort participants are here to learn and teach each other, and we are here to teach and to learn from them, as they are the experts on the wellness needs of their school communities. Cherishing these caregivers and enabling them to do their jobs to the best of their abilities continues to be our guiding light in designing and implementing the school counselor cohort program.