Sixteen-year-old Maya was not attending high school on a regular basis. With her parents separated, the oldest of four became quite isolated and spent many hours online. She had very little contact with people outside of social media.  Maya’s mother contacted JCFS Chicago’s Response for Teens to get help for her daughter. 

Telehealth services have reduced some of the barriers to receiving mental health counseling using digital technology. Teletherapy (also known as telehealth counseling) is especially helpful to clients that do not have the ability to visit with their mental health counselor in person.

By: Jody Miller, MA CCC-SLP

We are living in an unprecedented time that has posed numerous challenges to families around the world. Virtual learning and therapies are new to many families, but you are not alone. Integrated Pediatric Therapies is here to help. Whether setting up schedules, providing structure in the home or offering new strategies and parent coaching, we are here to support you so that you feel like you were trained to do this.

Rabbi David M. Rosenberg, Coordinator, Jewish Educational Services, JCFS Chicago Therapeutic Yeshiva reflects on Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion Month and the opportunities for success the JCFS Chicago Therapeutic Day School & Yeshiva create for students whose potential to achieve has been hindered by their emotional disability. 

The swimming pool is not only a great place to have fun with your kids, but it is also a great environment to increase attention and build cognitive language skills and body strength.

From the day we are born we are a member of a community. As our development progresses and we learn to convey our wants and needs, our involvement and inclusion in family and community life increases. In some instances, infants and young children require early intervention therapy to augment their social, emotional and physical development so that they become actively engaged in their community.

by Tabish Shamsi, M. A., Psychological Services Therapy Extern

What is mindfulness?

All human beings in the 21st century lead highly sophisticated lives compared to non-human animals. This is the result of having a uniquely evolved mind that allows us to perform advanced maneuvers like using language to plan, reason, evaluate, communicate, reflect on the past, and anticipate the future. These remarkable abilities have enabled us to construct a highly sophisticated society comprised of tall buildings, fast-moving aircrafts and advanced medical technologies such as hair-splitting microsurgery.

Our list of comprehensive services for children and their families continues to expand with The Disruptive Behavior Clinic (DBC), a new program under the clinical direction of Carri Hill, Ph.D. and Pia Todras, Psy.D., members of the Psychological Services team at JCFS Chicago.

The purpose of the clinic is help families with children aged 2-12 who are experiencing difficulty in managing their child's behavior, or who are concerned with emotion or behavior regulation at home, school or in public settings. Some examples of behavioral issues are noncompliance, aggression, irritability and tantrums.

By Lindsay Hardy, M. A.

Life in general presents us with ongoing challenges, many of which we feel unprepared to handle- parenting, divorce, interpersonal issues, etc.. At times, we need outside support to help us make sense of the challenges we face.  And so do children.  Pursuing counseling for a child, either as a primary service or an addition to current services, can foster positive change on a number of levels. It probably looks much different than you think.  However, knowing when a child might need this type of help can be challenging.