News & Impact

By Brittney Reiser, AMFT, Child Therapist at JFCS’ Center for Children and Youth Receiving a positive COVID-19 test in your family or community can be frightening for adults and children alike. Young children, who may not fully understand what this diagnosis will mean for them or their loved one, might ask questions like “Am I going to die?” or “When can I see grandma?” These questions may be painful to hear and difficult to answer. Parents and grandparents are likely managing their own anxiety, confusion, and uncertainty that comes along with a COVID diagnosis as well. Here are 5 strategies… Read More

“What is happening, Mommy?” “Are we going to war?” As we process the recent violence at the U.S. Capitol, our children may be asking questions that are difficult to answer. How should we talk to our kids and grandkids about such a difficult topic? How do we support them through stress, anxiety, and uncertainty? And how can we teach empathy, understanding, and respect so that future generations are inspired to build unity and to stand up against hate? JFCS offers a wide range of expert guidance and support to guide families through challenging conversations and to bring our community together.… Read More

When Claire was told—after three months of furlough due to the pandemic—that she would not have her job at a Jewish organization to go back to, she panicked. After suffering 10 years of violence and emotional abuse, Claire had just separated from her husband and started rebuilding a life for her two young children. Without an income, how would they stay in their new apartment? How could she guarantee that her kids would stay safe? COVID-19 has brought with it another pandemic: domestic violence has risen as stress, proximity, and increased substance abuse take their toll. In this short time,… Read More

As families continue to endure the effects of disruption and uncertainty, JFCS’ Center for Children and Youth has launched a new website to guide them through. The largest initiative JFCS has ever undertaken in our 170-year history, the Center for Children and Youth is transforming the way children’s mental health needs are addressed with the latest international research, evidence-based treatments, parent education, and advocacy for public policy that help families thrive. The website features video advice from clinicians, expert resources from JFCS’ Parents Place, and resources for schools, clinicians, and policymakers. It also includes dedicated support for families as they… Read More

With Bay Area residents sheltering in place, social isolation is putting thousands at risk while trying to keep them safe. Even before a statewide Shelter-in-Place was mandated, social isolation was known as America’s quietest health risk—afflicting everyone from children to seniors, and from stay-at-home parents to CEOs. Even under normal conditions, thousands in our community suffer in silence from the physical and mental health issues related to isolation and loneliness. Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks of many physical and mental conditions including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive… Read More

“Failure is mandatory to get better at anything,” said Dr. Madeline Levine in a recent conversation with JFCS about her new book Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World. Madeline, who is serving as an expert for JFCS’ new Center for Children and Youth, explained that parents need to exhibit confidence in their children’s resilience. She said, “I’ve watched my own son and his and wife react as their toddler falls on her butt over and over—they know she has to fall down 100 times in order to stand up”. When… Read More