This past Monday, Yeshivat Frisch held a student-driven Mental Health Awareness program, spearheaded by the school’s Mental Health Awareness Committee. The program featured a plenary speaker, Rabbi Dr. Saul Haimoff, who addressed the entire student body about the most important components of mental health, along with an explanation of talk therapy and why it is so psychologically helpful. Afterward, students attended a breakout seminar of their choice. An overarching goal of the program: End the stigma of mental health issues so all students can access support and know that they have a support system.

With 20 in-person options to choose from, the seminars were diverse, nuanced and included the following topics: CBT and DBT in the treatment of anxiety; creating permanent sleep hygiene and avoiding insomnia; executive functioning and ADHD; expressive arts therapy; journaling for self care; neuropsychology; mood optimization; red and green flags in relationships; mental health in Tanach and many more. The seminars were led by mental health professionals from across the New York-New Jersey area.

Frisch Mental Health Committee co-presidents, Maytal Nelson ‘24 and Rosie Fellig ‘23, spent months putting together the event, whose preparation included researching and reaching out to the presenters and crafting a program structure that would best speak to their fellow students. Nelson and Fellig then worked with the Frisch administration and Guidance Department to implement the program across the school.