Our Daughters, Our Future: An Educational Series Exploring Girls’ Mental Health and Wellness

In response to increasing rates of mental health challenges facing girls and young women in the Jewish community, Gateways is convening a series of experts to speak directly to parents and educators on how to identify early warning signs of girls’ mental health issues and share strategies to support girls who are struggling. All webinar presentations are free and require pre-registration.
This series is supported with generous funding from The Miriam Fund of CJP Boston. The Miriam Fund is a philanthropic community committed to creating an equitable world that expands opportunities for women and girls. However, individual webinars in the series touch upon the experiences of girls, boys, and non-binary individuals, and parents and educators of teens of all genders are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Videos of all webinars, as well as resources provided by our experts, can be found below.
- Our Daughters, Our Future: An Educational Series Exploring Girls' Mental Health and Wellness
- Upcoming Webinar
- Resources
- Anxiety and Depression
- Mental Health & Our LGBTQ+ Youth
- April: Self-Injury and Suicide
- June: Trauma
- April: Self-Injury
- February: Eating Disorders
- December: Bullying
- October: Anxiety and Depression
- Series Promoting Partners
Upcoming Webinar
There are no upcoming events at this time

Resources
- Let’s Talk About Your Child’s Technology Health – by Nancy J. Kislin, LCSW, MFT
- Handhold – A website to guide parents in caring for children’s mental health and emotional well-being
- Resources on Bullying and Relational Aggression
- Resources on Anxiety and Depression
- Resources on Eating Disorders
- Resources on Self-Injury
- Resources on Trauma
- Resources on Reintegration Post-COVID
- Resources on Anxiety
- Resources from Conversation about Self-Injury and Suicide

Browse by Topic
Anxiety and Depression
Webinar Recordings
Beyond the Basics of Teens & Anxiety: What Works, What Doesn’t, & How to Know the Difference
Raising Resilient Teens: Strategies to Manage Anxiety, Stress and Depression
Social Media and Self-Esteem
Reintegration Post-COVID

Mental Health & Our LGBTQ+ Youth
with Jaimie Krass of Keshet
The past 2.5 years have brought on unprecedented stressors for adolescents: a global pandemic, political divisiveness, and more anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being considered and passed than ever before. Relying on groundbreaking research from the Trevor Project and Keshet’s own work with LGBTQ+ Jewish teens, we explore the landscape of the LGBTQ+ youth experience with mental health and deepen our understanding of how we can show up as listeners, supporters, and advocates.

April: Self-Injury and Suicide
How to Talk About Self-Injury and Suicide with Teens: A Conversation with Dr. Ashley Warhol
One of the questions parents and teachers most often ask is: how do I talk about suicide? Where do I even start? In this webinar, part of Gateways’ ongoing “Our Daughters, Our Future” series on teen mental health and wellness, we discuss how to have conversations with our teens about suicide and self-injury, and also spend time focusing on how to talk about these challenging topics when a sibling or other family member is struggling. Our presenters, both teen and professional, provide tangible strategies and invite you to engage in an open dialogue.
This educational webinar was presented on April 5, 2022, made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Miriam Fund of CJP.

June: Trauma
The Impact of Trauma on Our Youth: Myths, Facts, and Strategies
The experience of trauma is prevalent throughout our communities and impacts individuals functioning across all domains. The ACES study has demonstrated that trauma impacts not only our mental health, but our physical wellbeing. Trauma can be generational and occurs in many different forms. The good news is that with treatment and the presence of positive relationships, we can foster resilience and heal. This webinar focused on understanding the impact of trauma and building resilience in those who have lived through traumatic experiences and explored the presence of intergenerational trauma in the Jewish community. The session was led by psychologist Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern, and featured a young speaker who shared her lived experience.

April: Self-Injury
Self-Injury: Understanding the Risks & Signs and Promoting Resilience
Self-injury can be a complex and frightening topic for those living and working with adolescents. This webinar gave parents and educators practical information on dispelling myths about and recognizing the signs of self-injurious behavior in young people, and provided strategies on how to have conversations with teens that decrease stigma. The session was led by psychologist Dr. Ashley Warhol, and featured a young speaker who shares her lived experience.
Our Speaker: Ashley Warhol, Psy.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Clinical Services and Internship Training at Devereux Massachusetts & Rhode Island. Dr. Warhol specializes in treating youth with chronic mental health difficulties, specifically those who have experienced complex trauma and significant suicidal ideation and self-injurious behavior. Dr. Warhol provides training locally and nationally on best practices for working with LGBTQ youth, self-harm and risk management, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. In addition to her work at Devereux, Dr. Warhol teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at Becker College and Assumption University. Dr. Warhol also serves on the Board of APA’s Division 53 Special Interest Group for Acute, Inpatient, and Residential Services.

February: Eating Disorders
Identifying Eating Disorders and Promoting Resiliency
This webinar will gave parents and educators strategies to recognize the signs and symptoms of eating disorders and to support children and teens who exhibit them. Led by experienced psychologist and professor Dr. Allyson Cherkasky, and featuring a young woman who shared her experience living with an eating disorder, the presentation focused on how adults can help young people harness their power to maintain healthy relationships with their bodies and food.
Our Speaker: Dr. Allyson Cherkasky is a licensed psychologist and associate professor at William James College in Newton, MA. She is the director of the Health & Behavioral Medicine area of emphasis in the Counseling and Behavioral Health Department. Dr. Cherkasky completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Behavioral Medicine Program at Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medicine School and has held staff psychologist positions in Women’s Heath at CHA, Newton-Wellesley Eating Disorders & Behavioral Medicine, and Medical Weight Loss at Beth Israel Lahey Health. She was the former clinical director at Walden Behavioral Care, has worked in private practice, consulted, and provided supervision over the past two decades. Her clinical and teaching interests are in women’s health, eating disorders, weight management, behavioral medicine, integrated behavioral health, and social determinants of health. In addition to teaching, Dr. Cherkasky thoroughly enjoys mentoring early career professionals.

December: Bullying
Creating a Culture of Dignity: Moving Beyond Bullying
Based on over twenty years of teaching and constant feedback from today’s generation of young people, Rosalind Wiseman’s presentation is a call for action to transform the way we understand young people and create communities where children can thrive. From young people’s friendships, bullying, anxiety, social media use, conflicts with friends and family, and the constant pressure to “keep up,” she shares how we can best connect with young people; especially now when they need us most. She gives concrete advice for us so we, in turn, can guide the young people in our care while avoiding the common communication breakdowns and power struggles that often occur between young people and adults.

October: Anxiety and Depression
Striving to Raise Resilient Teens in these Uncertain Times: Strategies to Manage Anxiety, Stress and Depression
Learn from Nancy Kislin, LICSW, a nationally recognized expert working with teens and parents to navigate through the stress and angst of the modern world. Author of the book, LOCKDOWN: Talking to Your Kids about School Violence, Ms. Kislin appeared recently on CNN with a simple, but profound message: Only when we bring our whole, complete, flawed and authentic selves to our roles as parents, educators, and members of a community can we raise kids resilient enough to handle the many challenges of life today. We also hear an inspiring first-person account of recovery from a young woman speaking with This Is My Brave, a national organization that uses the power of storytelling to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Series Promoting Partners
Categories: Mental Health Initiative
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