Prevention. Intervention.

The Wellness Institute (TWI) is committed to support youth resilience by developing and disseminating behavioral health and suicide prevention education and resources to better equip youth and their families to overcome challenges during adolescence and young adulthood.

Our mission is to disseminate educational resources and trainings to assist youth worldwide in discovering meaning, hope, and resilience. TWI develops educational materials for parents and resilience-building programs that engage teens in meaningful discussions and provide evidence-based skills to enhance communication, problem solving and emotion regulation.

In addition, it trains individuals and organizations who provide educational, community-based, and clinical services.

Our Services

Teen discussion groups: We develop and distribute resilience-building curricula to facilitate meaningful discussion groups based on Jewish wisdoms.

Parents, educators, and youth leaders: We provide evidence-based training from the world’s leading experts on warning signs recognition, risk assessment, and effective interventions.

Community: We develop partnerships and host awareness events for the purpose of uniting organizations from all sectors in addressing youth mental health.

Educational resources: We publish original resources by leading experts for parents, educators, and youth leaders.

Continuing Education for Practitioners: Training designed to strengthen clinicians’ competence and confidence in effectively working with suicide risk.

Community Locations

In addition to our international reach, TWI has city-specific locations in:

Vancouver, BC

Project L’Chaim is a community-wide uplift effort in Vancouver, BC. The project is The Wellness Institute’s first regional branch. Guided by local and international suicide prevention and resilience experts, Project L’Chaim promotes teen mental health and empowers local schools, synagogues, and community organizations to address the mental wellness needs of the youth they serve. Community-wide awareness events and campaigns create a grassroots endeavor to focus on the mental well-being of teens.
Project L’Chaim is sponsored by the Diamond Foundation in loving memory of Steven Diamond Z”L.

Toronto, ON

With a large and involved Jewish community, Toronto is a perfect fit for bringing The Wellness Institute to a broad, community-wide impact. Working with local schools, synagogues, and organizations, we are easing access to existing local mental wellness tools, as well as educating local teens in suicide prevention and mental tenaciousness.
The Wellness Institute Toronto is made possible thanks to a gift by the Schulich Foundation.

Houston, TX

With its world-class hospitals focused on physical wellness, TWI Houston is bringing another look at mental wellness to the broader Houston community. Working with a midsize Jewish community enables us to identify and work closely with all of our community partners.

Facts

During COVID, 62.9% of youth ages 18-24 experienced debilitating anxiety or depression

In 2019, one-in-five U.S. high school students seriously considered suicide

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10 to 24

From 2007 until 2017, adolescent suicide rates increased by 56%

Source: CDC

JLI

For over two decades, JLI has developed and distributed quality resilience-building curricula, which offer continuing education credits for medical and mental health professionals. This wealth of material is currently taught in professional courses in over one thousand locations worldwide. The Wellness Institute builds on JLI’s extensive experience and reach.

Clinical Advisory Board

Michele Borba, Ed.D.

Michele Borba, Ed.D.

Best-Selling Author of Thrivers, Parenting & Child Expert, Educational Psychologist
Palm Springs, CA
d-brent

David A. Brent, MD

University of Pittsburgh
UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Pittsburgh, PA
Randal M. Ernst, Ed.D

Randal M. Ernst, EdD

Nebraska Wesleyan University
Lincoln, NE
Gittel Francis, LMSW

Gittel Francis, LMSW

Jewish Family Services
Houston, TX
Jill Harkavy-Friedman, PhD

Jill Harkavy-Friedman, PhD

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
New York, NY
Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., M.S. Ed

Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Madelyn Gould, PhD, MPH

Madelyn Gould, PhD, MPH

Columbia University
New York, NY
Lisa A. Horowitz, PhD, MPH

Lisa A. Horowitz, PhD, MPH

National Institutes of Mental Health
Washington, DC
Thomas Joiner, PhD

Thomas Joiner, PhD

Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
E. David Klonsky, PhD

E. David Klonsky, PhD

University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC
Lisa Miller

Lisa Miller, PhD

Columbia University
New York, NY
Lisa A. Horowitz, PhD, MPH

Lisa Jacobs, MD, MBA

Stanford University
Menlo Park, CA
Laura H. Mufson, PhD

Laura H. Mufson, PhD

Columbia University
New York, NY
Sigrid Pechenik, PsyD

Sigrid Pechenik, PsyD

New York State Office of Mental Health
Buffalo, NY
Tayyab Rashid, PhD

Tayyab Rashid, PhD

University of Toronto Scarborough
Toronto, ON
Bella Schanzer, M.D.

Bella Schanzer, MD

Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX
Andrew Shatte, PHD

Andrew Shatte, PhD

University of Arizona
Phoenix, AZ
Arielle H. Sheftall, PhD

Arielle H. Sheftall, PhD

Center for Suicide Prevention and Research,
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Columbus, OH
Jonathan Singer, PhD, LCSW

Jonathan Singer, PhD, LCSW

Loyola University
Former President, American Association of Suicidology
Chicago, IL
Casey Skvorc, PhD, JD

Casey Skvorc, PhD, JD

National Institutes of Health
American Public University
Washington, DC
Darcy Wallen, LCSW, PC

Darcy Wallen, LCSW, PC

Clinical Consultant
Williamsville, NY

Institutional Partners

Founding Partners

The David Rock Foundation
Irvine, CA

The Goldstein Family Foundation
Cincinnati, OH

The Schulich Foundation
Toronto, ON

The Zalik Foundation
Atlanta, GA

Francine Gani Charitable Trust
Palo Alto, CA

Robbins Family Foundation
Toronto, ON

The Diamond Foundation
Vancouver, BC

Supporting Partners

Lou D’Angelo
Mount Laurel, NJ

Myra Reinhard Foundation
Los Gatos, CA

Michael and Andrea Leven
Atlanta, GA

David and Debra Magerman
Merion Station, PA

Eli and Fraidy Nash
Miami, FL

Steve and Esther Feder
Los Angeles, CA

Ellen Marks
Rosemary Beth Moss Memorial Fund

San Diego, CA
Silver Spring, MD

The Harvey L. Miller Supporting Foundation
Chicago, IL

Dr. Ze’ev and Varda Rav-Noy
Los Angeles, CA

Mem Bernstein
New York, NY

The Shuchart Foundation for Mental Health Awareness
Bethesda, MD

Dr. Stephen and Bella Brenner
New York, NY

Howard Kaye
Boca Raton, FL

Hershel Lazaroff
Monsey, NY

Walter and Arnee Winshall
Weston, MA

Hertog Foundation
New York, NY

Cheston Mizel
Boca Raton, FL

The Team

Menachem Klein
Administrator

Zalman Abraham
Vision and Strategic Planning

Pamela Dubin
Impact Analysis

Mushky Lipskier
Project Manager

Rabbi Dovid Goldstein
The Wellness Institute
Houston

Raizy Lifshitz
Project Manager

Matti Feigelstock
The Wellness Institute
Project L’Chaim Vancouver

Orah Smith
Development

Mindy Wallach
Continuing Professional
Education Administrator

Moussie Lazaroff
Communictaions

Dina Zarchi
Liaison to Schools and Organizations

Rivka Mogilevsky
The Wellness Institute
Toronto

Basya Stevenson
Social Media

Efraim Mintz
Executive Director
The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI)

What people are saying

This booklet that you’ve produced is absolutely stunning. It’s wondrous. We’ve lost two kids to suicide or accidental overdose in the last three years, and some are holding on by a thread now, as are their parents.

TEMPLE BETH SHALOM
Santa Fe, NM

I was particularly impressed by the presentations made by Drs. Kranzler and Harkavy-Friedman. Their practical advice, built upon many years of experience, should resonate with your audience.

DR. JONATHAN SARNA
Brandeis University