KU Hillel was honored at the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s annual meeting with the Program of the Year award, acknowledging its mental health and wellness initiatives for Jewish college students at KU.
“We are extraordinarily grateful for the support of our Jewish community, including our incredible partners at the Federation, for the recognition of the work we do every day with our students,” Suzy Sostrin, executive director, said. “Our students are so thankful for the support and ease of access to these mental health services, from free therapy appointments with a licensed therapist to peer mentorship programs diving into reducing the stigma associated with mental health struggles.”
The free therapy appointments were created in partnership with Jewish Family Services of Kansas City. Over the years, this partnership has expanded, and Wendy Anderson, MSW, LMSW, of JFS has become a full-time therapist for Hillel students.
The wait to see a therapist at available on-campus options is over six weeks (and sometimes months), which does not work for any student in crisis. With Anderson available for in-person and virtual appointments, KU Hillel can manage without a wait list with this partnership with JFS for additional therapy spots, if needed.
Anderson remarked on the impact it makes for college students to have readily-available therapy and mental health services at KU Hillel.
“I have the great honor of helping students navigate their daily lives when they are struggling with the stresses of school, relationships, society, and larger forces beyond their control,” Anderson said. “The collaboration between JFS and KU Hillel allows for students to receive therapy services at no cost, which makes it accessible to anyone who needs it.”
KU Hillel also created a specific Jewish-infused curriculum for a peer mentorship program with Anderson and JFS. Stronger Than You Know is a cohort of students who meet together to learn more about mental health and wellness and bring that to the Hillel community. It utilizes the upstream approach, which helps students identify and prevent harmful behaviors and mental health concerns before they turn into a crisis.
“We will be training another cohort of students this spring, following the success of our first few cohorts,” Sostrin said. “Our students are eager to get more involved in helping their peers, especially in the mental health space.”
Each cohort represents a diverse cross-section of KU Hillel’s Jewish community, encompassing a variety of grades and lived experiences. Additional wellness programming varies each semester at KU Hillel as it responds to the needs of students. Other wellness opportunities include Wellness Wednesdays, weekly drop-in healthy lunches with Hillel’s therapist and room to unwind, to specific Shabbats sparking conversations on mental health.
KU Hillel is grateful for the generous support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, Menorah Heritage Foundation, Menorah Women’s Foundation, the Lowenstein Family Supporting Foundation, Jewish Community Foundation, and many more.
