Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions Webinar

Join us Tuesday, September 9 at 8pm to hear Dr. Eli Lebowitz (developer of Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions or SPACE) present supportive strategies for parents and caregivers to help children struggling with anxiety. JFS has a SPACE-trained clinician with immediate openings– this webinar is a great way to learn about the approach and see if it is a good fit! Anyone interested in SPACE treatment should complete this form or reach out to me at amacdonald@jfshartford.org or (860) 761-7099.

Details:
Breaking the Anxiety Cycle: A Scientifically Proven Program for Parents
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 | 8:00–9:30 p.m. EST
Click here to register. When registering, click on “Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford” from the dropdown menu provided.

In this free virtual workshop, you’ll learn how to:
· Respond to your child’s anxiety in a supportive way without rescuing
· Break the cycle of accommodation
· Build your child’s confidence and independence, even in difficult moments

About the Speaker:
Dr. Eli Lebowitz is a nationally recognized expert on childhood anxiety and the creator of the SPACE program—an evidence-based approach that helps parents reduce children’s anxiety by changing how they respond to it. He directs the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center.

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Parenting Youth in Crisis: DBT Strategies for Highly Sensitive Children Webinar

Tuesday, September 16 | 8:00–9:30 p.m. EST
Register for this free virtual workshop here.

You’ll learn:
• How to spot the early signs of suicide risk—even in high-achieving kids
• Why emotionally intense children are more vulnerable, and what you can do
• A DBT-informed parenting model rooted in warmth and real connection
About the Speaker:
In collaboration with The Wellness Institute, we invite you to join Dr. Bethany Michel, Director of DBT Vancouver, for a free virtual event on suicide prevention. Dr. Michel works with children and teens ages 5–19 who struggle with suicidality and emotional dysregulation. Her approach is powerful, practical, and filled with hope.

JFS 11th Annual Back-to-School Drive

Help local children and teens start the school year off right with a donation to the JFS 11th Annual Back-to-School Drive! Students who have the supplies they need are more likely to start grades Pre-K through 12 feeling confident and motivated to succeed.

With your help, we’ll distribute 180+ backpacks in time for the first day of school.

This drive is a community effort! JFS is grateful to our partners, the Mandell JCC and PJ Library, and to our sponsor, S&S Worldwide.

3 ways to give:

Supplies we need include crayons, pencils, pens, markers, pocket folders, notebooks, and glue sticks. For a complete list, visit bit.ly/JFSBackToSchool2025.

Please drop off donations during regular business hours at:

  • JFS, 333 Bloomfield Avenue, Suite A, West Hartford
  • The Mandell JCC, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford
  • The JCC Swim and Tennis Club, 4 Duncaster Road, Bloomfield

Questions? Call JFS at 860-236-1927.

PS – Mark your calendar for our backpack packing event on August 15th!

Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)

JFS is excited to offer Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), a group for parents and caregivers of children ages 3-17 with symptoms of anxiety. SPACE is a parent-based treatment, where the child is the client, but the parents attend a weekly in-person skills-based group to educate and empower themselves to support their child’s anxiety. SPACE was developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz of the Yale Child Study Center and is intended for parents of children who struggle with generalized anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety, phobias, OCD, and more. The group will focus on changing parent behaviors, rather than the child’s behaviors, to reduce accommodations and increase statements of support. While no diagnosis is required, we will complete a thorough screening of all interested families.

During this 7-week group, parents will:
• Gain a better understanding of the nature of anxiety
• Feel less alone in their experience
• Learn supportive responses to their child’s anxiety
• Break the vicious cycle of anxiety by stopping specific parental accommodations, allowing their children to learn how to self-regulate, rather than relying on parent(s)

$350 Group Rate: We are now recruiting for a summer cohort starting the first week of July, with evening and midday options.

$500 Individual Treatment: Individual treatment is available at a flat rate of $500.

More information on SPACE can be found at www.spacetreatment.net.

Please reach out to our Community Mental Health Liaison at amacdonald@jfshartford.org with questions.

Generously Sponsored By:

RBC Foundation – USA

Olga Sipolin Children’s Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee

McPhee Foundation

Free Bereavement Group

Please consider joining this group if you…

  • Would like to share your experience of grief and loss with others who can offer support

  • Are feeling intense grief after the recent or earlier loss of a loved one and you would like to seek understanding and assistance with managing your feelings
  • Are having difficulty or concerns about how to emotionally cope with the loss of your loved one
  • Are worried about the degree of emotional response or length of time that you are experiencing grief after your loss
  • Have concerns about how to manage your life situation after the loss of your loved one

Where:

Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford
333 Bloomfield Ave, Suite A
West Hartford, CT 06117

When:

Every Wednesday from 4:00-5:30pm

Who:

This group will be led by experienced Psychiatric APRN Theodora (Teddy) Sirota, PhD, APRN, CNL, PMHCNS-BC

Please reach out to our Community Mental Health Liaison at amacdonald@jfshartford.org with questions.