• 020 8458 2223
  • [email protected]
  • Emergency help
  • News & Blog
  • Contact us
Jami-with-strap-logo_aJami logoJami-with-strap-logo_aJami-with-strap-logo_a
  • Get support
    • Emergency help
    • Make a referral
    • What we do
      • Carer and Family support
      • Education and Training
      • Emergency Response Initiative Consortium (ERIC)
      • Online support
      • Head Room Café
      • Children and Young Person’s Service
      • Work skills
      • Social engagement
    • Jami Hubs
      • Edgware
      • Finchley
      • Redbridge
      • Hackney
    • About Mental Health
      • Mental Health First Aid
      • Glossary
    • Resources
    • Campus help and resources
  • Get involved
    • Donate
    • Fundraise
    • Events
    • Volunteering
    • Jami Ambassadors
    • On campus
      • Campus help and resources
    • Jami Mental Health Awareness Shabbat
    • Education and Training
    • Young Jami
  • About us
    • What we do
    • Our team
    • Our supporters
    • Our impact
    • Work at Jami
      • Job vacancies
      • Volunteering
    • News & blog
    • FAQs
    • Contact us
  • Events
  • Head Room Café
Donate
✕
Published by Jamiuk on September 1, 2020
Categories
  • Blog
Tags

Our community needs us to be there for them, please be there for us this Rosh Hashanah

Essential mental health support from Jami,
now available 24/7
DONATE NOW

Rosh Hashanah 2020

Shoshana and Michael have been married for over 30 years. On meeting them, they appear to be outgoing and sociable with a full and happy family life.

However, when Michael feels really low, he struggles to step out of the house and can’t face the world. Unable to accept the help he needs leaves Michael more isolated, with Shoshana his only connection to the outside world. These dark periods can last for days or sometimes weeks, until Michael eventually re-emerges.

“It’s heart breaking when your husband won’t accept help. Every day I wore a mask while underneath I was crumbling” – Shoshana

During the Covid pandemic Shoshana witnessed her husband becoming increasingly anxious and reluctant to speak to family and friends. She made excuses for him as to why he wasn’t answering his phone or replying to WhatsApp messages with his usual good humour. The increased worry and burden began affecting Shoshana’s sleep and focus.

With the country in lockdown, Shoshana contacted Jami, taking the first step in addressing both their needs for professional support. Through the Carers and Family Support Service she was introduced to a Jami social worker and to others experiencing similar situations. The guidance and support from both made a significant impact on Shoshana’s own wellbeing and on Jami’s advice she suggested to Michael that he contact Jami Qwell.

Jami Qwell is a free and anonymous online counselling service recently commissioned by Jami to provide mental health support to all Jewish adults.

Being able to talk to a trained counsellor anonymously removed some of Michael’s earlier embarrassment and allowed him to begin to understand his feelings. “Through the online community I was able to ‘talk’ to other people and learn from their experiences as well as to a qualified counsellor. I realised I wasn’t unique in having bouts of depression, particularly during lockdown, and that getting professional help is something I should have done a long time ago.”

With 1:1 support, Michael now has a step-by-step plan to help him leave the house for the first time since March, and is working on a longer term strategy to manage his depression in the future. Shoshana is hopeful that as lockdown continues to lift, Rosh Hashanah really does bring a happy and healthy new year.

This Rosh Hashanah please help to support people in our community who are living with mental illness. Jami can only meet the growing demand for services through your generosity.

DONATE NOW
Share

Related posts

May 9, 2022

Social connection reduces loneliness


Read more
April 27, 2022

Combatting loneliness through volunteering


Read more
April 7, 2022

The science of stress


Read more
April 7, 2022

Stress and the immune system


Read more

Contact us

Jami
Martin B Cohen Centre
Gould Way, Deansbrook Road
Edgware HA8 9GL

SatNav: HA8 9BE
020 8458 2223

Useful links

> Contact us
> Emergency help
> Make a referral
> FAQs
> Glossary
> Privacy policy
> Accessibility
> Annual Report 2019/20

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Registered charity no. 1003345. A company limited by guarantee. Registered in London no. 2618170.
© 2021 Jami UK. All Rights Reserved.
    Donate
    • Emergency help
    • News & Blog
    • Contact us