FOR TEENS
SIBLING
jews d
in
the
MENTAL HEALTH
Sib4Sib
Teen starts support group for sibs of sibs
struggling with mental health issues.
RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A
29200 Northwestern Hwy, Suite #115
Southfi eld, MI
248-726-1090
WWW.ARMSTRONGSALESCOACHING.COM
26
October 19 • 2017
jn
nna S.* knows what it is like
to grow up with a sibling who
struggles with mental health
issues. The public meltdowns, the
hours spent in waiting rooms during
her brother’s countless therapy ses-
sions and the fear of bringing home
friends who might not understand
were all too familiar to the 16-year-old
high school sophomore.
What was missing from Anna’s life
was a group she could share these
challenges with, people who could
relate firsthand to her experiences,
thoughts and feelings.
“… as the sibling, I did not receive
the same support my sibling did,”
she says. “As I became older, I began
looking for a community for myself.
Through everything, I realized that I
needed my own safe space, something
to call mine, not my sibling’s, not my
family’s, but mine.”
After being unable to find an exist-
ing support group that was ongoing
and geared toward people her age,
Anna decided to take matters into her
own hands and create the community
she sought. She came up with the idea
for Sib4Sib, a support system for teens
who have siblings struggling with
mental health. After applying for and
receiving the Deutsch Family Micro
Grant through the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit and securing
help from educators and administra-
tors at Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills, Anna was able to
put her dream into action.
Sib4Sib is designed for teen siblings
(ages 12-18) of children struggling
with various kinds of mental health
issues including ADHD/ADD, anxiety,
depression, ASD (Autism Spectrum
Disorder), emotional impairment
and others. The central goal of the
program is to show siblings, who are
often profoundly affected by the needs
of the sibling with mental health chal-
lenges, that they are not alone with
their feelings and experiences. The
group will provide a safe space for sib-
lings to express their emotions and be
around other people who understand
what they are living with every day.
In addition to providing an outlet
and support system, the program will
help siblings develop skills for deal-
ing with their built-up emotions and
create strategies for dealing with the
everyday challenges of their unique
family situation.
Sammi Shapiro, educational admin-
istrative assistant at Adat Shalom, will
serve as the group’s adviser. Dr. Dana
Shapero, a local psychologist who
specializes in teen mental health, will
facilitate the group, which meets at
Adat Shalom on Thursday nights from
6-8 pm beginning Oct. 26.
“Confidentiality is extremely impor-
tant to us,” Anna said. “Dr. Shapero
and I have developed a contract not
only for teens, but for parents, too.
Everything said is to be kept in the
group and parents are not allowed
to ask teens questions. Teens must
come to them first; and if they choose