Student Mental Health: Reporting on Discussion Groups as a Method

This webinar reports on a pilot project, sponsored by the Ruderman Family Foundation, that recognizes the enormous mental health needs of college students — even before the current pandemic.

The project has tested whether mental health professionals and spiritual care professionals can offer students more as partners than either profession can alone. This approach is based on research the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab has conducted in recent years as well as an awareness that the one-on-one support offered both by therapists and chaplains on university campuses cannot be scaled to meet current demand.

Wendy Cadge, PhD is Professor of Sociology and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University, where she is also Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives. She is an expert in contemporary American religion, especially related to religion in public institutions, religious diversity, religion and immigration, and religious and moral aspects in healthcare. Among her publications is Paging God: Religion in the Halls of Medicine, which explores how doctors, nurses and hospitals address religion and spirituality. She has garnered $5 million in funding, including from the John Templeton Foundation and the Henry Luce Foundation, to support her work and that of her colleagues.

Hadassah Margolis is a clinical social worker and the Lead Therapist at McLean’s Spirituality and Mental Health Department, where she has helped develop the hospital’s first-ever Spirituality and Treatment groups. She is also a staff clinician and group therapist at the Brandeis Counseling Center. Hadassah, along with Kitty Dukakis, launched the Spirituality and Mental Health Discussion Series, which has expanded to include a variety of mental health workshops and groups, and is supported by the Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project. Hadassah is a 2020 Commonwealth Heroine and was a 2019 CJP Chai in the Hub honoree.

Sharon Shapiro has been an active member of the Greater Boston Philanthropic community for many years. Her current projects reflect her family’s deep commitment to promoting disability inclusion in the Jewish community. She is also passionate about teaching teens about philanthropy – serving on the Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston (TFGB). Sharon has made major contributions to inclusive Jewish education through many years of service on the Board of Directors of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Combined Jewish Philanthropy (CJP), as well as the Committee on Services for People with Disabilities and the Special Education Committee, all at CJP.

Peggy-Anne Tio grew up in California, where she earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology at San Diego State University and her Master’s in Higher Education and Student Affairs at University of San Francisco. While at USF, Peggy worked as a Resident Minister fostering student engagement through Communities of Reflection (CORe) and assisting the Director of Liturgy and Music with student masses. Upon finishing her Master’s, Peggy relocated to Washington, DC to take a variety of roles in the administration at Georgetown University. Most recently, Peggy served as the Associate Director of Diversity & Equity at Holy Trinity School, a PK-8 Catholic grade school based in Washington, DC. In her spare time, Peggy previously coached rowing at Sidwell Friends High School. Peggy is currently pursuing her MEd in School Counseling at UMass Boston to further her career working with students.