For almost 15 years, I lived in a house with a brother who struggled with his mental health, and I found no resources for myself as a sibling.
Through creating this community of siblings of individuals who struggle with mental health, I found that there are so many people who feel that they have no one else who understands them when really it’s quite the opposite. So at Sib 4 Sib, we design a range of developmentally appropriate activities with our licensed mental health professionals, both hands-on and psychological activities to help participants deal with their built-up emotions, and develop new coping skills.
Siblings who come to our support groups definitely share things that they wouldn’t tell anybody else, whether it’s because they know that they’re in a safe space, or just because they know that the other participants are going through very similar things.
When I see someone open up for the first time and see that they’re not alone in this journey, I really feel like I’ve achieved success.
Helping them to understand that they have an entire community of siblings behind them is something that I really take a lot of pride in.
Winning the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award has been an absolute honor because I know that all of the awardees uphold the same values that I do. We have so much passion and so much drive, and so much motivation. We will be the ones to change the world because we believe we can do it.