"Inner Space: My Resilience Workbook" Provides Children Ages 5 to 10 with Inspirational Activities to Overcome Adversity
BROOKLYN, NY, December 18, 2023 – Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services launched its latest mental health resource – “Inner Space: My Resilience Workbook,” – a space-filled experience where children learn about resilience through hands-on activities and critical thinking exercises. The theme of outer space empowers children to explore a range of emotions as they discover how to become confident and strong in their youth and throughout their lives. Ohel’s Director of Children’s and Trauma Services, Tzivy Reiter, and Naomi Baum, Ph.D., an internationally known trauma and resilience psychologist, co-authored Inner Space. The pair previously wrote the popular “My COVID-19 Resilience Workbook” and the recent hardcopy book “I Feel That Way and That’s Okay.”
As a Jewish organization, Ohel and its trauma team have supported thousands of families navigating the war in Israel and those impacted in the U.S. with ongoing mental health resources. Ohel and Reiter identified an opportunity to leverage Inner Space to support families – especially small children – during this challenging time. Ohel has distributed 30,000 copies of the workbook to shelters, hotels, and mental health agencies in Israel for families displaced by the war, with more to come.
“Inner Space is a visually engaging resource that encourages children to think and talk about life, challenges, and emotions,” said Reiter. “We intend to create a conversation and support resilience-focused activities in the classroom or within home-based learning because resilience is a muscle children can build that benefits them for their entire lives. It is an honor to share our workbook with those who need it most.”
"Inner Space: My Resilience Workbook" is a project of Ohel Kestenbaum Family International Children’s Services, which provides global resilience-building programs to children and schools. One of the focal points of Inner Space is the “power pack,” which features special tools to help children understand and cope with their feelings and navigate challenging times. Specifically, the power pack showcases different coping mechanisms for various emotions and reinforces critical thinking skills. A teacher’s edition of the book is also available, allowing educators to guide students through the compelling and creative curriculum.
Ohel CEO David Mandel added, “It’s important to empower our children with tools and resources to address trauma, become resilient adults, and maintain healthy emotional awareness throughout their lives. As an organization, we recognize this is especially important to the Israeli community as they cope with the ongoing perils of war. We will continue to stand by Israel and all global communities to address mental health stigma and serve as a resource.”
Inner Space is available in English, Hebrew, Spanish, Arabic, and Ukrainian and as a special edition for Yeshivot/Day Schools. Contact Naomi Baum at naomi.baum@gmail.com to purchase bulk orders for schools in Israel at wholesale prices. Contact Laura Bart at laura_bart@ohelfamily.org for orders in the United States. Visit ohelfamily.org/resources to download free versions of the workbook.
