Reform in groundbreaking appointment of young mental health officer

Reform communities will have access to mental health support and training for the first time.

Mark Greenfield will be Reform Judaism’s first ever Young People’s Mental Health Welfare Officer, after a single donor provided the funds for the position this week.

The role will come into affect on 24 April, and will include the giving of training and advice to communities, as well as creating strategies for young people with special needs. Greenfield’s position will have a particular focus on mental health and child protection within the RSY-Netzer youth movement.

Laura Janner-Klausner, Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism said: “The establishment of this new role takes us to a new level of inclusion and our duty to care and safeguarding. Mark is an exceptional person who brings both mental health expertise and a youth movement background.

“We feel blessed to have received this donation and to have such a fabulous person to implement our mental health strategy in partnership with our existing team”.

Mark Greenfield, who joins Reform from a role at JW3, where he worked as Head of Community Programming,  said: “I am thrilled to be back at Reform Judaism focussing on mental health issues and raising awareness of this vital area of wellbeing. I will be working closely with all of our communities to help increase capacity through training and researching their particular needs as well as getting stuck in to Israel tour and summer camp preparation and training”.

Greenfield’s experience includes being a family support worker in Hackney, involvement in Reform’s summer camp as a welfare officer, in addition to being a member of the Sephardi music project Los Desterrados.