When a single Jewish mother named Beth needed help in paying for school supplies and clothing for her children, she turned to Jewish Family Service.

DBT Skills Group will be held weekly on Mondays from 9:30am to 11:30am starting April 1, 2019. Learn more about this evidence-based therapy!

Nearly 80% of United States workers say they live paycheck to paycheck, meaning an illness, higher-than-usual utility bill, or car trouble can be enough to set a responsible person on a precarious path.

Part of Jewish Family Service’s mission is to help individuals and families meet life’s challenges.  We have been able to do so in a new and exciting way over the past year, thanks to the Back on Track Fund, which was made possible through the generosity of the Geduldig Family.

As a small agency with a big impact, JFS often has more work than it can manage. We rely heavily on volunteers to help us in accomplishing our goals. Here’s the story of two friends who are making a big impact through their work as volunteers.

There are certain types of people that are often pushed to the sidelines or even out the door. They may engage in self-harm. They might have Bipolar or other mood disorders. Maybe they are in and out of the hospital and jail.

These are the people that Alyson Fogle, LPC, engages, working to help to prevent them from falling over the edge or through the cracks. “A lot of therapists don’t want to see them,” says Alyson. “It’s hard to build bridges and engage this population.”

Alyson practices in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which imparts a realistic, goal-setting approach to crisis management. “I like DBT because it allows me to connect with people when other approaches don’t. The way I explain it to my clients is that we’re partners in a rowboat. Neither of us are going to sit back while the other does all the work, and neither of us are going to drill holes in the boat. It’s teamwork.”

Alyson started full-time with JFS in early December and in addition to her DBT work, facilitates the Social Skills group for ages 5-8, works with children and adults with trauma, and specializes in addiction therapy.  Her goal for her clients: “I want to keep them in their lives. When they go to the hospital they’re out of their lives. They lose work, apartments. Everything gets turned upside down. DBT focuses on ‘their life worth living.’”

Alyson grew up in Harrisburg and received her bachelor’s degree from Temple University and her Master’s degree from Chestnut Hill College. She believes that everybody deserves to be able to live their life and try to find some enjoyment no matter their situation. “You can’t always make a world perfect for a client. But you can teach them how to live in the imperfect world that exists.”