For families navigating a child’s mental health needs, finding the right therapist can make all the difference. Care must be affordable and accessible, but it also has to be built on trust. 

Since 2023, The Ark’s Child and Family Wellness Program has responded to the growing mental health crisis among children in our community by supporting parents who may not have the resources to access care on their own. Through partnerships with schools, referrals to trusted clinicians, and holistic case management and wraparound services, The Ark helps families connect with the support their children need. 

Care Rooted in Trust and Understanding

Upward Community is a Chicago Jewish mental health organization that supports children, teens, young adults, parents, and educators through counseling, prevention, and enrichment programs. Upward’s therapists understand the needs of observant Jewish families, work closely with schools, and create an environment where children and parents feel understood. 

As The Ark’s Child and Family Wellness Program has grown, so has the need for trusted local partners who understand the Jewish community and can provide care that is both accessible and affordable. Upward has become an important resource for many Ark clients, offering culturally competent mental health care rooted in trust, familiarity, and clinical expertise. 

Expanding Access Through Partnership

Recognizing Upward’s positive outcomes for Ark clients and the impact of this care on families’ journeys toward greater stability and self-reliance, The Ark strengthened the partnership to connect more families in our community with Upward therapists. 

Thanks to a generous grant from the Jewish United Fund Mental Health Initiative last year, The Ark and Upward partnered to establish Upward as a Medicaid provider that can now serve even more families in our community in cost-effective and accessible ways. Due to this grant, The Ark supported Upward’s path to becoming a Medicaid provider while helping Ark clients continue therapy without interruption. Together, the organizations expanded access to culturally competent mental health care for Jewish children and families. 

Over the course of this development, Upward provided 286 appointments for Ark clients. With Medicaid approval now in place, many more families in our community will be able to benefit from Upward’s mental health services. 

Doing More Together

We are deeply grateful to Upward’s team of professionals who have embraced this partnership and our community, including Rachel Karesh, Executive Director; Aimee Shemano-Krupp, Director of Operations; Shuli Tsadok, Clinical Director; and the therapists, administrative staff, consultants, and billing partners who make this work possible. 

“We partnered together and did more than we could have done alone. This is what The Ark hopes to do across the community: strengthen trusted partners so more families can get the support they need.” —  Elizabeth Evans, Director of Strategy & Special Projects at The Ark 

Together, The Ark and Upward are connecting more Jewish children and families across Chicagoland with culturally competent mental health care and supporting their emotional and social well-being.