Naomi Ruth Cohen was a daughter any parent would cherish and celebrate: a gifted artist, a skilled geriatrics counselor, a selfless volunteer, an accomplished professional who reveled in the rewards of a life shared with family and friends.

Marilyn and Larry Cohen

The passion with which she approached life made her illness, when diagnosed at age 30, all the more difficult to accept or understand. For two long years, a virulent form of bipolar disorder —characterized by frequent and intense mood swings—made steady inroads on her life, robbing her of her career, her marriage, and much of the joy that had long defined her nature. In May 2000, this littleunderstood illness wielded its final blow to the family when Naomi took her own life.

The Naomi Ruth Cohen Charitable Foundation, which her parents founded shortly afterwards, was created with a single goal: to educate the public about the stigma of mental illness. It represented Larry and Marilyn Cohen’s way of dealing with their grief and creating a permanent memory of their daughter. Once developed, however, the foundation became more than a memorial and a catharsis; it became a beacon, shedding light into some of the darkest corners of mental illness.

“So many people are afraid to talk about mental illness, or to acknowledge the shame and embarrassment they feel when it touches their families,” Larry Cohen says. “This was our initial reaction too— to keep it private. But we came to realize that if we didn’t speak up, people wouldn’t understand who Naomi really was. They would not understand the consequences of mental illness.”

The Cohens’ decision to “go public” resulted not only in the establishment of the foundation, but in a series of community mental health conferences that have, to date, provided information to more than 2,000 people—practitioners, consumers, family members, and the general public—about the devastating effects of bipolar disorder, depression, and other manifestations of mental illness. It has reached, and given voice to, people who had suffered too long in isolation.

“Most rewarding are the calls I receive from people who have attended the conferences or heard about us,” Cohen says. “People are so grateful to be able to talk about how mental illness had impacted their families, and to get information about where to turn, or who to talk to. It means so much to know that someone else won’t have to go through what we went through.”

Once developed, the foundation became more than a memorial and a catharsis; it became a beacon, shedding light into some of the darkest corners of mental illness.

In October, the Cohens made another decision—to integrate the foundation with the resources of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. The family’s gift of all foundation assets, the largest ever received by the school, and the establishment of the Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute for Mental Health Education was announced to trustees at the school’s October board meeting. In its new home, the institute will continue to fulfill its educational mission through conferences, workshops, the perpetuation of an annual fellowship for a TCS clinical psychology student, and a variety of other educational activities.

“This gift is an indication that others in the community share The Chicago School vision and understand that, working together, we can accomplish so much more,” President Michael Horowitz said in acknowledging the Cohens’ gift. “We are grateful to Larry and Marilyn for entrusting us with the foundation they have created, and for joining with us in the ongoing challenges of addressing mental illness.”

Larry and Marilyn Cohen will be active in the newly created institute, serving as chair and vice chair respectively. Jill Randell, who has served as administrator of the foundation since its inception, will continue as executive director.

“We talk about the ripples one little pebble can create,” Larry Cohen said. “Our hope is that this gift and this partnership will result in ripples that can help many people dealing with the realities of mental illness.”