A Practical Guide to Rabbinic Counseling

Description

Provides the requisite knowledge and practical guidelines for some of the most common counseling situations.

Today's rabbis, in addition to being spiritual leaders of their congregations, are also expected to be competent counselors to members of their community. Yet rabbis often feel inadequately prepared for the difficult challenges of their counseling role.

To many, rabbinic counseling appears deceptively simple, requiring no more than good intuition, fair judgment and sincere empathy. Good counseling, in reality, is a complex process requiring a combination of knowledge, skill, self-awareness and an understanding of human dynamics.

This groundbreaking book—written specifically for community rabbis and religious counselors—reflects the wisdom of seasoned professionals, who provide clear guidelines and sensible strategies for effective rabbinic counseling.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Abraham J. Twerski
• Judaism
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 24 septembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580236829
• Langue: English

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D EDICATION
THIS BOOK WAS encouraged and supported by the Legacy Heritage Fund Limited, whose purpose is to honor and perpetuate the legacy of scholarship, Torah values, and learning that were the hallmarks of my parents lives, Bella and Harry Wexner z ll . Committed Jews and committed Zionists, my parents held true to their beliefs throughout their lives of hard work and struggle, achieving only late in life their dream of creating one of the major retail conglomerates in the world. This book is meant to honor their devotion to Jewish values and their respect for Jewish scholarship and research.
The vision and values of Bella and Harry Wexner permeated both their private and business lives. Devoted wife and husband as well as business partners, they believed that Torah values ought to be brought to all parts of one s life and not be reserved for the Sabbath and holidays. The Torah, they believed, acts as a moral compass, always pointing the way to ethical living. The rabbi s role is a vital one, because it falls to the rabbis to bring their congregations not just Torah learning, but the application of its values to all aspects of daily life.
Historically, rabbis have always been the consummate scholars and teachers of the Talmud and Torah law. Upon the rabbis ascension to community leadership, however, there has always been an implicit expectation that they serve in many more capacities than that of learned teacher. A rabbi is expected to be more than a scholar. He is expected to be an inspired and inspiring spiritual leader to whom one turns in times of distress. Throughout Jewish history, the rabbi, in addition to his role as Torah scholar, has also assumed the roles of many helping professions. He has often acted, in effect, as a marriage counselor, psychotherapist, personal coach, bereavement counselor, social worker, and mediator in community disputes.
Until now rabbis were not trained for these additional roles. They simply worked intuitively. In more recent times, however, it has become evident that rabbis need to be better trained for their ever more challenging and complex roles as community leaders. With this in mind, the Legacy Heritage Fund Limited established the Bella and Harry Wexner Kollel Elyon and Semikha Honors Program at Yeshiva University under the auspices of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS).
Dr. Yisrael Levitz, the program s first director, designed and facilitated an intensive skills training program whose aim was to give rabbis the requisite skills that would enable them to function competently in a wide range of rabbinic responsibilities, particularly pastoral counseling, dispute resolution, crisis intervention, and communication skills. Presenting an innovative and creative approach to the training of rabbis, the program honors the innovation and creativity that marked the accomplishments of my parents, Bella and Harry Wexner.
This book captures the heart and soul of the program in order to disseminate it widely and thereby assist rabbis worldwide in their vital roles. This book is meant to equip rabbis for the real-world challenges of modern day realities by providing them with a broad knowledge base and practical insights into the kinds of issues in which they will need to engage as rabbinic counselors. We hope that the many pragmatic therapeutic strategies discussed in these pages will provide a broad base of knowledge and support for rabbis, enhancing their ability to provide comfort and solace where it is needed most by those struggling with life s problems.
Susan Wexner
C ONTENTS
Dedication
Susan Wexner
Preface
Abraham J. Twerski, M.D .
Personal Reflections
Yisrael N. Levitz, Ph.D .
1. The Rabbi as Mental Health Practitioner
Yisrael N. Levitz, Ph.D .
2. Basic Principles of Rabbinic Counseling
Rona Michelson, D.S.W. Yisrael N. Levitz, Ph.D .
3. Mental Health and Mental Illness
Yisrael N. Levitz, Ph.D .
4. Understanding Mental Disorders: Guidelines for the Rabbi
Rael Strous, M.D .
5. Counseling Congregants in Crisis
David Pelcovitz, Ph.D .
6. Visiting the Hospitalized Patient
Daniel H. Jackson, Ph.D . Susan Taylor Jackson, Ph.D .
7. Counseling the Terminally Ill Congregant
Phyllis Dvora Corn, M.Sc. Benjamin W. Corn, M.D .
8. Counseling Parents of a Dying Child
Yisrael N. Levitz, Ph.D .
9. Suicide: The Rabbi s Role
Rael Strous, M.D .
10. Counseling the Bereaved
Rabbi Maurice Lamm Dodi Lee Lamm, M.S.W .
11. In the Aftermath of Disaster: Counseling Children and Their Parents
David Pelcovitz, Ph.D .
12. Helping the Addicted Congregant
Abraham J. Twerski, M. D .
13. Counseling the Single Congregant: Strategies for Rabbinic Intervention
Rosie Einhorn, M.S.W. Sherry Zimmerman, J.D .
14. Premarital Counseling
Lisa Aiken, Ph.D .
15. Counseling Couples in Distress
Neal D. Levy, Ph.D .
16. Domestic Abuse: What Every Rabbi Needs to Know
Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. Lisa Goodman Twerski, M.S.W .
17. Resolving Conflicts: The Rabbi as Mediator
Robert A. Baruch Bush, J.D .
18. Rabbinic Confidentiality
Sylvan J. Schaffer, J.D., Ph.D .
19. Referring to a Mental Health Professional
Norman Blumenthal, Ph.D .
20. The Rabbi and His Family
Yisrael N. Levitz, Ph.D .
Contributors
About the Editors
Copyright
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A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
AT THE CORE OF THIS book is my (Levitz) experience with the hundreds of rabbinic students whom I have been privileged to teach over the past twenty years. These are the students of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, the Bella and Harry Wexner Kollel Elyon , and the Gruss Kollel in Jerusalem. The pure motivation of these rabbinic students to serve the Jewish community, their dedication to personal and spiritual growth, and their eagerness to become both skilled and dedicated rabbinic leaders is a continuing source of inspiration.
This book would not have been possible without the invaluable support, vision and encouragement of Ms. Susan Wexner and the Legacy Heritage Fund Limited. Susan Wexner, a pioneer and visionary has been in the forefront of the current movement to raise the level of rabbinic preparedness for service to the Jewish community. Her courageous initiatives and the mission of her work over the past several years has honored and perpetuated the memory and legacy of her parents Bella and Harry Wexner z l . They were indeed individuals of great personal integrity, who were committed to sustaining scholarship, perpetuating torah values, and supporting many great and worthy causes. It is a distinct honor to dedicate this book to their blessed memory.
We would also like to thank our reviewers Leslie Newman and Bracha Steinberg for their many helpful suggestions, in-depth comments, and technical advice, in reviewing the multiple drafts of this book. We are indebted as well to Rabbi Zevulun Charlop and Rabbi Chaim Bronstein for having facilitated the publication of this book in so many ways, and to Rabbi Dovid Refson, Dr. Pinchus Kahn, Dr. David Pelcovitz, Rabbi Dovid Miller, and the rabbinic students of the Gruss Kollel in Jerusalem, who read early drafts of the manuscript and provided candid feedback, critical insights, and valuable comments.
For the both of us (Levitz and Twerski) the publication of this book has been a most gratifying experience both personally and professionally. As colleagues and friends, our collaboration has provided us with the unbeatable combination of intellectual and spiritual stimulation, along with a warm and supportive comradeship. For this too we are grateful.
With gratitude to the Almighty, we hope this book is as rewarding to read as it was to publish.
Yisrael N. Levitz Abraham J. Twerski
P REFACE
THE DISCIPLINE OF medicine, with its knowledge of human physiology and pathology growing by leaps and bounds, has evolved into a multiplicity of medical specializations. In contrast to the general practitioner of yore, most physicians now develop expertise in a rather limited area of medicine.
The rabbi of today resembles the general practitioner of yore. In addition to being the spiritual leader of his congregation, conveying the wisdom of Torah, rendering decisions on issues of Jewish law, and conducting certain rituals for the congregation, the rabbi is also widely sought as a counselor to his congregants. He is often the first person to whom they turn for help.
Counseling requires an understanding of the human thou