Psychotherapy and the Ultra-Orthodox Community : Issues and Treatment

This book contains a potpourri of articles written by haredi and religious mental health practitioners who were employed in a haredi sponsored mental health clinic that treated religious patients. The book is divided into two parts, part one addresses mental health issues and part two applies those issues in treatment cases. In part one, I found the article by a haredi psychoanalyst who described in an open and forthcoming manner the internal conflicts she faced in treating patients from the haredi community fascinating. Other interesting topics discussed in this section include rabbinic attitudes towards psychological treatment, clergy-clinician cooperation in treatment, and responsa by prominent haredi and orthodox rabbis to halachic questions raised by therapists in the treatment process. In the second part, highly creative and successful treatment interventions are described. I believe that mental health professionals, religious and secular, can gain practical insights and ideas for treatment from this book, particularly when working with a haredi and religious population. (Lynn Rothstein, Psy. D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the USA and licensed Rehabilitation Psychologist in Israel. Psychologist at the Young Women's Breast Cancer Clinic-Tel Hashomer Hospital, Ramat Gan and at Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular WellnessCenter for Women-Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem. Neuropsychologist-conducts neuropsychological and psycho-didactic evaluations, Efrat) --- I was glad to see that an English version of the previously published Hebrew book, "Psychological Treatment and the Haredi Community: Issues and Case Studies", is available for the English speaking public. I believe that mental health practitioners, rabbis and those interested in the interface between psychotherapy and Judaism will enjoy and benefit from this interesting and informative book. (Rabbi Naphtali Bar-Ilan, Community rabbi, Rehovot, Israel. Authored "Be Sanctified with Charity"; "Government and State in Israel According to the Torah", and numerous articles on psychotherapy and Jewish law.) --- Seymour Hoffman, Ph. D. is Supervising psychologist at the "Chiba" Community Health Clinic, Ma'ayenei Hayeshua Medical Center. Authored "Mental Health, Psychotherapy and Judaism", "Thinking out of the Box": Unconventional Psychotherapy and edited "Reader for Orthodox Jewish Psychotherapists: Issues, Case Studies and Contemporary Responsa" and "Rabbis and Psychologists: Partners or Adversaries". --- Hannah Bar-Joseph, Ph. D. is Head of psychological services, Ma'ayenei Hayeshua Medical Center, Bene Brak Israel. Previously was chief psychologist at the Rehovot Community Mental Health Clinic. Taught at Bar-Ilan University and the Religious Teachers' College of Jewish Studies, Moreshet Yaakov. Specializes in youth suicide prevention (therapy, lecturer, researcher).