A large and attentive audience of about 150 crowded into the
Vishnitz hall in Stamford Hill, London on the evening of Rosh
Chodesh Kislev for the launch of Counseling in the
Community.
Counseling in the Community CnC -- is aiming to establish the
first nationally accredited counseling course in the country,
based on Torah values.
This springs from a recognition of the need for the charedi
community to enable its members to undergo a professional
training that does not contravene halacha, and -- more
positively - is imbued with true hashkofo.
This will enable clients to seek help from within the
community, should they wish to do so, rather than face the
possibility of being misunderstood by professionals from
outside the community.
Dr. Shalom Springer opened the evening by citing examples of
exactly this possibility, from the work of two eminent
psychiatrists, Roland Littlewood and Maurice Lipsedge, who
have been closely involved in working with charedi
clients.
For example, a male orthodox Jewish client who declined to
shake hands with a woman professional, was described by the
woman as catatonically withdrawn -- a perfect example of
normal religious behavior being misunderstood as a
psychiatric symptom. This kind of misunderstanding is exactly
what the charedi client fears, and CnC is being started to
overcome this difficulty.
Dr. Springer chaired the evening smoothly and wittily. He
took time to explain that CnC had, all through its
development, liaised closely and continues that process with
the rabbinate of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations,
in order to gain rabbinical approval for its aims and
constitution.
The first speaker was Dr. Martin Deahl, consultant
psychiatrist at the Homerton hospital, which meets many of
the psychiatric needs of the local charedi community.
Dr. Deahl said that in his experience mental illness
presented itself differently among Jewish clients than among
Anglo-Saxons, and that special understanding and knowledge
was needed to work appropriately. Psychiatrists do not have
time to offer sufficient counseling themselves, and he
welcomed the establishment of CnC which would enable people
from within the community to meet some of the needs of the
community.
In the modern age, Dr. Deahl said, society is so complex that
the support and advice that could be offered by friends,
family and rabbonim, is not always available, and the further
support offered by counselors was clearly needed.
Dr. Deahl also pointed out that a counseling service
involving Torah values could be a welcome alternative to non-
directive counseling; religious and spiritual values can have
a helpful effect in buffering the effects of stress.
Dayan Berel Berkovits said that Rabbonim should be more
proactive in educating and instructing the kehilla to
address mental health problems, citing halachic
sources for this suggestion.
The community at the moment has three fears about seeking
help for mental health problems. First, stigma: people are
afraid to be branded as having mental illness in the family,
and worried about how it will affect the shidduch
prospects of their children.
But problems do not go away if they are swept under the
carpet, and as with physical illness, the wisest strategy is
to confront the problem and look for a range of possible
solutions. This involves seeking appropriate assistance.
The second fear is that psychology and related professions
are seen as antithetical to Torah. CnC is being founded to
address this concern. Dayan Berkovits stressed the importance
of the highest professional standards in training.
He also discussed the question of when a concern with
fulfilling the mitzvos scrupulously might become a
clinical obsession.
In Dayan Berkovits' view, the borderline was clear. When a
person's performance of mitzvos causes suffering to
other people, then yiras Shomayim has given way to
obsessionality.
A final concern in the community is that some people feel
that it is preferable to consult a Rav or a Rebbetzin about
their problems.
While this is often helpful, there are points where this
could be supplemented by the time and skills that a
professional counselor may have to offer.
Rabbi Jonathan Dove, a professional counselor as well as a
student chaplain, stressed the positive aspects of
counseling. It is not just about dealing with the negative
aspects of life. It is also to enable people to evaluate
their options and to discover more positive directions in
their lives.
The counseling and psychotherapy professions have moved on
since the early days when they had a reputation for being
anti-religious. The charedi counselor can offer much --
counseling is not necessarily antithetical to Torah values,
and rightly conducted, it can enable clients to develop a
more spiritually and religiously fulfilling life. Rabbi Dove
offered several Torah sources in support of this view.
The lively and informative presentations were rounded off
with discussions of a wide range of questions from the
audience.
Topics included the cost of counseling services, how training
could fit in with other commitments, confidentiality, and the
importance of clients retaining choice over the services they
wish to use.
Jose Martin has put in tremendous effort to initiate and co-
ordinate CnC, and to organize the evening.
The hard-working committee includes Rabbi Avrohom Pinter who
will be liaising with the Union Rabbinate, and Dr. Chana
(Ann) Cohen and Rabbi Dovid Marlowe who liaised with the
excellent panel of speakers and organized the pleasant
venue.
