Psychotherapy with conservative and reform Jews.

Abstract

You shall love the Lord your G-d with all your mind, with all your strength, with all your being. Set these words which I command you this day, upon your heart. Teach them faithfully to your children; speak of them in your home and on your way, when you lie down and when you rise up.-Central Conference of American Rabbis THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK: A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONSERVATIVE AND REFORM JUDAISM Jewish history, as may be true of many histories, is compounded with fact, emphases, and interpretation. The history presented in this chapter is our interpretation and emphases on Jewish history, for the purpose of clarifying Conservative and Reform Judaism primarily as it is exists in the United States. It can usefully be read with the history in chapter 10, which, with its somewhat different emphases and interpretation, expands the reader's grasp of how it was that so small a tribal group came to have so large an impact on human history and society.

Spiritually oriented treatment with Jewish clients: Meditative prayer and religious texts.

“…Considering the traditional focus on communal and scripted prayer, Orthodox Jews may view private, in-session prayer as inappropriate. As such, instead of actually engaging in prayer during sessions, therapists may want to discuss in treatment the client's experiences and thoughts when they pray communally (Miller & Lovinger, 2000). Religious Jewish clients should be open to discussing the thoughts they may have during their prayers, considering the importance placed on focusing and concentrating during prayer in traditional laws of prayer.…”

“…As such, some clients may have felt alienated or distant from prayer in the past as a result of a disconnection with tradition. Hence, prayer in therapy with these clients needs to be approached cautiously as the experience may reignite the alienation or may result in a religious reawakening (Miller & Lovinger, 2000).…”

Religion, Ethnicity, Culture, Way of Life: Jews, Muslims, and Multicultural Counseling

“…To work with Jewish clients, counselors must understand the complexity of being Jewish, as well as the environmental factors that influence the lives of all Jews (e.g., Christian privilege, antisemitism). Other scholars have noted that introspection, the expression of emotions, and articulation and debate are valued in Jewish culture (Langman, 1997;Levitt & Balkin, 2003;Miller & Lovinger, 2000). Hence, mental health professionals should recognize that a Jewish client might want to debate the issues being discussed and that this desire might not be evidence of defensiveness.…”

“…When working with non-Orthodox Jews, counseling professionals are encouraged to be mindful of the role that rituals play in maintaining Jewish identity across generations of families (Miller & Lovinger, 2000). For example, as noted by Miller and Lovinger, "more than the Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews" (p. 275).…”

Psychotherapy with religious and spiritual clients: an introduction

“…During the same period of the 1980s, many theologically conservative clients became more assertive in seeking explicitly religious psychotherapists who tailored their approach to a specific religion (Miller & Lovinger, 2000;Thurston, 2000;Wylie, 2000). For example, the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) contains more than 50,000 counselors, primarily master's-level therapists.…”