המאמרים בספר ממחישים את האופן שבו ההפריה ההדדית בין היהדות לטיפול פסיכותרפויטי מתבצעת באופן מעשי יום יומי, ומראים איך הרשויות הדתיות ואנשי מקצועים בתחום בריאות הנפש יכולים לעבוד ביחד לתועלת הדדית. אין בכך כדי לומר שתמו הקשיים, שכן עדיין קיימות דעות קדומות בחוגים מסוימים כלפי פסיכלוגים, עובדים סוציאליים, יועצים ופסיכיאטריים, וגם הם מוצאים את ביטויים כאן.
רבנים, יועצים, מטפלים, אנשי בריאות הנפש וכל מי שמתעניין בממשק שבין פסיכותרפיה ויהדות יכול למצוא עניין ולצאת נשכר מקריאת הספר זה.
This slim volume focuses on the interface between psychotherapy and Judaism. The topics considered are varied and relate to theoretical as well as practical issues. Reports of effective therapeutic treatments involving rabbis and psychologist, markedly differing opinions of various rabbinic authorities regarding psychotherapy, examples of psychological wisdom and insights of rabbis and religious leaders in effecting change in people, description of the workings of a unique mental health clinic under ultra-orthodox auspices, and responsa of contemporary rabbis to psychotherapy-halachic questions and issues, are some of the topics discussed in this volume.
In the addenda, examples of “Therapist-Friendly” and “Therapist-Unfriendly” views and comments of prominent rabbinic figures are presented as well as the clearly articulated views of a prominent orthodox Jewish psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, on the relationship between Torah and psychotherapy.
The last article, by two prominent Israeli mental health practitioners and authors, discusses the views and responses of two psychologically sophisticated, insightful and revered haredi rabbis to ultra-orthodox people suffering from religious symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
It is hoped that rabbis, therapists, mental health practitioners, as well as those interested in the interface between psychotherapy and Judaism, will find interest and benefit from reading this book.
Seymour Hoffman, Ph. D. is a senior clinical psychologist who has worked in various psychiatric hospitals, mental health clinics and a university student counselling service in the last 50 years in the United states and Israel. He is presently employed as a supervising clinical psychologist in a mental health clinic in Israel and is in private practice.