The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim Director's Message

DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE

     YISRAEL LEVITZ, PH.D., ABFamP
     Founding Director, The Family Institute of
    Neve Yerushalayim
    Dean, Center for Foreign Studies

I welcome your interest in The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim, a family therapy training center and counseling clinic for Israel’s Dati/Charedi community.

Machon L’Mishpacha, the Family Institute’s mental health clinic offers a full spectrum of affordable mental health services, providing low-cost, high quality psychotherapy to thousands of distressed individuals, couples, and families who might otherwise not be able to afford these services. Since no-one is ever turned away for lack of financial means, the Family Institute is able to provide for the psychological needs and help improve the lives of an underserved community that is reportedly amongst Israel’s poorest.

To keep pace with critical community needs, the Family Institute has developed distinctive units specializing in psychotherapy with children, adolescents, victims of trauma and domestic violence, troubled families and distressed couples.

The Family Institute is also a training center where religious therapists acquire new clinical skills, fresh insights, cutting edge therapeutic strategies, and a deeper understanding of the most salient issues of clinical practice. Intensive training programs include supervised clinical practice, professional seminars, courses, conferences, and skills training workshops throughout the year. We are proud of the fact that many of our graduates are making significant contributions to the well being of the religious community and the general public throughout Israel.

Because knowledge is a powerful force for the prevention of mental health problems, the Institute offers ongoing community education programs for rabbis, rebbetzins, religious educators, parents, and the general public.

We at the Family Institute feel privileged to serve our community, and welcome you to join us in bringing healing and psychological well-being to the many thousands of distressed individuals in need of the services we provide. It is what “chesed” is all about.

Yisrael Levitz, Ph.D., ABFamP
Founding Director,
The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim
Dean, Center for Foreign Studies

Dr. Yisrael Levitz is the founding director of the Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim. He is a Clinical Psychologist, ordained Rabbi, and Professor Emeritus of Yeshiva University's Wurzweiler School of Social Work, where he held the distinguished Bennett Chair in Pastoral Psychology and headed the school's Psychopathology and Human Behavior departments. He was a practicing psychologist for over three decades as well as director of the South Shore Psychological Center in Woodmere, New York.

Dr. Levitz is a Board Certified Diplomate in Marriage and Family Therapy, a Fellow of the Academy of Family Psychology, and a noted lecturer on a wide variety of psychological and Judaic topics. Dr. Levitz was instrumental in training rabbinic students and designing the Pastoral Counseling program at Yeshiva University's Rabbinic Seminary. He was appointed Director of Supplementary Rabbinic Studies for the Bella and Harry Wexner Rabbinic Program at Yeshiva University's rabbinic seminary, and developed its pioneering program in pastoral counseling, conflict resolution, and communication skills for rabbis. He has recently published a book with Dr. Abraham Twerski entitled A Practical Guide to Rabbinic Counseling (Feldheim Publishing). He continues to train and instruct young rabbinic students and their wives at Yeshiva University's Gruss Institute in Jerusalem.