COMMUNITY EDUCATION

Counseling Skills for Torah Educators
Young men and women arriving in Israel from Jewish communities around the world may bring with them a myriad of psychological and social issues rarely seen in the past.  To effectively meet the challenges with which they are confronted on a daily basis, seminary teachers and mechanchim require a new set of insights and skills.  The Family Institute offers training for seminary mechanchot and mechanchim, taught by seasoned mental health professionals, enhancing psychological sensitivity and basic counseling skills so they can more effectively uplift the lives of those who turn to them for support, guidance and help in times of need.

Public Forums  
Once or twice a year, the Family Institute offers public lectures presenting current knowledge in the field of mental health within a Torah framework.  Prominent, respected speakers share insights and guidance to give strength and support to community members, thus providing a measure of prevention against the emergence of difficulties in living and family problems. 

Community Leadership: Shituf
Project Shituf is an educational program to inform, educate, and engage community leaders (educators, rabbonim, rabbaniot) in the battle against domestic abuse within the Dati/Charedi community.  Project Shituf's professional staff hold regularly scheduled sessions in several major religious Israeli communities, sharing insights, exploring strategies, discussing case examples, and encouraging initiatives that will support victims of abuse and violence to come forward and seek help with their difficulties.

Parenting Workshops
As part of the Family Institute's commitment to help avert problems before they begin, the Institute offers a series of workshops on strengthening the parent-child relationship, given in both Hebrew and English and adapted to suit the needs and hashkafot of religiously-observant families.

One parent workshop series is based on the well-known Faber/Mazlish parenting program, "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen" and "Siblings without Rivalry", while a second series for families facing divorce assists parents in placing their child's needs first during this difficult process. 

Project S.P.A.R.C. 
Spiritual, Psychological, And Religious Care

Jewish tradition provides a wellspring of spiritual resources that can be drawn upon as people seek counseling in times of distress. With the generous support of the UJA-Federation of New York, the Family Institute trains therapists to use spiritually oriented approaches in working with religious clients. Project S.P.A.R.C. also provides the Dati/Charedi community, and its rabbinic leaders, with Torah-based spiritual care strategies for addressing the community's critical mental health issues.

For further information about any of these programs, contact The Family Institute at
02-65-44-600 (Sunday to Thursday, 9:00 - 14:00)