Art of Jewish Pastoral Counseling

Michelle Friedman, MD, is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst long involved in bridging religious life and mental health issues. In 1998 Friedman began the pastoral counseling program at YCT Rabbinical School. She is now director of that program and associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC.Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., is a psychologist and neuroscientist who has over the last 25 years conducted research on post-traumatic stress disorder and resilience. Dr. Yehuda has lectured in the Pastoral Counseling program at YCT, where she also served on the Board of Directors. She is currently Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine. She is also the Director of Mental Health at the James J. Peters Bronx Veterans Affairs Hospital.

• Preface Chapter One: Turning to Clergy for HelpChapter Two: Pastoral Counseling and Mental Health Treatment: a ComparisonChapter Three: Pastoral Presence and Personal LifeChapter Four: Setting Up the Pastoral Interview Chapter Five: Understanding What You HearChapter Six: Preparing for the UnexpectedChapter Seven: Establishing and Maintaining ConfidentialityChapter Eight: Working in GroupsChapter Nine: Integrating Components to Approach Complex SituationsEpilogue: Going Forward

"This book is necessary, informative, relevant, practical, and touching. For those interested in the modern rabbinate and its challenges, this book is heartily recommended. For those already in the pulpit, this book is required reading!"-Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President, Emeritus, Orthodox Union."The Art of Jewish Pastoral Counseling builds bridges – between pastoral counseling and psychotherapy, between rabbis and their congregants, between religious practice and supportive care. Its teachings are wise and clear in a way that both conveys and yet belies the depth of the thinking underlying them. This book brims with emotional and spiritual intelligence. Read it and leap to a new understanding of counseling in the religious context."-David Spiegel, M.D., Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine."Congregants in crisis routinely turn to faith leaders for guidance. Friedman and Yehuda’s book will be of immense assistance to rabbis, pastors and other faith leaders in meeting the needs of those crying in the wilderness of this life."-Victor Vieth, Senior Director & Founder, Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center, Board member, GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment)"Rabbis are constantly confronted with suffering and complex human relationships. Friedman and Yehuda present an excellent foundation for good pastoral work: listening and establishing the necessary conditions that create trust, safety and resilience, being aware of one’s own reactions and being able to establish boundaries and limits in order to be of maximal comfort. This is a wonderful addition to the literature."-Bessel van der Kolk M.D., Medical Director Trauma Center @JRI, Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine.