Advanced Theory for Practitioners

Hebrew

Directions

Our Address is:
Beit Yitskhak St 1, next to Rechov Hakablan 10.
We are located on the Neve Yerushalayim campus in Har Nof.

When entering the Neve Yerushalayim gate
walk past the guards booth and veer right.

Enter the parking lot and walk down the first
set of stairs.

Local Buses:
52, 55, 74 and 33

Our phone number: 02-654-4600
Our email address: familyinstitute@nevey.org

Counseling the End of Life: Illness, Loss and Grief

This lecture offer will provide a framework to consider when counseling individuals who are facing life threatening illness and are at life’s end. We will explore ways of understanding the psycho-social, spiritual and existential impact of illness and loss on the client and family. Clinical approaches and tools will be offered which offer clients a pathway toward meaning in the face of confusion and despair.

About the Presenter

Dvora Corn, M.S., B.S., O.T.R., a graduate of Boston University, the University of North Texas and The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim, is the co-founder of Life’s Door-Gisha L’chaim, an international non-profit organization, that addresses meaning and quality of life for patients, professionals, and families in the area of life threatening illness, aging and end of life. She was the founding co-chair of the UJA-Federation NY sponsored Israel Jewish Spiritual Care Network, an organization of 22 agencies, which deals with the development of spiritual care in Israel and a pioneering leader in developing the field of spiritual care in Israel.

Prior to her Aliya in 1997, Dvora established one of the largest private rehabilitation practices in the Philadelphia-South Jersey area, and for 20 years was a practicing occupational therapist specializing in terminally and chronically ill adults. Dvora has lectured and provided workshops to patients, families and professionals throughout Israel and in the US. Her clinical work as a family therapist focuses on issues of loss and illness in which she works from existential and systems perspectives. In addition to her private practice and active role in Life’s Door, she is the Strategic Growth Consultant for B’Lev Shalem, an innovative Care-Management organization offering solutions for the clients and their families facing the challenges of aging and end of life.

Dvora and her husband Dr. Benjamin Corn, (Chairman of Radiation Oncology a Tel Aviv Medical Center and co-founder of Life’s Door), are active community members and live in Jerusalem and Caesarea. They are most proud of their 4 daughters and their growing families.

Eating Away at the Family

In this two-part series, the ABC of eating disorders (EDs) will be presented, including DSM-5 diagnoses, clinical presentations, epidemiology, assessment, and treatment. Special emphasis will be placed on the role of the family in protecting children from EDs, in detecting early warning signs and symptoms, in finding appropriate treatment, and in supporting a family member with an ED. Examples of questions that will be addressed are: What should and shouldn’t family members say to a loved one with an ED, how can they encourage her to go to therapy if she refuses, how can they help her return to normal eating patterns? Various approaches to the treatment of ED will be briefly presented with the evidence supporting their efficacy. Family Based Therapy, the most effective approach for many teenagers with anorexia nervosa, will be explained. Case descriptions and vignettes, video clips, discussions and role plays will be incorporated into the presentations.

About the Presenter

Rachel Bachner-Melman, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment and research of eating disorders. She has rich experience in treating eating disorders at Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, at Hadassah University Medical Center, where she headed the Adult Inpatient Eating Disorders unit from 2010-2011, and at Koli, the Jerusalem Center for Recovery from Eating Disorders, which she founded in 2015 and continues to direct. Dr. Bachner-Melman completed her Ph.D. and postdoctoral studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is a Senior Lecturer in the MA Clinical Psychology Program at the Ruppin Academic Center in Emek Hefer and at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She has published over sixty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and presents regularly at conferences in Israel and abroad. She is a Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), a member of the prestigious Eating Disorders Research Society, and President of the Israel Association for Eating Disorders.

Repairing a Broken Family: Divorce, Remarriage and Blended Families

Working with step families can be painful and confusing for both the family and clinician. The goal of this seminar is to help clinicians understand the new terrain step families face and how to navigate it safely with them. We will explore the “Stepfamily Architecture” and the five challenges facing step families. We will attempt to try to help families with these challenges by using a “Three level framework”.This seminar will draw on the work of Patricia Papernow, Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships.

About the Presenter

Marci Jablinowitz earned her master’s degree in Clinical Sociology from the University of North Texas and completed the Postgraduate Clinical Internship Program at The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim. She also completed a sub-specialty in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. She has worked with a variety of clinical populations including adolescents, women with postpartum depression and victims of domestic violence. She is currently the coordinator of the Adolescent Unit at The Family Institute and maintains a private practice in Jerusalem.

Collateral Damage: How Addictions Impact the Family

This two part workshop will focus not so much on how addiction affects the addict, but how addiction affects the family. It is said that “addiction is a family disease”, but what does that statement really mean?

We will discuss the difference between the healthy family and the family that has an addicted member, and how the presence of the addict turns a healthy family into one that becomes more and more dysfunctional over time. We will not only deal with the Family of Origin, but the Nuclear Family as well. We will discuss the six stages of the grief process that the family goes through in its journey to heal. We will also deal with how to get the family well and therefore cover the four useful treatment resources available for them. As opposed to limiting the specific addictions to drugs and alcohol, we will also include internet and gambling. We will also cover such topics as: intervention as a catalyst to treatment,treatment options,dealing with the addict in recovery, relapse, awareness and prevention techniques by family members and co dependency among family members as well.

About the Presenter

Yonah Pollak, M.S., CASAP, earned a master’s in psychology from California Coast University and has been involved in the field of addictions for the past 23 years. He is a Certified Addictions and Substance Abuse Professional (CASAP) and an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICADC). He completed a full time 3 year internship at the Nachat Ruach drug rehabilitation program in Jerusalem. He provided both individual and group therapy for seven years as a member of the therapeutic staff of both the Kesher Yeshiva and the Tikvah Seminary, located in Jerusalem, which were specially designed programs to deal with the youth at risk population. Mr. Pollak provides consultation, supervision, and therapeutic services for a number of Yeshivot and Seminaries in the Jerusalem area based on his clinical approach which integrates cognitive- behavioral, psycho dynamic and reality therapies. He’s a member of the advisory board of the Kav L’Noar counseling and mentor ship program, and maintains a private practice in Jerusalem specializing in addictions and other behavioral problems.

Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins: Complex Intergenerational Family Issues

This presentation will explore the way intergenerational factors play out within the family system. It will look at how intergenerational patterns of dysfunction from families of origin are carried through into new families. The transmission of intergenerational patterns of relating will be conceptualized and ways of thinking about this as a therapist will be explored.

About the Presenter

Dr. Stacey Leibowitz-Levy is an experienced psychologist with wide ranging skills and expertise in the areas of trauma, anxiety, stress, and adjustment issues in adults and children. She has extensive experience in the training and supervision of mental health professionals in trauma work. Stacey was a board member of the South African Institute of Traumatic Stress Studies (SAITS) and has run self-care and supervision groups for trauma practitioners working with war veterans, refugees and torture survivors. She participated as an expert panel member in the development of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) intervention model for torture survivors. She worked as an academic at the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg, South Africa) for twelve years and has publications in in the trauma field. Stacey recently made Aliyah with her family to Ramat Beit Shemesh.

Making the Invisible Visible in Couple's Therapy

Anchored in a systemic framework, the objective of this workshop is to psychodramatically explore hidden dimensions in the therapeutic process of Couple’s Therapy. Participants will learn Action Oriented strategies, which allow access to the hidden dimensions, unspoken feelings, and the invisible presence of significant others in a couple?s relationship. Psychodramatic methods have long been known for their powerful enhancement of the therapeutic process. They can be adapted to a wide range of marital issues, and creatively applied to a broad spectrum of theoretical modalities. Experiential interventions often take the couple beyond the limitations of the spoken word, make the invisible visible, and draw them into the experience of intimacy. This two session seminar-workshop will be primarily experiential, utilizing both personal and client case material.

About the Presenter

Dr. Yisrael Levitz is the founding dean 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 Yeshivaís 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.

My Brother's Keeper: The Power of Using Sibling Dynamics in Therapy

Beyond family problems, sibling matters underlie issues at the core of many clinical difficulties presented by adult clients. Studies are now showing that individuals with a close sibling relationship are more emotionally mature, are happier, have positive psychological well-being, and have closer friendships. Psychologists are beginning to appreciate the sibling link and its important role in well-being and development. Unfortunately, sibling issues are rarely discussed in therapy even though past and present sibling dynamics are an integral part of adulthood adjustment, personality, mental health, and well-being. This is particularly disturbing considering the overwhelming research emanating from clinical-developmental psychology highlighting the unrepeatable and inimitable roll played by siblings If our psychological ancestors, Freud and Jung had used the Bible for its inspiration instead of Greek psychology, then they would have discovered that some of the most intense, enduring, painful conflicts are not only between children and their parents, but between brothers and sisters. This pioneering lecture explores the depth psychology of relations among siblings that explores their myths, the disturbing reality and specific clinical implications in working with patients who are siblings and with our sibling identity and sibling imagination in countertransference.

It explores the cooperation-competition dynamic which lies at the heart of the sibling archetype. It explores all the brother sister stories in the Bible which represent stages or “positions” a developmental model moving from the “primal scene” of Cain and Abel through the yearning for a lost a brother to a series of possible resolutions culminating unexpectedly in the Book of Job.. It also includes detailed clinical illustrations and provides conceptualizations and guidelines for working with patients with deep sibling issues and through unrecognized sibling countertransference.

This lecture is a gateway to understanding the depth and importance of brothers and sisters in our social life and in clinical world.

About the Presenter

Henry Abramovitch, graduate of Yale University, a clinical psychologist, is founding president and senior training analyst at the Israel Institute for Jungian Psychology and a professor at Dept. of Medical Education, Tel Aviv University Medical School. He was President of the Israeli Anthropological Association and co-facilitator of the Interfaith Encounter Association.

He supervises Routers in Developing Groups in Poland and Moscow. He is author of Brothers and Sisters: Myth and Reality (published in English, Hebrew and Russian) The First Father and the forthcoming Therapy as Performance Art (Routledge).His expertise is in cross-cultural aspects of death and mourning, dream groups, cultural competence and the role of siblings.

Complex Family Issues: Teens at Risk and its Impact on the Family

The presentation will focus on understanding and treating adolescent difficulties according to the “Developmental Breakdown” model of Laufer and Laufer. This model will be coordinated with exploring adolescence as a family transition in level of differentiation according to Bowen’s Family Theory. The theories will be form the basis for clinical decisions and strategies in the treatment of very troubled adolescents.

About the Presenter

Alan Flashman, M.D. is a board-certified specialist in Pediatrics, General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the USA. He engaged in training in child therapy, adult psychodynamic therapy and family therapy for more than three decades in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Beer Sheba in formal Master Degree courses and in continuing education programs. He is the author of dozens of clinical papers and four books, including a new Hebrew translation of Martin Buber’s classic I and Thou (2013). His full bio and many materials are available at www.alanflashman.com and in his professional autobiography Losing It (2015)

Working with Families: Assessment and Practice

This presentation will attempt to integrate theory with practice and demonstrate how theoretical approaches impact the family treatment process. Part I of the seminar will focus on how the underlying conceptualizations of different theories impact the manner in which therapists approach the family. Participants will gain an understanding of how their practice choices are guided—consciously or unconsciously—by different theoretical principles.

In Part II an approach for the assessment of families will be outlined as a means of developing conceptualizations in practice. A practical step by step guide for interaction with the family—from the initial meeting to the giving of feedback—will be presented.

About the Presenter

Zev Ganz, Ph.D. (c), earned a master’s degree from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work of Yeshiva University and is currently a doctoral candidate and adjunct faculty member at the Smith College School for Social Work. He completed postgraduate training in Individual and Family therapy at The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim with a focus on working with young children and their families as well as the treatment of child sexual abuse. He is a certified practitioner of Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), having completed intensive training with Alicia Lieberman and Patricia Van Horn. Zev is currently a clinical supervisor and instructor and the Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim, a therapist at Machon Shiluv, and maintains a private practice in Ramat Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem.

Navigating the System: Family Based Legal Issues and Services in Israel

An understanding of the legal system is critical to anyone working in the field of family therapy. This presentation will give an overview of the system of Family Law in Israel, including a discussion of the differences and similarities adjudicating conflicts before the Family Court and the Rabbinical Court. Special emphasis will be placed on the intersect between the legal system and domestic violence, both spousal abuse and abuse of children, with a discussion of the advantages and limitations of restraining orders. In addition, suggestions will be made on how a lawyer and the legal system may help to enhance the therapeutic process. Used properly, the legal system may contribute to the process of healing and empowering individuals emerging from abusive relationships. Finally, special attention will be paid to the reporting obligations incumbent upon therapists who suspect that children or other vulnerable populations have experienced abuse. At the same time, it is critical that the therapist knows the limitations of his or her ability to present assessments of abuse to the courts.

About the Presenter

A native of Canada, Esther (Sha’anan) Landes made her home in Israel in 1980 and was admitted to the Israel Bar Association in 1998. Since then, Esther has practiced Matrimonial and Family Law, including a number of years in which she served as legal counsel for two Jerusalem women’s shelters. In March 2014, Esther joined the firm of Gideon Koren and Co. Law Offices in Jerusalem. In addition to litigation, Esther is a qualified mediator and practices Collaborative Divorce. Esther is an occasional lecturer to diverse audiences in Israel and abroad, including members of the legal community, therapists and social workers. She blogs on families, law and life in Israel at: The Missing Peace .

Attachment Theory: Bowlby and Ainsworth in Therapy

Attachment theory has emerged as an increasingly popular theoretical lens among mental health professionals. While for many years the theory remained focused specifically on the mother-child dyad, in recent years therapists have begun to apply the insights of attachment theory to work with families, and it has proven to be a successful treatment method for a variety of different presenting problems. This lecture will provide an overview of attachment theory?s basic principles and examine how they might be applied on the level of the family. Specific attachment based family approaches including EFT and Attachment Focused Family Therapy will be considered.

About the Presenter

Zev Ganz, Ph.D. (c), earned a master’s degree from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work of Yeshiva University and is currently a doctoral candidate and adjunct faculty member at the Smith College School for Social Work. He completed postgraduate training in Individual and Family therapy at The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim with a focus on working with young children and their families as well as the treatment of child sexual abuse. He is a certified practitioner of Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), having completed intensive training with Alicia Lieberman and Patricia Van Horn. Zev is currently a clinical supervisor and instructor and the Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim, a therapist at Machon Shiluv, and maintains a private practice in Ramat Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem.

The Mother of Family Therapy: Using Satir's Conjoint Family Therapy

This Growth model is an integrative approach, encompassing both the intrapsychic and interactive components of therapy. Created by Virginia Satir, one of the founders of the family therapy movement, the model aims to facilitate a transformation in the sense of self, as well as changes in the realms of action, feeling, and perceiving. In therapy, we help people to acknowledge and experience their yearnings, and work towards a sense of responsible wholeness. This presentation will introduce the 5 stages of Satir Change Model, and will outline the approach to helping clients shift from survival energy to life energy. It will include video segments illustrating this energetic shift, and Virginia Satir?s use of the model in her work with clients.

About the Presenter

Uzit Dagan, M.A. a social worker, earned her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fairfield University in Connecticut, USA. She works as a couples and family therapist and supervisor in public and private practices, and as a lecturer of several courses at the Magid Institute. She is an active member in the Satir Group in Israel, and last summer she gave a presentation about “The silence of yearnings” at the international conference of the Satir Institute of the Pacific, held in Vancouver, Canada.

From Triangles to Cutoffs: Bowen's Family Systems Theory in Practice

Assumptions and concepts that are basic to Bowen Family Systems Theory will be presented including: Emotional, Feeling and Intellectual systems, Togetherness and Individuality and defining a Self. Concepts will be addressed and applied to clinical material.

About the Presenter

Fran Ackerman, M.S.W., has worked directly with the pioneers of Family Therapy in the United States Drs. Murray Bowen, Salvador Minuchin, and Carl Whittaker. She is a former faculty member at the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City, the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic, and the School of Social Work at Hebrew University. Her published work focuses on the clinical application of Bowen Family Systems Theory. In addition to being a Clinical Supervisor at The Family Institute, she maintains a private practice in Jerusalem.

Understanding and Implementing Minuchin's Structural Family Therapy

Salvador Minuchin is the greatest founding father of Family Therapy alive today. His Structural Family Therapy Model is a major component of the bedrock foundation of Family Therapy around the world, and especially in the United States and Israel. The Minuchin Model provides the therapist with an approach to joining the family system, mapping family dynamics, and intervening therapeutically, to bring about improved functioning of the family and, as a result, growth for its members. The presentation will cover Minuchin’s basic concepts and methods, illustrated by examples of his work.

About the Presenter

David Levinstein earned an M.S.W. degree from Bar Ilan University, studied family therapy at the Barkai Institute in Tel Aviv, and completed an advanced training program at the Israel Psychoanalytic Society. For more than 30 years was affiliated with the Shiluv Family Therapy Institute in Jerusalem, as therapist, supervisor, member of the teaching staff, and clinical coordinator. He is a Clinical Supervisor at The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim and maintains a private practice in individual and couples therapy in Jerusalem.

Introduction to Family Theory: Systems, Texts and Bonds

All approaches to family therapy all rest upon fundamental theoretical assumptions that have been established and advanced over time. This lecture will trace the origins and developments of family theory from the inception of this clinical approach through the explosion of popularity it experienced, up to present updates and revisions. Participants will learn various ways that families have been conceptualized and will have the opportunity to actively apply fundamental concepts to case material. This lecture will prepare participants to understand particular theoretical approaches from a deeper and more nuanced position.

About the Presenter

Zev Ganz, Ph.D. (c), earned a master’s degree from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work of Yeshiva University and is currently a doctoral candidate and adjunct faculty member at the Smith College School for Social Work. He completed postgraduate training in Individual and Family therapy at The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim with a focus on working with young children and their families as well as the treatment of child sexual abuse. He is a certified practitioner of Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), having completed intensive training with Alicia Lieberman and Patricia Van Horn. Zev is currently a clinical supervisor and instructor at The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim, a therapist at Machon Shiluv, and maintains a private practice in Ramat Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem.

Dates for Part 1	October 23, 30, November 6, 13, 20 and 27
Times for Part 1	9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Dates for Part 2	January 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29
Times for Part 2	9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Presenters	David Levinstein, M.S.W. and Zev Ganz, M.S.W.
Price	1,750 nis for Part 1 and 2
Early Bird Discount	Sign up by August 10th, 2017 1,600 nis for Part 1 and 2
Prerequisites	Master's degree or equivalent and interview
Testimonials	The Strengthening Foundations course was a great experience. There was a positive atmosphere and encouragement in the room that the two presenters created/enabled. In addition, the ability to focus in on a theory and prepare and present a case from that unique perspective enhanced my work and brought it to another level. -Dovid
Testimonials	Empowering! After having some clinical experience I really appreciated the grounding and direction that theory can provide. Overall, a great experience! -Tzvi

About the Presenter(s)

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