I Opened My Show Feb. 3

I debuted my solo show “Eroticized Rage” at Whitefire Theater in Sherman Oaks (13500 Ventura Blvd) as part of Solofest.

My van broke down on the way to the theater. The tow driver was very nice and gave me a lift to the theater. Only three people showed up for my play. So those two things took the wind out of my sails and I did not have it in me to do any singing. I felt humiliated and small.

The Super Bowl went late and half a dozen friends canceled at the last minute, so that cost me a decent crowd.

It took me about 30 minutes to get comfortable, only when I could talk about the glories of porn and sex did I loosen up and come alive. Those were some of the rare times last night when I was in the present moment and able to experience the emotions of what I was talking about. I think if I can do more of this, I’ll be much better, and that requires practice, more performances, etc.

I rushed through the last 30 minutes. Even though I went two hours, I missed many things I intended to say.

My friend Joey Kurtzman was there and he said it was the greatest theatrical experience of his life.

When I finished my play, I felt small, but when we sat for 90 minutes and discussed and he said that, I felt great. It was helpful for me to give him the feedback guidelines my writing teacher Terrie Silverman offered — what takes you in? What takes you out? What would you like to learn more about?

Here are past writings and videos on my 12-step work for sex addiction. Here are 40 questions for self-diagnosis.

Posted in Eroticized Rage, Personal | Comments Off on I Opened My Show Feb. 3

An Open Letter To R. Manis Friedman

JewishJournal.com reports:

Rabbi Manis Friedman, a prominent rabbi from the Hasidic Chabad Lubavitch movement who appeared in a video recently posted on YouTube minimizing the harm caused by sexual molestation, has apologized for what he called his “completely inappropriate use of language.”

“I have always believed in the importance of empowering victims of all kinds to move forward in building their lives,” Friedman wrote in an email to The Journal. “In my zeal to reinforce that belief, I came across as being dismissive of one of the worst crimes imaginable.

The controversial video was first posted on YouTube on Jan. 29 and had been viewed over 4,500 times as of Jan. 31. In it, Friedman, the founder of an educational institute for Jewish women in Minnesota, appeared dismissive of victims of sexual abuse, at one point suggesting that the long-term effects of molestation were no worse than those of diarrhea.

“You’re not that damaged, cut it out,” Friedman said in the video, speaking of victims of sexual molestation.

“Zay a mensch,” the rabbi added, a Yiddish phrase that roughly translates to, “Act like a human being.”

From JewishCommunityWatch:

(Benny Forer is a veteran criminal prosecutor with experience prosecuting cases ranging from narcotics offenses to gang murders to complex white collar crime. Currently, as a member of the prestigious High-Tech Crimes Unit, his job focuses on complex technologically based crimes. Additionally, he is an experienced lecturer, lecturing on matters pertaining to being a District Attorney. Topics include: criminal justice, criminal procedure, privacy concerns, constitutional issues, sex crimes, complex fraud and white collar offenses.)

January 29, 2013 תשע’ג ,שבט ח’י
Rabbi Manis Friedman

Dear Rabbi Friedman,
I am writing to you today as a professional in my specific field, to protest your recent video discussing child molesters and the effects of child-molestation. While I am sure you have received countless letters, emails, telephone calls and other correspondence protesting your ignorant view, I am nevertheless writing to continue to express the disgust I have for your comments.
I am a frum, Lubavitch, Oholie-Torah-educated member of our collective society. I also happen to be one of the only District Attorney’s in the United States who is all the above. From all the frum people that I know who have held a similar type job, I am certainly the longest tenured employee of a DA office. As a result, I have particular perspective and insight into many matters pertaining to criminal law.
One of the difficulties I have often encountered is the continued misinformation transmitted by our “leadership” to the community, in an effort to justify the actions of those who have committed crimes. Sadly, we have created a society where every Lubavitcher criminal holds equivalent status as the Rebbe’im and certainly of Reb Mendel Futerfass and his contemporaries. Nothing is further from the truth and this perspective degrades the great mesiras nefesh that those people had.
I am communicating the above in order to attempt to impress upon you both my credentials to write to you, as well as the source of your ignorant perspective that ultimately caused you to demean yourself, your teachings and your family.
I have had many encounters, interviews, discussions and trials involving sexual abuse. I have had a variety of training, both formal and informal, dealing with these topics. I have also examined and cross-examined “expert” witnesses on these matters. What I have learned is that sexual abuse is truly the worst harm a person can perpetrate on society and is worse than murder.
True, educated, learned and honest Rabbonim will admit and pasken that a molester has the din of a rodef. Moreover, he is muchzak to do it again and therefore we can and should treat him as such. The reason for this is that a molester is a) always a recidivist[1]; and b) ultimately the direct cause of death in many people. Consequently, it is acceptable Halachically to chase after and kill a molester and it may, in fact, be required.[2]
The Torah has many instances of sexual misconduct. Beginning with the dor-hamabul, Sodom and Gmorah, Er & Anon, Dina & Shchem, Yosef HaTzadik and Potifar’s wife[3] and culminating with Pinchas Ha’Cohen and Zimri. The similarity between the above cases is that with only one exception (Yosef), all the offenders were sentenced to death in one way or another. What is learned from these Torah examples is that sexual misconduct is so severe that the Torah and God believe in the termination of humans who engage in such misconduct. Yosef, however, was sentenced by a secular court and, similar to our current secular judicial system, a sex offender cannot be executed, rather is sentenced to lengthy terms of confinement. [4]
Ultimately, the perspective that is perpetuated by Rabbonim such as you is directly in line with the Catholic Church. Demean, diminish and disregard any victims. It is severely misplaced and dangerous. I am unaware whether you have ever had a candid conversation with a victim of sexual abuse or whether you took them seriously, but from professional experience, I can assure you of the lasting impact that most suffer. The intense pain a victim feels and the harmful resulting impact to society is degenerative. Flippant disregard of these feelings is not just insensitive, but is ignorant and harmful. The extreme violation of a child’s person has an enduring consequence no matter how much it is trivialized.
As a District Attorney, I have dealt with a wide variety of victims. I have witnessed the pain suffered by murder-victim’s families and have seen families torn apart by drug abuse. I have been in court as victims wept over the untimely death of a loved one and have seen the hardships endured by victims of various other physical crimes. However, nothing compares to the pain and suffering of a sexual abuse victim. Not only do they live with this pain daily, but they have to contend with community members’ (and in our case so-called “Rabbonim”) daily denial of these incidents. Your thoughtless comments have furthered this pain and fostered more unnecessary agony.
In our community I am continually amazed that no crime brings out more communal support for the perpetrator than sexual molestation. I have been shocked to walk into courtrooms and observe overwhelming support for a monster, despite vast evidence of his guilt. I further find it shocking that the Rabbonim are so eager to “clear” a molester of such wrongdoing, justifying their actions under a variety of misplaced and misunderstood Halachic concepts.[5]
Moreover, there have been countless instances of Rabbonim seeking to prevent victims from going to the police. A variety of tactics are used, all of which stem from extraordinary distortions of the Torah. Rabbonim are not sex experts. They also have very limited power in both preventing future sexual abuse and in helping victims overcome the past harms. Accordingly, it is imperative that Rabbonim encourage all victims to immediately contact local authorities to deal with abuse scenarios. Rabbonim who demand the power and right to determine whether a victim should come forward are nothing more than egotistical and arrogant.
The myopic and ridiculous view that you have perpetrated, along with many Rabbonim, needs to be corrected and fixed. It needs to be acknowledged by Jewish leaders in a profound way – one that does more than merely pay lip-service to the issue. You need to express true teshuva in a constructive and helpful way that will assist future victims and condemn future predators. At this point, public condemnation of molesters, in general, is simply insufficient; more must be done.
In Tanya, the Alter Rebbe reflects on many instances of Halachic sexual misconduct, revealing how dangerous such misconduct is. The Chitas for this past Shabbos discusses that sexual deviance is equivalent, if not worse than idol worship. That such actions completely removes G-d from one’s soul, to the extent that a gnat is of a holier nature.
I urge you to not only publicly recant your recent statements but to rededicate yourself to assisting victims and condemning predators. To doing everything in your power to bring these monsters to justice. This is true teshuva.

Sincerely,
Benny Forer
[1] Department of Justice statistics reveal that compared to non-sex offenders, released sex offender (i.e., those that have been caught, prosecuted and imprisoned) are 4 times more likely to be rearrested for a sex crime. Those numbers go up exponentially when dealing with unprosecuted sex offenders.
[2] This is obviously unacceptable in the current civilized society that we live in. The point is simply being made to express the theoretical Torah perspective.
[3] Obviously, Yosef did not engage in sexual misconduct, rather he was only accused of such. As a result, God did not seek to punish him by the prescribed Godly punishment. Rather, he was sentenced by a secular court for his actions.
[4] In Kennedy v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court held that the death penalty is a disproportionate punishment for crimes that do not involve the taking of a life. As a result, the only time our system of justice prescribes death as an appropriate punishment is when the crime involved the murder of another. Most states have sought to give enhanced sentences to sexual offenders by enacting a variety of laws that would place them in prison for life or indefinitely.
[5] “Teshuva” is often used to justify allowing a predator to be a part of a community. The fact that a person hasn’t been recently accused does not mean the person hasn’t recently engaged in predatorial actions. Another concept is that of “Pidyon Shivuyin”. The discussion regarding these misplaced concepts is for a different time, but suffice it to say that the misplaced perception of these important Torah laws have resulted in the harm to many children for the sake of a single individual. I would direct you to the mitzvah of eglah arufa for further understanding of rabbinical responsibility.

Posted in Abuse, Chabad | Comments Off on An Open Letter To R. Manis Friedman

Why Did Dennis Prager Get Fired From Brandeis-Bardin In 1983?

From 1977-1983, Dennis Prager ran the Brandeis-Bardin Institute. He had a contentious relationship with the board. Then suddenly in 1983, he was fired. Why? What happened that precipitated the firing and left Dennis perpetually bitter about the institute?

Posted in Dennis Prager | Comments Off on Why Did Dennis Prager Get Fired From Brandeis-Bardin In 1983?

Sabbath Protest Planned For Full Service Asian Massage Parlor Beside Orthodox Shul Beth Jacob

UPDATE: A source says: “Yes I did go and it went fairly well. There were about 10 people with posters and cameras and they handed out flyers and attracted a lot of people.”

A few months ago, I wrote about the whorehouse next door to synagogue Beth Jacob.

What are the best legit massage parlors in 90035? The one next to Bais Bazalel on Pico Blvd is on the up and up I believe, just foot massage for $25, nothing above the knee, Baruch HaShem. Should shuls protest when there are whorehouses next door or should we just keep our head down?

Now I understand a protest is planned by Meryl Rizzotti outside the Everhealthy massage parlor (9016 Olympic Blvd, 90211) for Saturday, Feb. 2, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, just when shul is letting out. There should be a reporter from KCET’s So Cal Connected covering the event.

Orthodox Jews have traditional views on morality but they typically don’t get involved in public protest against prostitution and other forms of sexual sin.

Joe* emails:

First, I would not get anywhere near that protest. The whole asian sex trade in Los Angeles is armed and pays off the cops quite well. Any words of torah from the protest could be met by a nine mm.

Second, the protest should be not against the massage parlor, but the owner of the building that rents to the massage parlor. That is what Santa Monica did – they simply targeted the landlord – if there was a massage business that did not have the proper license, that had complaints on file to the Police about bad behavior, or that failed any type of inspection whatsoever, the city of Santa Monica fined the landlord. It worked and within like 90 days all the landlords profiting off this nonsense ejected these hookers. Who owns the property there?

Y. emails:

Luke,

Proximity of the massage parlor protest to BJ is incidental; BJ is not involved, and I hope the whole foofarah has a happy ending. Hopefully, no one will end up blowing their top.

Ms. Rizzotti is not a member of BJ, and is not Orthodox. She lives [near] the controversial establishment, and is understandably concerned about the types of customers that might be attracted to such a place, and at what hours they might use the alley to seek parking.

As a side note, BJ is welcoming its new cantor, Arik Wolheim, this Shabbat, and if he heads that way after services, he will see a side of the neighborhood that he was not expecting. Not as well known is the recent hiring, at nearby Congregation Mogen David (Rabbi Gabe Elias’s shul), of Alex J. Katz as its new cantor. Katz has made the rounds as a volunteer cantor at various shuls in the area, including BJ and YICC, and is known for his outstanding, powerful voice and the musicality of the services that he leads. He reportedly applied for the job at BJ, but apparently a decision had already been made to seek a full-time cantor; Mr. Katz works during the week as Director of Berkeley Point Capital LLC in Santa Monica.

A SOURCE WRITES: Thanks to the California Massage Therapy Council, all power to regulate massage parlors has been taken away from City and State government. Cities can’t even limit the number of these places. This is all the work of Ahmos Netanel, the CEO of the CAMTC who makes over $300,000 and probably bribed the previous governor who vetoed an AB that would return regulatory powers to the local government. The Bill had passed 64-9. I don’t know where Joe got his information about Santa Monica because I am sure the BH City Attorney would love to know how (and if) SM did actually accomplish it. The Red Light Abatement Sanctions are not just handed out like M&Ms. It takes time and litigation. Dayan was threatened but he and his attorneys have managed to delay, delay, delay.

The congregants that walked by from BJ were not at all concerned about this place.

Posted in Beth Jacob, Prostitution | Comments Off on Sabbath Protest Planned For Full Service Asian Massage Parlor Beside Orthodox Shul Beth Jacob

Valley Village Orthodox Jew Playing Division One Basketball

He plays on shabbos but won’t shower in hot water!

Joe* emails:

Aaron Liberman is a winner, for sure. His family is a winner.

His grandfather, Jose Liberman, I believe was selling appliances in Latino neighborhoods in the 1970s and came up with the ingenious idea to have a radio station in Los Angeles in Spanish (I know it sounds pretty obvious, but at the time, the Latino community in LA was completely unserved by any media almost at all and totally discriminated against by the powers that be). It did well, and when Fernando Valenzuela pitched for the Dodgers, Liberman hired a Spanish broadcaster to do Dodger games. The listenership went through the roof.

A radio station chain came to him and made him a very very nice offer to buy his station. In the negotiations, they insisted on one key provision – that Jose Liberman not compete with them after the sale – they feared that Jose, being the very smart Jew that he is, would open up a new radio station using his connections in the Latino community, and proceed to kick their butt.

Jose signed and agreed not to compete. But he had the last laugh (one of many). He simply gave some money to his son, Lenard, who inherited both his Dad’s brains and about an additional foot in height (I think Leonard is at least 6 foot 4). Lenard then started a Spanish language radio station (I think 3 or 4), and expanded it into Spanish language TV. The family has made some good money. The goyim who bought Jose’s station were mighty pissed but nothing in the contract said that Lenard could not compete.

They have donated quite alot to Jewish institutions – they funded a major portion of the expansion of the Valley’s largest Orthodox Shul with a six figure donation when that was real money – Shaarey Zedek – the only thing ever with their name on it to my knowledge is a plaque on the building, I believe in honor of Jose Liberman’s parents.

They used to singlehandedly make payroll for the old Valley Torah High School, and but for the Libermans, the school would not have survived. I think the Libermans were honored at a banquet there. They are very understated and do not seek honors.

Lenard is unfortunately not a supporter of Shaarey Zedek – he is a bit more right wing and supports a competing shul in the valley. I understand that he is a primary supporter of that new Shul, but again, the family’s name is not anywhere to be found.

Aaron is a good kid – he was tall from a very young age – I think he had to have a special lounge chair put in for him to sit in class in the 8th grade when he already was over 6 feet tall. He has the drive and you can see it on the highlight reel. If basketball does not work out, there is always spanish language broadcasting.

From the New York Times:

However, Liberman has decided, after much reflection and consultation with rabbis, to play on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. On one Saturday afternoon, he walked eight miles to practice.

“Actually, playing basketball is not breaking any of the 39 laws of the Sabbath,” he said. “But I’ll only be taking cold showers afterward because you can’t use hot water.”

Liberman grew up in Valley Village, an area of northwestern Los Angeles, where he was discovered almost by happenstance by Josh Moore, a former N.B.A. player and a cousin of Shaquille O’Neal’s. During the summer after Liberman’s freshman year, Moore saw him play in a scrimmage and approached him, noting that his length and natural athleticism would be attractive to college coaches.

Lenard Liberman, Aaron’s 6-6 father, played high school basketball and tried unsuccessfully to walk on at Stanford. His son, thoughtful and soft-spoken, preferred games of a slower pace. He fished as a child and played some baseball as he grew older.

Posted in Orthodoxy | Comments Off on Valley Village Orthodox Jew Playing Division One Basketball

The Mother Factor

What was your attachment to your mother like and is that how you attach to people today? Due to the illnesses of my mothers and various caretakers, I had the intermittent style. I didn’t know if I’d get a hug or slap. “This style of attachment of uncertainty and inconsistent mothering creates over time a child’s fear that the world isn’t a caring, safe, or loving place.”
“The intermittent attachment style is the foundation of for an anxious personality, an addictive personality, or a person who has a mistrust of the world/people/relationships.” (The Mother Factor)

What do I want from my parents? What do I want my father to understand about me? What would feel good? If I could unlock myself, where am I seeking their acknowledgment, approval and love?

* When various friends died, my first emotion was relief because I was relieved from struggling with difficult relationships. I no longer had to look in that mirror. When you watch your parent’s coffin lowered into the ground, what will you feel? If it’s relief, you’re relieved about what? No longer having to confront a difficult legacy?

* Tears came to my eyes when I thought about the possibility of creating a life where you build instead of living a life like mine with the knowledge that everything good currently going on is going to end horribly.

* My therapist told me, “Grandiosity is usually an escape from reality. It’s an escape from a deep-seated shame that we can’t deal with except by building up this imaginary picture of ourselves. Spending your time dreaming about the great things you’ll do one day is usually an excuse from doing the concrete things right now that can improve your life. You won’t take that staff position because you feel like it is below you. You won’t talk to those people because you feel like they are below you. I picture narcissists sitting at a bar stool and telling strangers how great they’ll be one day.”

* In 1998, why do I do write on Dennis Prager knowing I will lose all my friends and my synagogue home as a result? Nobody is going to understand this, but I’ll say it anyway — once I started thinking about writing on Dennis Prager in December of 1997, I knew it was my destiny. There are just some things I am fated to do but you’ll have to wait for the verdict of history to understand.

Out of everything I’ve written, I’ve gotten the fewest kudos and the most contempt for my writings on Dennis Prager. I didn’t expect it to be that one way. I thought that very quickly people would see the merit of my work. I understood I was going to lose all of my friends and my temple and my community, but I thought the pay-off would equalize over time.

* AA and 12-Step doesn’t say you can’t date anyone while you’re getting sober. That’s from sponsors who are drunk with their delusions of power and wisdom. The Big Book says, “We don’t want to be the arbiter of anyone’s sex life.” Do the fourth step inventory, see your patterns for how you use people, get clear and go forth.

* I always thought I failed in radio (from age 15-21) because of my voice, but when I watch these videos of myself trying to connect from the stage, I see that my primary failure in radio, acting, stage and life has been lack of connection. When I emotionally connect with my material and with the audience, it is powerful, but most of the time I simply drone. I’m all in my head and disconnected.

* I’ve never been betrayed. Betrayal is a dramatic self-centered term for other people having different priorities than what you expected. You can only feel betrayed if you hold unrealistic expectations of others. If your mate screws you over in business, it’s not betrayal, he simply has different priorities than what you wanted.

* I feel like God called me to write on porn, but I can’t get the Jews to accept my vision, and humanity in general seems stubbornly resistant to granting me my legitimate place in history. I get the frustration that Jesus and Mohammed felt. I could’ve stayed in a world of light and spirituality but I chose to come down here to a fallen world to minister to fallen creatures to show them the path to salvation and all I get is tsures.

* Here are my boiled down notes for my play: Moshiach, SDA no sing, Waltzing, Klaus Meine, offended goy, rage, preaching, women like dad, standards, family shame, 3 readings. Debts. High-def. Hayley Rivers. Gwen. Gill. Ruthless fantasies. Hack insects. Fire. Girlie mags. Spankings. Captain. Apologetics. Social status. Cindy Anderson. Shul. Do-over. Jeanie. Rainy. Masturbation. Porn bread crumbs to bliss. TV. Jan. 1, 1983 kissing. Goodbye Rainy. 12/84. 2/88. CFS. UCLA. Chinese. Korean. Jews. Holier than Dennis Prager. Burn my mags. Seek help thru singles ads. Diana’s E-cup. Pam. Korean fantasy. 20 women in a year. Porn. 2000. 2008. Eroticized rage. 4th step.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on The Mother Factor

If your writing is not good enough, you’re not close enough.

A Google search with quotes around that sentence shows it has never been published before! Original to me!

It is adapted from the famous saying about photos — if your pictures are not good enough, you’re not close enough.

I say that applies to writing. If you’re truly honest, you can hear the air crackle (Terrie Silverman). If you go deep enough, if you go to the scary vulnerable places, your writing will command attention.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on If your writing is not good enough, you’re not close enough.

Why Am I Not Married?

I just got this:

“Luke Ford? LUKE FORD? he’s repulsive! He’s disgusting!” Luckily, X (not who you think) is a liberal, so she did not shoot me for even suggesting you as a possible match.
This is one of those phenomenon. Why do women despise Luke?
Granted, he suffers from an acute verbal diarrhea- nothing that a good size Harem cannot fix. But Luke has all the qualities women look for in a good husband:
He is a good provider (Facebook shares are going up) and producer (5 status updates per minute) and is good looking, come on now! Those pics are not from the 70’s!
But wait! there’s more:
Luke puts other’s rights (“The public has the right to know”) before his own (right to remain silent) and really cares about women. And the way they look. Minus the women.
So why is it that Luke is 46 and is still not married?

I found the perfect partner for my moshiach dance on Friday nights. She keeps strict Shabbos and kashrut. She loves the rebbe. Her parents adore me. They say we can live with them until she finishes high school and I finish my new book on eroticized rage, whichever comes last. There’s only one hitch. She doesn’t always wear stockings.

A great sage tells me: Your problem has always been that you aim too high and when in the past you somehow miraculously managed to insert yourself into a real woman’s life when she is vulnerable — think Holly Randal — you rejected her, possibly thinking that there would always be another better and possibly Jewish version of her down the road. It does not work like that my friend, not for women and not for men, either. (Unless we are comparing the prospects of an impoverished 25 year old man with his very successful 35 year old self, which does not apply here. You were more successful at 35 than you are at 46.) So stop trying to get a rabbi’s wife to arrange a marriage for you. Even if she finds someone, you know it will be some “age appropriate” woman. What to do?
1. Move to the 3rd World. I have read that Medellin is full of women of great beauty.
2. Go yellow while you still have that option.
3. Answer ads on your local Craigslist and accept whatever comes your way as the best you can do at this point in your life.
4. Do what I have done, and simply drop the whole matter.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Why Am I Not Married?

Dennis Prager Returns Home

Returning home from a two week cruise, Dennis said on his show Jan. 21, 2013: “It was the first trip in my lifetime where I thought that places are doing better than America in some important arenas. It’s a sad little thought. I didn’t share with anybody. I’m worried about America.”

“This was my first return in 42 years, every year I’ve gone abroad at least once, that I didn’t come back thinking, wow, how fortunate I am because it is so different. America is deteriorating because it is becoming like other countries. The left wants us to become like other countries. The left has been in power for the last four years and now four more years. How could it not be more like other countries? The number of Americans who are given money and benefits from the state who should not be getting money and benefits from the state are entering European levels.”

Posted in Dennis Prager | Comments Off on Dennis Prager Returns Home

Why Do Therapists Need To Be Licensed?

Dr. Michael J. Salomon writes: The recent conviction of an unlicensed therapist in one of our communities has led to serious soul searching on the part of some and confusion for many others. The most strident argument of his supporters is that he was convicted without proof; that the accuser made up the story to get back at her community and directed her anger at this amateur counselor.

That argument is false on at least two counts. First, it is a fact, admitted by him, that he was practicing without a license – that alone may be sufficient grounds for criminal prosecution. But, second, and even more glaring is that he admitted to locking the door to his consultation room when alone with a minor of the opposite sex who could not give legal consent.

There were other charges, over 55 of them, and he was found guilty on all counts. Surely there will be appeals and some significant legal wrangling. Still, his admission that he did what no licensed professional therapist would do should give his supporters pause.

We want to trust our rabbonim and the administrations of the schools where we choose to send our children, but this case is causing well intentioned people to reevaluate what they have believed is the best way to assess and treat behavioral, emotional and psychological problems, especially in children. The core issue is reliance on an “eytzah gebber,” someone who does not have a license and has questionable, if any, type of formal training but is put in the position of someone the community refers people needing mental health services to. The primary reason for not seeking out a well trained psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker: frum people only trust their own types. And there are justifications for this thought process. They include statements like – unlicensed eytzah gebbers can get training, they can read up on the issues, they understand the community better, they can identify with Torah true values, and most professional therapists are menuvalim or apikorsim and so on. These “reasons” are nothing more than pretexts used by individuals who would rather operate outside the scrutiny of professional and governmental regulators.

In recent conversations with colleagues it has become clear that unlicensed, amateur mental health advisors tend to do a significant amount of harm to those they are attempting to counsel – and that there is very little recourse for the person who has been hurt by someone who is unlicensed.

Being licensed means that the individual has met the most basic standards for practice in his or her profession. This includes having had training in the field, supervision, an understanding of the need for continued professional education, substantial training in ethics and an acknowledgment that there is a professional board that will regulate, oversee and discipline that individual if he or she does not follow required standards. Not only can one be stripped of a license for violating professional and ethical standards, there may also be a fine and jail time. These regulations are very strictly enforced.

Posted in Orthodoxy, Psychology | Comments Off on Why Do Therapists Need To Be Licensed?