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Why would someone need to seek psychotherapy? Which type of therapist do we seek out? Each culture has different needs and those also need to be taken into account when choosing a therapist and the culture we will be discussing in the following pages is a branch of Orthodox Judaism called Hasidic Judaism. We will be investigating psychodynamic, cognitive, gestalt, and client centered therapists, and explaining which of these would be the best choice to help our demographic feel like themselves again. “Speaking of the effects of specific forms of therapy, we need to address the question of which form of therapy is most effective for which type of problem” (Nevid & Rathis p.323).
The Hasidim or "pious ones" in Hebrew, belong to a special movement within Orthodox Judaism,there were millions of people in Eastern and Central Europe. This movement soon gained popularity in all streams of society, but mostly by the less educated or common people. These people were drawn in by its charismatic leaders by their emotional and spiritual appeal of their message. Which stresses joy, and faith, and prayer along with song and dance. These people also live a hallowed life; that find comfort with the most mundane actions. They are spiritually centered on a dynamic leader known as a rebbe. “Therapists also need to become aware of their own cultural biases in order to avoid stereotyping clients from other cultural groups (Nevid & Rathis p.326).
Gestalt therapy was established by Fritz Perls. “Like client-centered therapy, Gestalt therapy assumes people disown parts of themselves that might meet social disapproval or rejection” (Nevid & Rathis p.308). Although it borrows much from psychoanalysis, Gestalt therapy focuses more on the here ...

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...davsky, O. (Directors). (1997). A Life Apart: Hasidism In America [Video file]. USA: EMI UNART.

Nevid, J.S. & Rathus, S. A. (2013). Psychology and the Challenges of Life: Adjustments and Growth. (12 ed.) Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons Inc.

Nevid, J. S., & Rathus, S. A. (2013). Therapies: Ways of Helping. In Psychology and the Challenges of Life: Adjustment and Growth (12 ed., p. 325). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons Inc.. (Reprinted from Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Vol. 13, pp. 374-375, by G. H. Awad & S. Ladhani, Eds., 2007, American Psychological Association)

Nevid, J. S., & Rathus, S. A. (2013). Therapies: Ways of Helping. In Psychology and the Challenges of Life: Adjustment and Growth (12 ed., p. 326). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons Inc.. (Reprinted from Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1 ed., Vol. 35, pp. 3-9, by R. B. Stuart, Ed., 2004)

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