Reply To: Rabbonim and Shalom Bayis Problems

Shmoel:

Precisely what is meant by personal experience? How many therapists did you encounter that sought to terminate a marriage that was able to be saved? One? Maybe two? You generalize to all therapists, and personal experience without a larger sampling does not tell us anything about all therapists.

Avhaben:

You seem to have concluded that even frum therapists are beholden to goyishe teachings, even if they are a departure from Torah. Now that’s a serious accusation, and I challenge it. Have you ever attended a conference of Nefesh where several hundred frum mental health professionals gather annually? Would you like to taste the Torah taught there that centers around issues of mental health? Maybe you would like to attend the daf yomi shiur or the many others in the Nefesh environment. An alternative to your brushing aside many hundreds of professionals whose yiras shomayim is worth respecting might be to get to know some of them and taste their Torah based lifestyles. Maybe they use poskim and renowned talmidei chachomim as their guides in both areas of hashkafah and halacha. Your “goyishe ideas and philosophies” accusation really has no basis in fact. Wouldn’t you rather make comments from a vantage point of having information rather than your bitter and angry dismissal of a huge, recognized career of frum therapists who follow a Torah lifestyle? Your comment suggests an individual experience that was uncomfortable for you – and your reaction to devalue a greater group of professionals.