THE REFUAH INSTITUTE is a religious (Orthodox Jewish) philanthropic organization, established in New York in 1994. The founder and president is Joshua H. Ritchie, M.D. The REFUAH INSTITUTE is dedicated to providing education and services that promote health and healing of body and soul in accordance with Torah Hashkafa principles.

Among the REFUAH INSTITUTE'S many accomplishments was the establishment in Jerusalem in 1996 of the REFUAH INSTITUTE MILEV CENTER FOR CRISIS COUNSELING, an Israeli nonprofit organization.

THE REFUAH INSTITUTE MILEV PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR TRAINING PROGRAM has trained over 800 crisis counselors, supervisors and facilitators. Many of the diverse crisis counseling services operating in Israel today were established and are staffed by MILEV graduates. In 1997, MILEV established a national CRISIS COUNSELING HOTLINE, the first such service for the English-speaking population in Israel, which has received over 25,000 calls.

Since 2001, the Refuah Institute has set up its own facilities in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem and expanded to include a large scale of Training Courses and Diploma programs in Torah Based Coaching, Counseling and Reality Therapy.

Over 500 students to date have studied at the Refuah Institute: among them, over 90 have completed a one year Diploma Program and over 18 have completed a two year Diploma Program.

Many working counselors and therapists have also joined the Refuah Institute in order to benefit from the latest updates and working experience from the Refuah Institutes high caliber international and local lecturers.

Location

The Refuah Institute is located in the Jerusalem suburb of Ramot Bet, on the edge of the Ramot Forest. The comfortable facilities are in a homelike setting surrounded by a beautiful garden and opened to a wonderful view. It is easily accessible by freeway and frequent bus service, routes 31 and 32.

Lending Library & MULTI-MEDIA Resource Center

The library includes hundreds of books and audio and videotapes, including audio tape recordings of lectures for students who wish to make-up, or to review, a lecture.

Joshua H. Ritchie, M.D. is an educator, a professor of medicine and counseling, a published author, a board-certified pediatrician, a board-certified family practitioner, a counselor and hypnotherapist. He is also an ordained rabbi. Professor Ritchie's counseling methods and skills are a blend of not only his secular training, but more importantly, his close association with and thousands hours of observation of great masters of counseling such as the Amshinover Rebbe, zt"l and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, zt"l.

Professor Ritchie has served as the Chairman of the California Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists, was the founding Medical Director of the Laniado Hospital - Sanz Medical Center in Netanya, has taught throughout his professional career in medical schools and training programs in California, New York, and Israel, and has lectured worldwide. His works have been published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine, among others. In 2004 the REFUAH INSTITUTE published "13 Steps to Harmonious Relationships" authored by Professor Ritchie.

Resume of the Dean

The REFUAH INSTITUTE was founded and exists to serve the community in accordance with Torah Hashkafa. Students are expected to consult with their own sources of Daas Torah for their personal halachic questions. The Dean of the REFUAH INSTITUTE is privileged to consult with outstanding Rabbanim including:

RABBI CHAIM PINCHAS SCHEINBERG

RABBI Y. A. Y. MILIKOWSKI, THE AMSHINOVER REBBE

RABBI ZEV LEFF

 Letter from Rabbi Professor Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.
Rabbi Avraham Twerski, Ph.D., M.D., Founder and Medical Director of Gateway Rehabilitation Center, Pittsburgh, PA, and author of over 45 books

I can hardly think of anything of greater importance than the Refuah Institute Project. Many people, who are consulted for advice and counseling, may give well-intentioned advice that may be very counterproductive. "Yoatznu ra" (bad advice) is as grievous a sin as the others with which it is listed. No one intentionally transgresses "yoatznu ra." Unfortunately, without adequate understanding of psychodynamics and psychopathology, what is thought to be good advice can be dangerous. The Refuah Institute will provide a foundation upon which participants can develop skills in counseling.

Having seen the impressive prospectus of your Refuah Institute, I am very happy, and even enthusiastic, about this program. Knowing you personally, and having looked over the proposed faculty, we have every reason to expect this program to be successful and to make an important contribution to the Israeli community and the Jewish people as a whole.

I would be happy to put my rabbinic and Torah-ideological qualifications at your disposal on occasions where these could be helpful.

I close with the wish and prayer, that you be granted the support from on High you so richly deserve.

The concluding words of Rabbi Leff's lecture to our students in the Counseling Skills Development Course:

The 'Ribono shel Olam' should give you a lot of success. You already came to good people - to learn from the right people. Iy'h, you should all become very capable counselors so Rabbanim will have people to send to, that will be able to be partners with them and give real kosher counseling that is the ultimate in helping people, giving 'eitzos' to people and bringing the world closer to perfection.

Below is a partial alphabetical list of the distinguished rabbanim and professionals who teach in the Refuah Institute.

Dr. Miriam Adahan, Ph.D., Author and Marriage Counselor

Rabbi Yitzhak Berkovits, Rosh Kollel

Rabbi Dr. Avigdor Bonchek, Ph.D., Hebrew University Faculty and Private Practice

Rabbi Simcha Cohen, Author and Lecturer

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, M.A., Author, Lecturer and Head of Gal Einai Institute

Rabbi Eliezer Glatt, M.A., Educational Testing & Counseling

Dr. Menachem Gottesman, Ph.D, Principal, Meled High School

Dr. Joseph D. Halbfinger, LICSW, Ph.D., Adolescent and Family Counseling

Rabbi Leib Kelemen, M.A., Neve Yerushalayim

Rabbi Zev Leff, Mara D’Asra, Moshav Mattisyahu

Professor Lawrence Litwack, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus of Applied Educational Psychology Northeastern University; Editor, “Journal of Reality Therapy”

Dr. Rona Michelson, M.A. Counseling, MSW, DSW, Marriage & Family Therapy Practitioner, Supervisor and Lecturer

Rabbi Noach Orlowek, Mashgiach, Yeshivas Torah Ohr

Dr. Eddy H. Pakes, M.D., D.Psy., FRCP(C), FAPA, Director, Mt. Sinai Hospital Bereavement Consultation Clinic & Family Therapy Supervisor

Rabbi Yehoshua Paltiel, M.A., Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, M.A., Counselor, Author and Lecturer

Yona Pollak, CASAP, Addiction Counselor

Charlotte Saunders, RCSW, BCD, Psychotherapist

Rebbitzen Chana Schafer, MSW, Psychotherapist

Rabbi Natan Schafer, Pastoral Counselor, Hospital and Prison Chaplain

Rabbi Simcha Scheinberg, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivas Torah Ohr

Rabbi Meir Weiner, M.Ed., Ed.Sp., Kidum Noar, Youth at Risk Counselor

Profiles of some of our alumni and current students.

RABBI MEYER PARKER, B.A., MTL, an educator and counselor, reported that his training at Refuah in the Diploma program "is making a tremendous difference in my ability to help those whom I teach and counsel."

BARUCH AMINS, B.S., began as a crisis counselor with the MiLev Hotline, became a supervisor and trainer. A Diploma student and Junior Faculty member, Baruch is a highly regarded facilitator in the CRISIS COUNSELING and COUNSELING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT COURSES. He is also kept busy counseling the many individuals who are referred to him for counseling.

RIFKA BEN-ARI, B.A., is a full time counselor for the AACI for the last 10 years. She recently took the COUNSELING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT COURSE and enthusiastically reports "not only did this course reinforce what I already knew, it really did add to my knowledge and skill base. I see the benefits in my work daily."

RABBI ZEV DUNNER, grandson of Dayan Rabbi Dunner, upon completing the PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR DIPLOMA accepted the position as Director of Torah Umesorah 's new SEED Program, an innovative nationwide outreach program in the USA.

REBBITZEN ELISHEVA EDELMAN, a renowned international public speaker, "with the knowledge gained in this course I can now add another lesson to my course with specific methods and ideas for women to use in difficult marital relationships, thus helping all women to improve their marriages and other relationships"

RIFKA FINKEL, a mother of 7, founded and directs a successful program working with young women who need a home in Jerusalem. After completing a 4-year training program in parental guidance, she is now a student in the PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR & THERAPIST DIPLOMA PROGRAM, along with the combined Masters and Doctoral Degree program by distance learning. Commenting on how useful her training at Refuah has been, Rivka says, "Advancing my skills whilst working in the field is an extremely efficient way of putting learning into practice. The supervision groups and Professor Ritchie's advice have helped me deal with many of the challenges I face in dealing with teenagers on a daily basis."

ANNETE KIERSZENBAUM, a Kalla teacher and general coordinator of the Jewish Marriage Education for South America, a COUNSELING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT COURSE student, explained how useful the course was to her. "Very much. I feel much more comfortable when I teach Taharat Hamishpacha, especially when dealing with shalom bayit issues. I recommend this course because we learned how to help others, and in a day to day routine we have daily opportunities to help our family and friends."

RABBI YOSEF MALKIN, studied psychology at Montreal University, teaches and counsels in several programs in Jerusalem. "The program at Refuah emphasized very practical material rather than just academic classes. It was very important for me to upgrade my skills rather than just learn more theory. Because of what I learned at Refuah, I became a very popular counselor at Mayanot. As a result it worked itself into a full time job."

RABBI ZVI OELBAUM, a Refuah diploma program student who has learned with Rabbi Yitzchak Twerski, Ph.D., is currently working counseling boys in the Karlin-Stolin Yeshiva. When asked how he applies his Refuah training commented that, "What is taught at the Institute has very much come to use to help boys identify and cope with their problems. Almost all my cases have been dramatically helped. The different skills and types of therapy taught are helpful in the counseling of clients and in dealing with one's own daily family and social life."

AVI PERES, a South African businessman who has always desired to become a counselor had his dreams realized after enrolling in the Refuah Diploma Program. "The training I have received at Refuah was the impetus for my opening the Nili Counseling Center where I provide individual and group counseling, lectures on anger management, problem solving etc. People I meet in everyday life generally need some form of counseling which gives me an opportunity to apply my training daily in every setting."

YONA POLLACK, CASAP, a successful practitioner of counseling in the community has been affiliated with the Refuah Institute since 1999 as both a student and a highly regarded faculty member. He has completed a PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR AND THERAPIST DIPLOMA with the REFUAH INSTITUTE and is in the process of completing his Doctoral Degree with an American university that he undertook with the support and guidance of the Refuah Institute.

RABBI URI RASKIN, Formerly the coordinator of the Executive Learning Center, Aish HaTorah, Jerusalem, he is currently Director of the Center for Inner Jewish Child Counseling. "I had taken another counseling course elsewhere but felt I was still missing something. A counselor friend of mine was enrolled in the DIPLOMA PROGRAM AT THE REFUAH INSTITUTE. As he explained what he was learning, I realized exactly what was missing. I don't think that a day has gone by since I took the course that I haven't applied what I learned in dealing with my clients, my family and friends and strangers I meet in the streets. Warm empathy and regard for another person are so emphasized at REFUAH that it almost becomes second nature."

RABBI MOSHE SHAPOFF, a Rabbi, Rabbinic scholar and student of counseling, visited Rabbi Shalom Yosef Elyashiv, י"ח טבת תשס"ה. He asked if it's permissible to study psychology from frum professionals whose teachings include secular psychology. HaRav Shalom Yosef Elyashiv answered: "If you are מסוגל (competent) than it is a Mitzvah to do so." He then picked up his finger and said very strongly "mitzvah la'asot ken מצוה לעשות כן".

REBBITZEN RACHEL WHEELER, MSW, a teacher and counselor, "Initially I thought there wasn't much more for me to learn, but I was surprised to see how much better I was able to work with my students and clients after I finished the COUNSELING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT COURSE."

REFUAH INSTITUTE  Tel. USA (646) 395-9613  Tel. Israel (972) 2-571-5112  Fax USA (347) 493-3554,          Fax Israel 153-77-320-5526 Email: Refuahoffice@gmail.com