THE TRAINING PROGRAM IN ADDICTION & GUIDANCE COUNSELING

650 ACADEMIC HOURS

UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE ISRAELI MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

Introduction

In recent times, many changes have occurred in the family-structures, and in parent and child roles. Multiple obligations, difficulties, and stress - in and out of the home – have all reinforced the need for parents to adapt and incorporate various coping skills in their day to day relationships.

In addition, the religious community in Israel has had to deal with various structural changes over the last several decades that necessitate new attitudes in dealing with its particular needs, which includes:

1. Youth and children that have lost their way in the mainstream charedi educational system, as well as children hindered by learning difficulties - sometimes causing them to be expelled from schools and find themselves isolated from all sides. This also sometimes leads to total family disintegration.
2. The wider religious community has incorporated in the last few years a large number of ba’alei teshuva from all over the world. This particular segment of the population is sometimes in the midst of major personal transitional changes in their perception of their ethical, social, and cultural world. The needs of this particular community demand expert intervention and understanding, to address family and community relationships.
3. In the many hundreds of yeshivot and schools around the country, there are Mashgichim and Rebbis working without any prior professional training. This group also includes many community Rabbis serving in various positions (including schools), who with appropriate training would be able to contribute in a more fulfilling way to their students and clients.

The presented program aims to train educational guidance counsellors that can work together with –and provide a listening ear – for parents, teachers, and educators and facilitating more effective communication between them.

Program Goals

The main aims of this program are to train qualified counsellors to work - in and out of the educational framework - with parents, teachers and educators, facilitating the best possible communication to help children reach their best potential. The program includes particular stress on the academic structure in order to produce highly-skilled counsellors who are able to work within the religious school systems, and increase correct communications between all the relevant parties.

Program characteristics and teaching methods

This program combines theoretical components with guided practical experience (practicum) in community advice-centres as well as the educational system. This structure insures that students receive a full learning experience on a cognitive, emotional, and practical level. As well as the personal direction that each student will receive, there will also be simulations through role-plays and similar assignments. Practical assessments will be carried out in smaller groups in the practicum settings.

Another important facet of the program is the simultaneous guidance in three distinct and interconnecting fields:

• Parent-child relationships during the cycle of life.
• The parent’s connection to the community.
• The marital bond and husband –wife relationship.

The theory

This part of the program includes a few important components in various fields:

• General psychology as well as individual behaviours within the family unit. This component includes a brief summary of chapters in developmental psychology and theories of personality.
• Parenting through its progressive stages, multi-generational stages and its effect on personal responsibilities
• Parenting and it’s social responsibility vis-a-vis the community
• Theories and stages in group facilitation including directions on how to run sessions in group therapy with special emphasis on educational guidance
• Children and youth at risk: Case assessment and recognising signs of abuse in children – in all its forms - with particular emphasis given to identification of victims that have fallen prey to abuse.
• Teens at risk: difficulties in adolescent stages, abnormal characteristics and deviation, continuing risk, forms of prevention and solutions.
• Addictions – overview; identification; treatment models and prevention; background theory; self-help course; specifics on alcohol, gambling, narcotics etc.
• Models and skills in group facilitation

The theoretical part of the course also includes live demonstrations in small groups and full sessions, group discussions, and directed readings in selected topics.

The Practicum

Future graduates of the program will need to complete practical work in a related field to demonstrate their comprehension of the material, as well as help them in building ties with the educational system.

Within this section of the program, students will also be able to receive guidance on ethical and professional issues that can arise during counselling.

The Purpose of the Practicum

This part of the training program concentrates on developing the skills necessary in counselling, and integration of methods and techniques in guidance counselling. All of this helps the individual recognise his/her natural strengths under expert guidance of the course faculty. The practicum also develops student’s presentational skills and personal identity as an educational guidance counsellor with all of the assistance that he/she will provide.

The program syllabus

• Chapters in developmental psychology and theories of personality.
• The family in the social system: socialisation processes within the family and development of long-term plans.
•  Parenting in all its stages: Child-parent relationships, childhood to adolescence
• Stress in the family and the way it affects general family health and parental obligations.
• Parenting and its social responsibility within the community: effective strategies.
• The main theories and principles in individual/group educational guidance.
• Development of skills and techniques for effective counselling.
• Disturbances of family roles and their influence.
• Community services for the family.
• Parenting and the family roles in various parts of the population: Trends and special needs.
• Multi-generational family roles: Needs, relationships and influences.
• Children/youth at risk.
• Abuse in the community.
• Group facilitation: Skills and techniques.

Faculty

• Dr Gidon Becker Ph.D.
• Professor Ami Shaked Ph.D.
• Michael Strick M.A.
• Sharon Ehrenreich M.A
• Dani Maleron M.S.W
• Sanford Lander D.C.S.W, CASAC, CPP
• Dr Naftali Fish Ph.D.
• Dr Yackov Koltouv Ph.D.
• Naomi Sternberg M.S.
• Dr Rebecca Kaplan
• Dr llan Karton

Student Requirements

Students must meet all the requirements of the Israeli Ministry of Education which means that they must come from one of the following pools of applicants:

• Teachers with a teacher’s diploma or a B.A in Education
• Educational Advisors  (Yoetz Chinuch)
• Accredited kindergarten teachers by the Ministry of Education
• Social Workers
• Melamdim or Yeshiva Rebbis
• Candidates who do not meet one of the afore-mentioned criteria will be assessed on a case by case basis.

Course Certification

All graduates of the Yanar educational guidance counselling course are eligible for the following diplomas:

• Certification from the Yanar Institute in Educational Guidance Counseling
• Certification from the Psychology unit at the Department of Education in Israel

Course times and costs:

Men: Thursdays 15:00-21:00

Women: Mondays 09:00-15:00

Full course: 2 years:  22,000 Nis

For more details or to apply, please contact:

The English Department at Yanar

02-632-1615

ynr.office@gmail.com