WP119 | Honoring Jewish Identity and Experience with Halina Brooke, LPC
When working with clients, understanding their cultural and personal identity is essential for fostering meaningful, empathetic relationships. Halina Brooke, LPC, brings a wealth of insight into Jewish identity and its impact on therapy, offering therapists valuable guidance for working with Jewish clients. Her discussion touches on themes of faith, heritage, migration, and cultural sensitivity, reminding us of the complexity and richness of Jewish identity.
The Many Layers of Jewish Identity
Halina emphasizes that being Jewish is multifaceted—it can center on faith, culture, ethnicity, or history. Unlike many other identities, Judaism intertwines cultural practices and historical experiences with religious beliefs. Jewish clients may have deep connections to their heritage, shaped by the collective experiences of diaspora, migration, and perseverance.
For some, Jewish identity is rooted in faith and religious practices, while for others, it is tied to culture, humor, food, or shared traditions. Halina advises therapists to ask clients what being Jewish means to them. This question opens the door for clients to share their personal perspective and helps therapists better understand how to support them.
Historical Context and Trauma
Migration and persecution have profoundly shaped Jewish identity. Halina shares her family's personal journey, from escaping Eastern Europe to surviving the Holocaust, and eventually finding freedom in the U.S. Many Jewish clients carry the weight of historical trauma, whether through family stories or cultural memory. Acknowledging this context is crucial in creating a safe space for clients to process their experiences.
Understanding the historical significance of Israel to Jewish people is another important aspect. As Halina explains, Jewish traditions are deeply tied to the land, seasons, and lunar calendar. For many, Israel represents more than a homeland—it is a connection to their history, faith, and cultural identity.
The Jewish Legacy in Psychotherapy
Interestingly, Halina connects her Jewish identity to her work as a psychotherapist. Many of the founders of Western psychotherapy, such as Freud and Maslow, were Jewish. Their experiences of being outsiders in their societies shaped their deep exploration of identity, human behavior, and the human condition. This legacy influences modern psychotherapy and highlights the importance of diverse perspectives in the field.
Practical Tips for Therapists
Halina offers several practical tips for therapists working with Jewish clients:
Ask About Observance Levels
Jewish clients vary widely in their observance of religious practices. Some may follow strict dietary laws (keeping kosher), observe the Sabbath, or follow modesty guidelines. Always ask about their preferences to avoid assumptions.
Understand Rituals and Holidays
Jewish rituals and holidays carry deep significance. For instance, Passover is not just a religious observance but also a time when family dynamics come into play. Therapists should ask clients about their holiday experiences and check in about potential stressors or family challenges.
Be Mindful of Holiday Decorations
During holidays like Christmas, therapists often decorate their offices. While Jewish clients may enjoy the festive atmosphere, it’s important to consider how this might feel to someone from a minority faith. A simple check-in about their comfort level can make a big difference.
Respect Personal Boundaries
Some Jewish clients, particularly those who are more observant, may have specific boundaries, such as not shaking hands with someone of a different gender. Asking for consent before physical gestures like handshakes shows respect for their values.
Avoid Assumptions
Halina highlights the importance of cultural sensitivity. For example, while Christian Passover Seders can be meaningful, they are distinct from Jewish Seders and may not resonate with Jewish clients. Therapists should focus on understanding their client’s unique experiences rather than making comparisons.
Recognizing Rituals in Mental Health
Halina also discusses how Jewish rituals can intersect with mental health. Some practices may seem rigid or obsessive to outsiders but bring joy and meaning to those who observe them. Therapists must differentiate between joyful practices and compulsive behaviors, especially when working with clients who may have OCD or anxiety.
Conclusion
Halina’s insights offer a roadmap for therapists to deepen their understanding of Jewish identity and create more inclusive, respectful spaces for their clients. By asking questions, staying curious, and recognizing the layers of Jewish culture, therapists can build stronger connections with their clients and provide meaningful support.
As Halina reminds us, every client’s experience is unique, and understanding begins with listening. By honoring the rich tapestry of Jewish identity, therapists can help clients feel seen, respected, and valued in their therapeutic journey.
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[00:00:00] Whitney Owens: Hi, I'm Whitney Owens. I'm a group practice owner and faith based practice consultant, and I'm here to tell you that you can have it all. Want to grow your practice? Want to grow your faith? Want to enjoy your life outside of work? You've come to the right place. Each week on the Wise Practice Podcast, I will give you the action steps to have a successful faith based practice while also having a good time.
Now, let's get started
[00:00:29] Jingle: where she grows your practice. She don't play. She does business with a twist of faith. It's Whitney Owens and the wise practice podcast, Whitney Owens and wise practice podcast.
[00:00:47] Whitney Owens: Hello friends. I'm so glad to have you here on the last practice podcast with me and that we are learning and growing together.
So thank you for choosing to listen to this show. And I am thrilled about this episode with my dear friend, Helena Brooke, and I want to share just a little bit about her before we get into the episode, because she has inspired me and brought me much comfort in my time of need. And so a few months ago, not even a few months ago.
Maybe like a week, a month or two ago, I had a situation come up on social media and a couple of other things, and I won't get into the details of it, but it was a very difficult situation where I was kind of stuck in a hard place and was being accused of some things that I didn't feel like I was putting out there, didn't intentionally mean to put out there, did not mean to hurt or harm anyone, and I have always Always cared about the Jewish community and I even talk in the episode, I have a dear friend from college who, um, was an Orthodox Jew and taught me so much about, about that faith system.
And anyway, when this situation occurred, I felt very lost. I felt uncertain how to move forward and honestly was asking people to pray that I knew the right thing to do. And at that moment. Helena reached out to me with the kindest email ever, like literally brought tears to my eyes from someone that I never even knew.
And she knew my place of need. She understood my pain. She spoke to it and brought healing to it. It was incredible. And so since then we exchanged phone numbers, we texted, we checked in on each other and it was just a really Cool experience for me. And there are not that many, we need, we need more people in the world like her is what I'm really trying to say.
And, you know, instead of having pain and hurt, she came to the table and brought acceptance, brought community. And I just loved it. And so her, a lot of her mission is that, like loving people where they're at, bringing people together and helping us understand the Jewish community. So thank you, Helena, for what you've meant to me through this season in my life and the healing that you've brought and the direction that you've given me.
And I look forward to continued community with you. And I'm excited to introduce you to the WISePractice community. They're going to learn so much about working with Jewish clients, understanding the Jewish faith, how to have cultural competence, and how to be loving and accepting. And it's not about what we want or what we don't want.
Think is right. It's about caring for those clients. We're going to talk about that today. So thank you again to her for coming on the show and I'm looking forward to introducing her to you. So we're going to jump right into this episode with Helena Brook on helping meet the needs of Jewish clients and helping understand where they're coming from so that we can bring healing.
Today on the Wise Practice
Podcast, I have Helena Brook. She's the founder and director of the Jewish Therapist Colla Collective, an international organization whose focus is on community building and advocacy for Jewish therapists and the clients they serve. A seasoned advocate, she has successfully moved legislation through to become law and actively mentors therapists, change makers in amplifying the causes they care about and the unique perspectives they bring to society and clinical work alike.
When she's not with clients at her Arizona private practice or leading and supporting advocacy endeavors, He will find her enjoying time with her bubbly little girl and watching the birds on the local lakes. I'm so glad you're here with me today. I'm so glad to be here too, Whitney. Thank you for inviting me on.
Yes, yes. I, um, did not realize you were such an advocate. So I love that part and hearing more about that from you. Um, just before we kind of get going, I'm curious, what's something recently that you've
[00:04:42] Halina Brooke, LPC: advocated about? Well, I guess recently, so last year it was just a small one and there was a big one. Um, there was a piece in Arizona legislation where associate licensees were getting double billed for their, their licensure fees and then their renewal fees at the same time.
And so people would be out like 600 while they're still, yeah. So while they're still like building their, their, their practice and their name and getting paid associate rates and no one ever bothered to fix it because it didn't feel like a big enough issue for people. And so, I mean, I saw it. I, I don't like leaving things.
I kind of get a little bothered, like, by, by things that go ignored and, you know, a couple phone calls, a couple presentations and we got it done. So that was, that was last year. Yeah. Nice.
[00:05:30] Whitney Owens: I'm, I'm always a kind of. admiring advocates from afar, because I don't think it's something I could do, but I appreciate the
[00:05:35] Halina Brooke, LPC: ones that do it.
Thank you. And you know what? I think advocacy doesn't always have to be with a microphone in front of a big audience. It can be the stuff that you do to show up for your clients and the stuff that you do to make yourself available too. So, yeah.
[00:05:52] Whitney Owens: Well, great. Well, let's kind of jump into the episode. I know we're going to talk about Just how to best care for Jewish clients that come into our offices and some things to consider, but I know you've got some information over there.
So I'm ready.
[00:06:04] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah. So, well, first I should say, I know that with, with your audience, most of them are Christian and, you know, having people of other faiths, or other backgrounds come in, it might sound more intimidating than it is. And so I just want to share that when I first got started and I was in grad school, I had applied for an internship at a practice that I'd been watching for a while.
Turned out it was like a month after she filled the positions. And she sent me over to her colleague who I didn't realize ran a Christian practice. And there I sat my interview, realizing that this was, this was the practice that she had. And so I shared with her that I'm Jewish. And I said, is this going to be okay?
And it's totally fine if it's not, but I want to make sure that I'm transparent about who I am. And she said, sure. And she mentored me through it. And it was really, really an honor to be able to support Christian clients and getting clarity on where they sat with everything, their relationship to their faith and also everything else in their lives too.
And I, it's, it's an honor for me to be able to kind of come full circle and be able to share with faith based counselors. who are Christian and in other backgrounds to, to learn how to support Jewish clients.
[00:07:13] Whitney Owens: Yeah, I love that. Yeah. And, you know, before we kind of got going, we were talking about, obviously the most important thing is the client, right?
Regardless of our background, what we believe about something, it's about meeting their needs, no matter what faith background they have.
[00:07:28] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah. Yeah. And it's interesting because I think sometimes when we come to like cultural competency and things like that, sometimes we want to learn everything and then just, okay, this is how they, they all think, act, live, make decisions, get married, all of that stuff.
But the fact is like, as we all know, there's more diversity within groups than between them. Right.
[00:07:52] Jingle: Yeah.
[00:07:53] Halina Brooke, LPC: And so, I guess, like, what I would start with is just a comparison. What would, what would you say the definition of a Christian is? Oh,
[00:08:03] Whitney Owens: okay. Yeah. You know what? I would have totally said something different five, 10 years ago that I'm going to tell you now.
Okay. Yeah. And I think in the same way that you were just saying, like there's a spectrum, I think there's a spectrum of what it means to be a Christian. Yeah. Yeah. But when I think about what is Christianity mean to me, it means living out the faith and life of Jesus. That's how I think of it.
[00:08:26] Halina Brooke, LPC: So, and, and I would, I would say like, what I was gonna, my working idea of that is also people who have a relationship with, with Jesus, right?
So that's, you know, it doesn't matter, you know, ethnicity, race, like national origin, that's kind of, that's the definition, right? Well, so Jewish is a little bit different. Right, so it's a faith, sure, but it's also an ethnicity, a heritage, and, and we look at that, you know, going way, way back because the Jewish populations of Ethiopia and India and Eastern Europe and all across the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa.
We all have genetic ties to each other. Like, it's a really interesting phenomenon, and everybody kind of traces their roots back to the same place, give or take. And of course, there are people who've converted, and there are folks who have really beautiful blended backgrounds because of, you know, parents who, who blended cultures and backgrounds and things while we were in the diaspora.
And so we've got a lot of layers, but there's an ethical framework. There's all sorts of cultural things. And so being Jewish means a lot of things to a lot of different people. And for some people, it really doesn't center the faith part. For some people, it centers the culture part. And for some people, it kind of centers.
It's, you know, other things, patterns of humor, patterns of migration, stuff like that. So it is important to ask the client what it means to them. I love that. And
[00:09:57] Whitney Owens: just that sense of community is so beautiful. Yeah. Thank you.
[00:10:03] Halina Brooke, LPC: I appreciate that. So, what does it mean for you to be Jewish? You know, for me, it's, um.
It's, it's funny, it's, it's part of, it's part of my relationship to the field of psychotherapy itself. So looking at a lot of the founders of the field, you know, and we have an article about this on the Jewish Therapist Collective website, a lot of the founders of Western psychotherapy happened to have been Jewish and they didn't create, you know, much the same way that the founders of various, you know, art forms and things like that might've been of certain ethnicities.
Yeah. Yeah. It wasn't that they brought Judaism as a faith into it. They, they, they were informed by the relationship between being kind of slightly outside of things, but also inside of things in their society. Right. So you look at Freud, right. And we all love to, we all love to knock Freud, but he had an interesting relationship with the society he was in because he was kind of pushed aside and a bit of a heretic and kind of treated like he was a little bit different because he was Jewish, right?
You look at people like Maslow, same thing. You look at other founders of the field were having to deal with persecution and grappling with big identity issues. And no wonder they thought really deeply with complexity about what goes on in the human condition because they had to deal with, you know, mortality and acceptance and rejection and things like that.
And they, Grappled with them in kind of these really complex, detailed, layered ways that as Jews were kind of taught to think about problems. So I guess that's the center of my Jewish identity. So,
[00:11:35] Whitney Owens: well, I love that. And I think it also shows our indebtedness to these people, you know, that helped shape and form the very field that we're a part of.
[00:11:44] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah. Yeah. And, and the thing is like, as it's grown, we've had so many amazing people from all sorts of backgrounds, you know, add to it and bring perspectives. And, you know, just like those founders, people bring their lived experience plus the clinical information they've got sort of create something from there.
For me also, it comes from my family's legacy of, of migration, right? So like, yeah. You know, while we do tie our ancestry all the way back to our homeland of Israel, we, you know, my, my mom's family escaped from where they were living in diaspora in Eastern Europe a long, long time ago and lived in Argentina, my father's family, they survived the Holocaust.
And then, and unfortunately their first child passed, but my dad grew up in communist Poland and part of our legacy is having my family having escaped communism and sort of migrating through to the U. S. and sort of having those layers of moving through to finally find a place of freedom where they could create their own lives, you know, so that's part of it too.
And I think migration legacy is a really big thing for a lot of Jewish clients.
[00:12:55] Whitney Owens: I think this is such a great topic that you're bringing up, and I appreciate you sharing about your family and hearing about that. What a, it's, it's beautiful to hear those stories. And as I think about clients coming in, I mean, how can we best serve Jewish clients and maybe specifically looking at the history that you just shared?
I mean, that's a lot of trauma there. And like, how do we become inquisitive, but not assume and best care for them?
[00:13:20] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah, well, I guess the biggest thing to serving someone is kind of getting a bigger picture of who they are, right? So, so things like why does Israel matter so much to so many clients or to so many Jewish people, right?
Um, and why is it so hard for some, some non Jewish advocates? To understand how to bring us in and things like that. So when it comes to Israel, it's really interesting. It's, it's been such a hot button issue in the news. And, and before I jump into this, there are a lot of people from multiple populations experiencing so much pain right now.
And most of us, and I know me for sure, like I have a tremendous heart for everybody who's suffering right now, you know, and I think that as humans and as therapists, we have a capacity for empathy for all of the affected populations, right? But as far as our population goes, some of the things that might not occur to non Jewish therapists is that when it all comes down to it, we're a tribal people that follow the lunar calendar and the harvest seasons of Israel.
Like when you go back to like the leaves and branches and fruits. And our ceremonies are all tied to the land. And so there's a lot that goes into it. Now, we, we've incorporated things from the places that some of us might have been living in diaspora. Like my family eats beets, potatoes, cold smoked fish, dill.
Like these are things that, weren't over there. But, you know, as we know, things can kind of blend, right. And in terms of the land, Jerusalem before it was called Jerusalem was called Al Quds, but before it was called Al Quds, it was called Jerusalem. So like, you know, it's a really storied place and there are multiple peoples who have tethers to that area, but it is really important to us, you know.
Yeah, definitely. I
[00:15:02] Whitney Owens: mean, it's your homeland.
[00:15:04] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah. Yeah. And so there's that. Other things that I would mention, I think for a lot of, you know, I asked a couple colleagues some questions about what they would want their, their Christian colleagues to know. So a lot of Christians have been to things like Passover Seders, but kind of done through the wands of Christianity.
Right. So you're probably familiar with that cause it's kind of, I've done both actually. Okay. Yeah. So, so it means different things to Jewish people and Christian people. Right. Right. So one of the big things is. the same way that, you know, we all kind of tie back to the same, same heritage in terms of like Psalms and like earlier stories of like creation and Exodus and all that stuff.
Holidays mean different things to us, right? So like it might not land especially well to tell a Jewish client that you want to a Christian Passover Seder because it's a different thing, right? It's this has similar title, but there are different reasons for each of those rituals. Right? So for example, Passover time of year, right?
You might be greeting your other clients with how was your Easter? What are your plans for Easter? Ask about Passover, get curious about it. If your client has any kind of. family background where things are complicated the same way you might check in with clients at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Passover is a really good time to check in on that stuff because that's when all of our family baggage shows up.
[00:16:26] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Yeah. I had a dear friend in college who was Jewish and I was so honored that she invited me to her Seder. Or her Passover, but
[00:16:37] Halina Brooke, LPC: yeah, my saying that correctly. I get her. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. It means order in Hebrew.
[00:16:43] Whitney Owens: Yeah. And it was incredible and her father, you know, let it, and it was an amazing experience for me and my husband.
So, I was honored to get to have that experience and you're right. Like, if you talk about it in a Christian way, it really, I mean, I'm going to say this because. I think it dumbs down what Passover is actually about in a lot of ways.
[00:17:03] Halina Brooke, LPC: I appreciate you naming that. And I don't know if you noticed, like, I'm a little bit nervous because, like, I want to make sure that I don't say anything offensive.
So, like, I'm just going to agree with you about having said that, because some of these rituals have such a reverence. Like, you know, you probably remember opening the door for Elijah, and there's a certain reason why we go in a certain order, and there's a certain reason why we ask certain questions, and it's a whole big thing with a lot of intentionality, and a lot of Jewish ritual and a lot of Jewish law comes with some really profound intentionality.
So like, observance levels, for example. So I was not raised keeping kosher, which is the the set of dietary laws. that a lot of Jewish people do follow, right? So, not every Jew follows the same things, and so that's why it's important, for example, to ask what people's observance levels and preferences are, but rules like not putting dairy and meat together, rules like not cooking things on the Sabbath, things like that, that might come into account for some of your clients, and it might actually impact things like their mental health issues.
Which might surprise you. I mean, I don't know if I can expound upon that a little bit. Mm hmm. Yeah. Okay. So, we just had, and we're gonna have more in this series, but we had a webinar yesterday, and I guess it'll be a few days out, or weeks, or whatever, when when this gets published, but we, our recent webinar on Jewish considerations and OCD treatment, you know, there are certain things that are part of the Jewish traditions that might read like obsessions to non Jewish folks.
And there are certain things that, and you can find the webinar on the, on the website, but. there are certain things that kind of discern really specific rituals and religious rules from things that might, let's say, be obsessions. And so the speaker yesterday was talking about, for example, is it bringing you joy and is it bringing you closer to your faith?
Or is it something that you feel compelled to do that feels like it's really intrusive in your life, right? So things like that. So, yeah, If a client is talking about a behavior that might seem confusing to you or excessive or ritualistic in a way that for you might be problematic, for them it might be joyful and it might be bringing them closer to God.
[00:19:23] Whitney Owens: Yeah, definitely. And we will definitely have in the show notes your website so people can check it out and get more information on that. I'm sitting here thinking about when clients come into our offices, is there anything else that kind of you don't know what you don't know that maybe a Christian therapist or any kind of therapist just doesn't know that they need to know about the Jewish culture or Jewish clients?
Yeah, definitely.
[00:19:49] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah, so if you are seeing a new client, well, this is mostly for people who observe something called, well, I'll just say the English, just sort of modesty in terms of interaction between different genders, right? If you have a new client who happens to be a very observant Jewish person and you're of the different gender from them, you don't want to go to shake their hand.
You'll give them a warm smile. You'll ask permission, right? And if you don't know whether your new client, how observant they are, you can say, Hi, like, would you know, would you like to shake hands or something like that? Always asking permission first, because for a lot of folks, this They won't touch someone of the opposite gender at it either out of respect for their partner or out of respect just for For boundaries and things like that.
So always asking is good during holiday seasons if you love to decorate your waiting room, too Don't not decorate your waiting room. A lot of us love Christmas decorations. Like you might not know this but other trivia Half of the most popular Christmas songs in America were written by Jews, because for some reason we love Christmas.
So, but, you know, go all out in the way that feels authentic to you and your space. But when they come in, you, you know, read the room and depending on their background, you might check in with them and say, Hey, like, I know that this season we go really big for our holidays. Like, I just wanted to check in with you about that before we begin our session.
Right. Because sometimes it can feel like it's everywhere. Right. And you can feel a little bit. Lonely during certain times of year and not every client, you know, some Jewish clients really enjoy like the lights and the festivity and the cookies and some feel really isolated.
[00:21:28] Whitney Owens: And so would you suggest this is I love that you just said that I wouldn't have been thinking about some of those things.
So, um, and would you suggest we put any decorations out to honor the Jewish faith? Even if it's not necessarily ours.
[00:21:41] Halina Brooke, LPC: Oh, absolutely. I mean, like, you want to be careful to just, you know, check in with a Jewish colleague to make sure that you're getting the right materials. For example, you know, we always joke about going out to the grocery store during certain Jewish holidays and like, you know, seeing something called matzah, which is the crackers that we eat at Passover and seeing like at Hanukkah because we really don't eat matzah.
at Hanukkah, you know, Hanukkah is for jelly donuts and latkes and things like that. So, you know, if you're going to do something like put a menorah in your waiting room, you want to make sure, for example, that it has nine branches, not seven, right? Because a seven branch menorah is used for something else.
And you might've accidentally also picked up a Kwanzaa decoration, right? So, And so maybe you want to have both one for Kwanzaa and one for Hanukkah, but check in with your Jewish colleagues. And if you don't have any Jewish colleagues, you could come to our free drop in consult group and ask questions.
Anything from, can I put this decoration in my office or would it be profaning something sacred to really complicated things like, you know, I have a mixed faith couple and I want to run some things by you guys before I bring this to them. You know,
[00:22:50] Whitney Owens: Well, thank you for that. That is such a great opportunity.
I'm guessing I have that maybe in my notes. If I don't, we can get all that
[00:22:57] Halina Brooke, LPC: information. Yeah, it's, it's every Friday on 10 Pacific, 1 Eastern, and it's for anything from silly questions to really profound ones. Judgment free, you know, you can unpack bias knowing that we'll love you and care for you all the same, so.
Oh, that's so good.
[00:23:13] Whitney Owens: Yeah. I love that. All right, here's another question for you. I'm thinking now about my experiences in owning a practice. So I actually, I had a Jewish therapist at my, you know, practice for a couple of years, and we went to the synagogue. Actually, the synagogue is right beside my church that I was at at the time.
So we had a good relationship. In fact, when our church was doing their construction, we met at the synagogue. You know, and had our Wednesday night suppers and everything, and that Rabbi, that Rabbi is awesome. He, Rabbi Haas, he actually goes to comedy clubs at night. It's, it's great. Oh, cool. Anyway, we met with, um, with them and, you know, talked about how to best serve Jewish clients, but I never got any referrals and I always was like, did I do something?
Not because we want to be sleazy or anything. It's about helping Jewish clients know that it's okay to go to therapy and we could serve you and do what's best. What recommendations?
[00:24:07] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah, I mean, the biggest thing is just affirming that people are safe, right? Right now, the climate is such that like, and we founded, we founded our organization, I guess, the better part of a decade ago.
And early on, we were The folks that would reach out and say, Hey, can you help me find a therapist? Might say, you know, my therapist was Christian and they kind of missed some things and I felt uncomfortable bringing them up or correcting them because people who aren't therapists don't realize that it might be more safe than they know to say, Hey, like when you said this, it was uncomfortable with me.
Can we process it? Right. And that was what we got a lot early on, which is why we started our directory project. But it's kind of shifted over the past year plus to folks who had been going to more secular therapists and tried to talk about what's going on in the Middle East and the impact on their kids at college, or themselves at college, or their workplace.
Places when the political discourse is kind of exploding into sort of, you know, harm, harming people because that, you know, that's not politics. That's, that's hate, right? And they tried to bring it up and they realized that their therapist didn't understand. And so, so that wave of people has been without therapy and what a great opportunity for a population of therapists who is willing to hold space and, and support their clients unconditionally through this therapy.
This current time. So I'm glad you asked that. I think the biggest thing is, is saying, you know, I'm not of your faith, but I will make so much space for you and your faith, right? That's a big one. Another one is just coming down straight out and saying you're an ally, right? People are scared to say they're allies with Jews because they think they're going to be perceived as against another population.
But. Absolutely not. You can, you can ally with and make space for Jewish people and their feelings and their experiences without, you know, that doesn't say anything about how you feel about any other population. You can love all peoples, you know? Yeah,
[00:26:07] Whitney Owens: that's, thank you. I think you said that so well. And I, it shows that we care about the person in the room.
Yes. We love that person and we are meeting their needs. And that's our, that's our goal.
[00:26:19] Halina Brooke, LPC: I think you were saying that. And I think other things that might help a client were in the process of putting together a little checklist and a downloadable in a little graphic that people can put on their websites that say that they're a proud ally. And people will be able to click on it and get the list of what your commitments are, including like, you know, reaching out for consult.
If you have any questions or, you know, if, if the, you know, Making sure to like, you know, I won't blame the client if they, if they say to me that something went wrong or, you know, things like understanding that many Jews have a connection to Israel and, and that you're not going to like close the door on a client for that.
So we're going to be providing that as well. And I think I can, I can get that linked to you also, but that's a nice way to show clients that you're an, you're an ally and then also reaching out to local clergy, Jewish federations. Youth groups, things like that. And saying, Hey, like I'm not Jewish, but I know your community is going through a lot right now.
And I really want to be there for you. And I've got some opening. If anyone needs counseling, I want you to know that you're welcome here. And you know, whatever you end up talking about and your heritage and everything, and that this is safe for you, you know?
[00:27:37] Whitney Owens: Yeah. I actually, I hear you saying, I'm like, that's, I love those ideas.
Would you say, would it be a good idea to go and basically offer to do a talk or a seminar on trauma, the impact of trauma? Or is that kind of like, you shouldn't be speaking about that because you're not of our faith background and you don't really understand the experience? What do you think?
[00:27:58] Halina Brooke, LPC: Well,
[00:27:58] Whitney Owens: I mean, I
[00:27:59] Halina Brooke, LPC: think, I think trauma is trauma, right?
And there's this clutch on trauma and, you know, You don't need to have experienced the exact same trauma as somebody to say, Hey, this might be what's going on in your nervous system. You know, if you have frozen or tried to, you know, exemplify perfection, cause you're scared that you'll get rejected or all of these other things that we know happen, you can offer a, a workshop on that and you can open and close with, You know, I know I haven't been through what you've been through, but I believe the human experience is universal, so I might know what's going on in your body, in your family, in your community, and if there's anything I'm missing, tell me, and you can even make space in the workshop to ask people what their experiences are and just offer that validation, so they kind of Know that you're with them, you know.
[00:28:49] Whitney Owens: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah, that's good. Yeah So for Christian therapists who want to help the Jewish community where they live if they're wanting to market to Jewish clients to show them Hey, here's a safe space for you. Do you have any other recommendations for them on how to best market that?
[00:29:09] Halina Brooke, LPC: I mean, I guess like the biggest thing is just saying like, you know You know what it's like to be you and, you know, your experience of your faith is welcome here, you know, I think the biggest one is saying like, I don't think that my faith is the answer to your pain, you know, I think my, my services might support your pain, but, I'm not.
And that's the thing. Like the reason I say it that way is because I mean, a lot of us have been like, have had evangelical friends kind of try to take the opportunity to bring us in. And it's, it's one of those things that's really hard for us because it's like, we don't, we don't try to convert people to Judaism.
Like Jews don't really, you know, the tradition, it's customary to turn people away. So if, if anyone goes to a rabbi and says, hi, I'd like to become a Jew, they'll say, No, no, no, it's too much work for you. It's too hard. And they try to push you away three times before you're allowed to sit through years and years of study before you kind of get that process.
Right. So it's, it's, it's not something that Jewish people do. Like we know that it exists, but it makes us. One of the biggest fears people have about going to a Christian counselor is the fear that they're going to try to convert you. And so just naming ahead of time, like, I don't think my faith is the answer to your problems.
That in a nutshell will give them that safety. Hmm. I love
[00:30:33] Whitney Owens: the way you said that. You said that perfectly. Thank you. And, and, and yeah, and, and Christian evangelical Christians can say that to all types of clients, not necessarily a Jewish client, any kind of client that comes in the door recently. Some Christians think you're not at my level of Christianity, or you don't believe the Bible the way I do, so I gotta teach you how to do that, like, that's not, that's not what it means to be a therapist.
They can go to a pastor for that.
[00:30:57] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah, well, and I mean, I, I've heard people say that to like, You know, I mean, preachers kids, I used to work with a bunch of preachers kids when I was in my practicum. And one of the things that really clicked was, you know, I don't know the answer to your problems. I don't even know what your problems are yet.
You know, and I have a feeling that you have a lot of answers that you don't even know you have yet. So let's talk because you've got a lot within you. That's beautiful. And I think, especially for Jewish clients, We have a legacy in us of, you know, yeah, we've been through a lot, but we have so much resilience and we have a lot of like, what's now kind of talked about as Jewish joy to draw from.
And I think what, what better person than, you know, potentially a faith based counselor who is not going to bring their own faith into it, but has such a deep connection with their own faith that they're comfortable inviting the client to kind of pull that out and put it on the table and talk about.
Yeah. Because, you know, you might not share the same faith, but you know what joy from faith is, you know. Yeah,
[00:32:04] Whitney Owens: you know, as I hear you speak, I just, and of course we texted some and got to know each other a little bit before the podcast. You have such a gift of community and acceptance
[00:32:13] Jingle: within you. Well, you know, I like,
[00:32:16] Halina Brooke, LPC: I was kind of a weirdo growing up, so I mean, I'm very in touch with my Jewish identity, but I'll tell you, like, I didn't, you know, youth group and Hebrew school were not always the most comfortable places for me, and I think a lot of us find our place in the field of mental health because we maybe didn't quite fit in somewhere, or we were too connected to the people's pain around us and ended up being that dedicated helper when we were younger instead of the friend, you know?
So I think it took a while, but at 38, I'm really glad that you're, you know, seeing and reflecting back the, the communication stuff because it's been a long journey for me.
[00:32:54] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Well, well, I love it. All right. So let's talk about All the great, um, services you have. So talk a little bit about the Jewish Therapist Collective and kind of what that is.
And I know you've got a deal for people and like, so who would be the ideal person there? Talk about that.
[00:33:10] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah, well, so another thing that, um, folks who, um, if you have any Jewish colleagues, letting them know that we're out there, I think is really helpful because, you know, even with everything we do, I think we're so busy doing the doing that we really.
I'm not much for self promotion, I guess. We've got our sleeves rolled up so much that we kind of are finally getting to things like Instagram and finally getting to things like media pieces because we were too busy doing to do the telling. So that's a big help. But as far as what we can offer your listeners, we have a free weekly drop in consult group.
And what's really cool is that people of all sorts of observance, backgrounds, heritage, language, And clinical specialty show up. And so what you walk into is kind of what was faded for that day. And you get to kind of bounce ideas back and forth and get a chance to really contextualize things your clients are going through.
We also have one on one consultation services and I do a lot of that, but also if you, if you ring us up and say, Hey, I need someone who's going to help with, you know, let's see, uh, one that I don't do, but OCD, I'll just use that. I am not an OCD specialist. So I would give you a list of several names of Jewish therapists who specialize in that so that you could decide who you want to reach out to.
Of course, people, people get paid for their one on one consultations of free ones or Fridays once a week. But then also if you want anyone to come. Speak or do like a a webinar or like an ask and answer session with your group practice team. We're happy to do that. And then also we've got webinars like the one that just happened that we're gonna be doing throughout the year on Jewish cultural considerations for various.
clinical presentations. And we also have trainings that come with CEs and stuff. So those have a C, but many of them are available to Jewish and non Jewish colleagues alike. So you just have to check our events calendar to see what might be of interest to you. So you're doing lots of good stuff. Yeah.
Yeah. Thank you. It's a lot of work. You know, but it matters.
[00:35:18] Whitney Owens: So that's so matters. I liked what you said. We've been so busy doing the doing. We haven't had the time to tell about it.
[00:35:26] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah.
[00:35:26] Whitney Owens: Yeah. I can relate to that.
[00:35:28] Halina Brooke, LPC: How many, how many of your, you know, colleagues and coaching and mentoring clients do the same thing?
Like you see them doing amazing work, but like they might not have people showing up because they forgot to tell people about it, you know, I know.
[00:35:44] Whitney Owens: I know, it's such a part of it. Alright, so then people can become members of
[00:35:48] Halina Brooke, LPC: the community, is that correct? Yeah, so, so you can sign up for our e newsletter on the website, and then anybody can, can become a member of the JTC.
Right now, the directory listings are only set up for Jewish therapists, just because sometimes clients specifically want someone who, Like the same way someone might want a Christian counselor if they're a Christian, but we are working on something where allies would be able to put up a profile as well.
It's, it's a tech thing. And there's a whole bunch of coding in the back of it. So it's going to take a little while, but we are going to be doing that, but yeah, you can, you can join. And of course the newsletter and access to the event calendar are free. So, yeah,
[00:36:29] Whitney Owens: yeah. Well, this has been such a pleasure for me.
Me too. Yeah. And you brought so much relevant, good information, um, and that is going to be super helpful. Is there anything we didn't touch on that you want to make sure to?
[00:36:42] Halina Brooke, LPC: Yeah, I think as people listen to this, and I would imagine that some folks might've been so nervous at the, at the beginning and then they listened and they kind of, you know, relaxed into it.
But Jews are an interesting population. Because, you know, sometimes people don't know how to kind of make sense of and code us when it comes to like, you know, inclusion and, and, you know, conversations about like bigotry and hate and racism and inclusion and warmth and community. So I just want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to listen to the episode and to share the episode.
Because, you know, just getting to know Jewish colleagues is a, is a Big way of providing that inclusion. We talked at the beginning about, you know, advocacy versus not advocacy, but even listening to a podcast like this, sharing it with friends, it amplifies something that really hasn't had enough voice.
And, and I just want to thank people for that. I love that.
[00:37:40] Whitney Owens: You're so great at the community piece. Remembering people. I love it. I love it. Well, thank you for taking the time to be on the show. I'm looking forward to sharing this with the audience and, uh, hopefully we will continue to have more conversations in the future.
Thank
[00:37:54] Halina Brooke, LPC: you so much, Whitney. I really enjoyed being here with you today. So
[00:38:00] Jingle: click on, follow and leave a review and keep on loving this work. We do with Whitney Owens and the wise practice podcast. Whitney Owens and the wise practice podcast
[00:38:18] Whitney Owens: special thanks to Marty Altman. For the music in this podcast, the wise practice podcast is part of the site craft podcast network, a collaboration of independent podcasters focused on helping people live more meaningful and productive lives to learn more about the other amazing podcasts in the network head on over to site craft network.
com. The wise practice podcast represents the opinions of Whitney Owens and her guests. This podcast is for educational purposes only, and the content should not be taken as legal advice. If you have legal questions, please consult an attorney.
