Lived Experiences of Orthodox Jewish Professionals Working with At-Risk Youth in the Orthodox ...

252 Pages·2016·1.46 MB·English

by  David Baruch

University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
UWM Digital Commons
Teses and Dissertations
May 2014
Lived Experiences of Orthodox Jewish
Professionals Working with At-Risk Youth in the
Orthodox Community
David Baruch
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Follow this and additional works at: htps://dc.uwm.edu/etd
Part of the Psychology Commons
Recommended Citation
Baruch, David, "Lived Experiences of Orthodox Jewish Professionals Working with At-Risk Youth in the Orthodox Community"
(2014).Teses and Dissertations. 662.
htps://dc.uwm.edu/etd/662
Tis Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Teses and Dissertations
by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact
LIVED EXPERIENCES OF ORTHODOX JEWISH PROFESSIONALS
WORKING WITH AT-RISK YOUTH IN THE ORTHODOX COMMUNITY

by
David E. Baruch
A Dissertation Submitted
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements of

Doctor of Philosophy
In Psychology

at
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
May 2014
ABSTRACT
LIVED EXPERIENCES OF ORTHODOX JEWISH PROFESSIONALS WORKING
WITH AT-RISK YOUTH IN THE ORTHODOX COMMUNITY

by
David E. Baruch
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014
Under the Supervision of Professor Susan D. Lima

A phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experience of Orthodox
Jewish professionals (mental health practitioner, high school rabbi, mentor) trying to
break the resistance and connect with the at-risk youth in the Orthodox Jewish
community (OJC). OJC at-risk youth was defined as a) youth experiencing life
disruptions (in family, school, community, and/or religious contexts) related to
psychological issues and reflected in externalizing (e.g., “delinquent”) or internalizing
(e.g., depression) behaviors, and b) excluding a youth experiencing life disruptions due to
non-compliance with parental and societal expectations (i.e., religious obligations) when
devoid of a significant psychological component. Thirteen textural narratives illustrate
the culture-specific manifestations of successful and unsuccessful attempts to connect
with at-risk youth. In addition, four structural narratives offer insights into the essential
components of the connection phenomenon, including, 1) Being non-judgmental, 2) Not
“taking it personally,” 3) “Being real,” and 4) Focusing on well-being, not religion. The
study concludes with reflections on the findings together with communal
recommendations to help the OJC address its at-risk youth phenomenon.
ii
© Copyright by David Baruch, 2014
All Rights Reserved
iii
I dedicate this dissertation to my wife, Helen.
She is the healthiest person I have ever met.
If only everyone could have a
Helen in their life,
the world would be so
calm and content.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE

Author Preface .....................................................................................................................1
Notice of Intent ........................................................................................................1
Personal Narrative ....................................................................................................5
I: Introduction ......................................................................................................................9
Significance of the Study .........................................................................................9
Purpose of the Study ..............................................................................................11
Research Questions ................................................................................................11
Definition of Terms................................................................................................12
Methodology ..........................................................................................................12
Assumptions and Limitations ................................................................................13
Organization of the Remainder of the Study .........................................................14
II: Overview of Cultural Context .......................................................................................14
Introduction ............................................................................................................14
American Jewry .....................................................................................................15
Demographics. .................................................................................................15
Denominational Differences. ...........................................................................15
Acculturation....................................................................................................17
Summary. .........................................................................................................19
The Orthodox Jewish Community .........................................................................20
Introduction. .....................................................................................................20
Orthodox Judaism. ...........................................................................................20
Life snapshots to illustrate Orthodox Jewish lifestyle. ....................................21
Sub-group Differences .....................................................................................23
Summary. .........................................................................................................24
Jewish Mental Illness and Service Utilization .......................................................25
Introduction. .....................................................................................................25
Epidemiological Research. ..............................................................................25
Critique of Research Findings. ........................................................................28
Summary. .........................................................................................................29
OJC Perspectives on Mental Illness and Treatment ..............................................30
Introduction. .....................................................................................................30
Historical Overview. ........................................................................................30
Distrust of Secular Value Systems ...................................................................32
OJC Stigmatization of Mental Illness. .............................................................35
Summary. .........................................................................................................36
At-risk Youth .........................................................................................................36
Mainstream conceptualizations. .......................................................................36
OJC professional Conceptualizations. .............................................................38
Orthodox Jewish Community Conceptualization. ...........................................43
Current Study Conceptualization. ....................................................................45
The Unique Challenge of the OJC Professional ....................................................45
v
III: Methodology ................................................................................................................49
Rationale for Design ..............................................................................................49
Phenomenology......................................................................................................50
Participants .............................................................................................................52
Ethical Considerations ...........................................................................................54
Semi-structured Interview ......................................................................................55
Data Analytic Procedures ......................................................................................56
Validation Procedures ............................................................................................58
IV: Textural Narratives ......................................................................................................59
Introduction ............................................................................................................59
Mental Health Professionals ..................................................................................61
Participant 1. ....................................................................................................61
Participant 2. ....................................................................................................72
Participant 3. ....................................................................................................78
Participant 4. ....................................................................................................90
Participant 5. ....................................................................................................99
Participant 6. ..................................................................................................115
High School Rabbi Professionals.........................................................................127
Participant 7. ..................................................................................................127
Participant 8 ...................................................................................................132
Participant 9 ...................................................................................................141
Professional Mentors ...........................................................................................150
Participant 10 .................................................................................................150
Participant 11. ................................................................................................166
Participant 12 .................................................................................................168
Participant 13 .................................................................................................179
V: Structural Narratives ...................................................................................................191
Introduction ..........................................................................................................191
Structural Narratives ............................................................................................193
Being non-judgmental. ...................................................................................193
Not “taking it personally.” .............................................................................196
“Being real.” ..................................................................................................199
Focusing on well-being, not religion. ............................................................202
VI: Personal Reflections and Recommendations .............................................................203
Introduction ..........................................................................................................203
Discussion of Findings .........................................................................................204
Translating Research into Practice.......................................................................210
Promoting connection. ...................................................................................211
Communal Recommendations. ......................................................................215
Final Reflections ..................................................................................................219
References ........................................................................................................................225
Appendix: Hebrew Word Glossary ..................................................................................234
Curriculum Vita ...............................................................................................................236

vi
LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1: American Jewry Demographic Characteristics by
Denomination………207
TABLE 2: American Jewry Acculturation by
Denomination.…………...………….208
TABLE 3: Participant
Demographics………………………………………………..224

vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There is a concept in Judaism of Ein oed m’lvado [there is nothing more besides
Him], meaning that Hashem (G-d) is the essence of all existence and experience. I thank
Hashem for everything He has done, continues to do, and will do in the future. During
times of perspective I appreciate that all the help I acknowledge below are but
manifestations of His kindness.
I thank my wife for her incredible support and sacrifice during this entire project.
I also want to thank the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Graduate School for
granting me a fellowship so I could conduct this research and write the dissertation free
from TA responsibilities. I also thank the TAG Institute (www.taginstitute.org) for
granting me research funding to enable me to conduct this research. I thank the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for providing me an office and associated resources
to conduct the research.
I want to thank everyone on my dissertation committee. Every member was
involved in my research and clinical training and provided helpful guidance throughout
my graduate training and during this project. I thank Jonathan Kanter for humbly
allowing me to break from his program of research to pursue a different research path.
Despite “going my own way,” absolutely every level of this project reflects his research
and clinical training and mentorship. I thank Patricia Stevens for teaching me qualitative
research and providing expert and culturally-sensitive mentorship. She provided time and
resources well beyond what was expected. I thank Katie Mosack for introducing me to
qualitative research. Her balanced, critical approach to science opened my eyes to the
possibilities of qualitative data. I thank Robyn Ridley for her clinical training and for
viii
being my friend. I thank Sue Lima for always making sure I have completed graduate
school requirements. True to form she helped me navigate administrative challenges as
Jonathan accepted an academic position elsewhere. Last but not least, I thank David
Rosmarin for inspiring me to utilize research to help the Jewish community. I value both
his mentorship and friendship.
I thank my parents for proof-reading this dissertation and for their valuable
feedback. I am so blessed to have such nurturing, loving, and supportive parents. They
are genuine “givers.” They give to the city, the Jewish community, their family, their
children, and to each other. I aspire to live up to their example.
I thank Nefesh - the International Network of Orthodox Mental Health
Professionals – for granting me permission to include descriptions of Orthodox Jewish at-
risk youth from their book, Children At-risk. I am indebted to Leah Frenkiel and Gilah
Saltzman for their tireless efforts transcribing participant interviews. This project would
have taken a decade without their help. I thank David Rosmarin for graciously providing
resources from his research lab to complete this project. Likewise, I thank Dana Margolis
for her feedback and help validating data and Linda Waite-Charme and Jeffrey Zigun for
their discerning critiques. I thank Dr. Charme for allowing me to use his home office on
several occasions. I also thank my Rebbe, Rabbi M. Twerski for his suggestion of this
topic, moral support, and insightful comments throughout the project. Last but not least, I
thank Dovid Levy for his guidance during the project.
ix