• ​As a registered professional social worker, and a certified pastoral counselor, in both the US and Israel, I continued to service many families, both Israeli and American, with professional marriage and family counseling services, in conjunction with the RBS Tzedaka Fund (Kupa shel Tzedaka RBS).  I personally helped them navigate the Bituach LeUmi system and assisted them with securing discounts for their city taxes, utilities, parking registration, tuition fees and much more.  Our service was not only focused on communication and resolving conflict, but on providing actual financial management and advocacy, in Hebrew, for Anglo families struggling to work with the system of social welfare, education and aliya services.  We helped families secure tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of entitlements, subsidies and discounts, that due to their lack of Hebrew language skills and other emotional difficulties, were unable to access on their own, without our direct hands-on intervention.

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• In a new initiative that began this Fall, we created a 6 session program of intensive psychological evaluation of families seeking help for marital difficulties, integrating psychoeducation and formal evaluation.  We recruited sponsors to contribute $1000 per family served, with the ultimate goal of reaching 1000 families here in Israel or in other major Jewish communities who will join our program online. 

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• Our powerful combination of clearly articulated guidance from some of our greatest rabbinic authorities on relationship matters of this past generation, including my revered teacher, Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov HaCohen Pam zl, Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe zl and Rabbi Chaim Friedlander zl are presented to the couple after a formal evaluation conducted using the materials and tools from one of the world’s leading experts on Marriage Counseling, Dr. John Gottman.  Our initiative is designed to follow up with the couples periodically and chart their progress, and to provide opportunities by phone and other methods, for support and ongoing care. 

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• As part of this initiative, we are translating selected teachings  on Shalom Bayis from Rabbi Pam, Rabbi Wolbe and others, which will serve as the solid hashkafa foundation of our counseling interventions.  Working together with rabbonim and lay leaders, we seek to connect with our first group of couples immediately after the Yomim Tovim. 

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• In addition, Chani completed a graduate program in counseling at the Yanar Institute in Jerusalem, and she served as the Guidance Counselor for the Anglo olim at the Shuvu High School for Girls in Beit Shemesh (Ulpana Omana V’Omanut), where she was very warmly received and was integrated as a key member of the school’s staff, focusing on mediating between the school, Anglo olim and their daughters, and the issues and challenges that they confront.