Abstract
Studies have underscored the complexity of the encounter between ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) society and psychotherapy, as well as the challenges involved in developing a therapeutic relationship in cross-cultural therapy. However, there is scant research on therapy for ultra-Orthodox children, especially when it comes to arts therapies that take place in a cross-cultural setting. The current study examined the perceptions of 17 arts therapists (including visual art therapists, dance/movement therapists, psychodramatists, music therapists and bibliotherapists) who are not ultra-Orthodox, and who currently work or have previously worked with ultra-Orthodox children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the therapists and analyzed using the principles of Consensual Qualitative Research. The study covered four domains: (1) perceptions of the significance and objectives of arts therapy with ultra-Orthodox children; (2) the influence of the cultural difference between therapist and client on the emotional experience and the therapeutic relationship; (3) the use of arts in therapy; (4) systemic aspects. The findings indicate significant perceptual and value-based disparities between therapists and clients, which pose difficulties and challenges to all participating parties and require therapists to be highly sensitive. Aside from the difficulties, the findings suggest that this cultural difference may also have certain advantages for clients as well as therapists. The findings likewise attest to the multifaceted process of change that is taking place within Haredi society in its attitude toward psychotherapy in general and arts therapy in particular.
Highlights
Haredi Jews are a distinct segment within Jewish society in Israel and in the world, representing the most ultra-Orthodox factions of Judaism
The Overall Perception of Therapists Treating Haredi Children Is That It Is No Different From Treating Children From Outside Haredi Society Despite the specificities of this population, most therapists stressed that administering arts therapy to ultra-Orthodox children is in large part similar to administering arts therapy to children in general
The present study examined the perceptions of non-Haredi arts therapists regarding work with children from the Haredi community, thereby joining a previous study that examined the perceptions of non-Haredi dance/movement therapists working with Haredi children (Suskin and Karnieli, 2015) as well as other studies which examined psychotherapy (e.g., Freund and BandWinterstein, 2017; Hess, 2018) and art therapy (Padolski-Kroper and Goldner, 2020) in adults from the Haredi community
Summary
Haredi Jews are a distinct segment within Jewish society in Israel and in the world, representing the most ultra-Orthodox factions of Judaism. Haredis are concentrated primarily in areas in New York and New Jersey, and in the cities of Bnei Brak and Jerusalem in Israel (Greenberg and Witztum, 2013). Haredi society is extremely traditionalist, collectivist, and patriarchal, conducting itself as a closed community with emphasis on faith in God, strict obedience to Jewish law, and staunch loyalty to the community (Freund and Band-Winterstein, 2017; Nadan and Ganz, 2018). Haredi society does not form a homogeneous group. It consists of the three main factions of Hasidim, Lita’im (Lithuanians) and Sephardic Haredim, which branch out into subgroups that differ from each other in many ways including with
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