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For Youth-Serving Jewish Professionals

Overview

Jewish professionals are uniquely situated to create positive environments where not only Jewish learning, but also mental health and wellness, can flourish.

Mental, Emotional, and Social Health Through Experiential Education (MESH-EE) helps Jewish professionals expand their understanding of mental health and wellness through experiential education and a Jewish lens, in order to actively promote resilience and help their students thrive.

As a result of BaMidbar’s MESH-EE program, Jewish professionals build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to:

promote

Promote healthy social and emotional development for all of the youth they serve.

recognize

Recognize when youth are at risk of experiencing mental health challenges.

Explore

Explore connections between Jewish tradition and mental health and wellness.

Create

Create Jewish educational experiences through a whole-health wellness lens.

what you'll learn

What’s Jewish
About
Wellness?

  • Mental Health vs. Mental Wellness
  • Judaism & Whole-Health Wellness
  • Protective Factors & Risk Factors in Jewish Tradition

Meeting Students Where They Are on the Mental Health Continuum

  • Mental Health through a DEI Lens
  • Designing Experiences for an Anxious, Stressed-Out World
  • Bottom Up Regulation

Moving Students
from Languishing
to Flourishing

  • Facilitating for Resilience
  • Positive Psychology
  • Strengths-based Facilitation

Applying
Lessons
Learned

  • What does this content mean for you as an educator?
  • Programming Lab Space
  • Applying Content on the Ground

Who We Work With

We help teens and young adults build resilience and overcome obstacles. Life challenges may include:

Therapeutic Approach

jewish,judaism,mental health,wellness,jewish youth,jewish education,anxiety,depression,professional development,wellness program,jewish community professional,therapeutic expedition,therapy,wilderness,our programs,programs,Jewish educators,Jewish education

Adventure Therapy

The practice of adventure therapy is the prescriptive use of adventure experiences provided by mental health professionals, often conducted in natural settings, that kinesthetically engage individuals, families and groups on cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels. 

It is an experiential and activity-based approach to mental health treatment. While adventure therapy takes place outside of the typical office setting, evidence-based psychological frameworks such as cognitive behavioral therapy, systems theory, and somatic psychotherapy are integrated into the experiential environment.

jewish,judaism,mental health,wellness,jewish youth,jewish education,anxiety,depression,professional development,wellness program,jewish community professional,therapeutic expedition,therapy,wilderness,our programs,programs,Jewish educators,Jewish education

Clinical Intervention

Clients are paired with a therapist who will work to develop an individualized treatment plans and provide tailored mental health care. We utilize evidence-based practices and allow for creativity and adventure based models.

jewish,judaism,mental health,wellness,jewish youth,jewish education,anxiety,depression,professional development,wellness program,jewish community professional,therapeutic expedition,therapy,wilderness,our programs,programs,Jewish educators,Jewish education

Jewish Lens

At BaMidbar, we understand the diversity of the Jewish experience and do not make assumptions about clients.

We welcome opportunities to explore Jewish identity, however, only when appropriate for the client.

We work to create a space that feels safe for Jews with a wide range of religious, political and social backgrounds.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

BaMidbar works with teens and young adults (13-28). 

Because our mental health providers are licensed on a state-by-state basis, BaMidbar only serves MA-based residents.

BaMidbar uses a sliding scale fee structure for therapy. Therapy sessions cost between $35-$155 for a 50-minute session. You can learn more about our sliding scale fee structure here.

BaMidbar offers a sliding scale free structure, with therapy session costs between $35-$155 for a 50-minute session. Fees are determined by a client’s financial circumstances. You can learn more about our sliding scale fee structure and the financial information requested here.

MASSACHUSETTS

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Cigna Healthcare

Optum/UnitedHealthcare

Tufts Health Plan in Massachusetts

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING COVERAGE: Coverage options may vary from therapist-to-therapist.

PRIVATE PAY & AFFORDABILITY: BaMidbar also offers a Sliding Scale Program payment plan for those who either do not have insurance or have insurance that BaMidbar does not currently accept.

Once you share a bit more about your household, you will be notified of a fee change. Upon notice of a fee change, your fee is valid for up to six months or until BaMidbar accepts your insurance. If BaMidbar does not accept your insurance after six (6) months, or should your financial situation change over the next six (6) months, we may ask for you to resubmit the sliding scale form.

In Massachusetts, BaMidbar offers both in-person and virtual therapy. Our Boston offices are located at the JCC of Greater Boston: 333 Nahanton St., Newton MA 02459.

Yes, all of our therapists offer telemental health services through our HIPAA compliant Zoom platform. 

Intake sessions (your first session) is scheduled for 1.5 hours. This is because we have extra paperwork and like to take the time to get to know you.

Regular sessions are 50 minutes.

This question is often decided by the therapist and their client. We generally recommend that you start off by seeing your therapist on a weekly basis. Once you begin to notice improvement, you may choose to see your therapist less frequently (bi-weekly or monthly).  

Length of treatment will depend on the individual, their needs, and their treatment goals. Some individuals may want to work with a therapist on a specific goal over 5-10 sessions. Other individuals may be looking for an ongoing therapeutic relationship. If this is something you’d like to explore, you can request a 30-minute discovery session to learn more. 

While BaMidbar used to offer inpatient therapy programs, our strategic planning process in 2022 led us to shift our clinical model to focus on providing regionally-based outpatient adventure therapy. To learn more about mental health resources in the community, click here.

Each of our therapists bring their own unique clinical lens and expertise. More information can be found on our clinicians’ bios or you are welcome to call and inquire if there is a particular modality that you would like your clinician to use.

Traditional office-based modalities sometimes create barriers for 13-28 year-olds. Sitting in a small office 1-on-1 with a therapist may work wonderfully for some. For others, it’s scary and uncomfortable. Experiential and adventure-based therapeutic modalities can provide a softer entry to care. They feel reminiscent of beloved environments like Jewish summer camps and provide active participation in a solutions-focused, evidence-based therapeutic process that is empowering, effective, and fun, thus decreasing the stigma associated with therapy. They also provide a more active therapeutic process. Clients have the opportunity to test therapeutic concepts in a safe, experiential setting, with guidance and support from a therapist.

While wilderness therapy falls under the umbrella of adventure therapy, they can and do look very different. Wilderness therapy tends to be an immersive experience where clients go into wilderness for days and even weeks. Adventure therapy can happen in an outpatient setting and involves intentionally selected and designed activities that help clients access thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, which connect to their therapeutic goals.

Adventure Therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on making therapy experiential; which means we do activities, games and initiatives during sessions as a way to connect to your goal for therapy. These connections can take the form of a metaphor, but oftentimes they come up as a belief or attitude that arises during the activity. These connections are then discussed with the therapist to consider what went well and what the challenges were.

BaMidbar leverages experiential and adventure-based activities to support the therapeutic process. That being said, everyone has different needs and desires for their therapy experience. Our therapists will ask you about how you would like adventure and experiential modalities to be used in your therapy sessions. If the experiential modalities are helpful for you, our therapists will integrate them into sessions. If you would prefer a more traditional therapeutic process, your therapist will follow your lead. If this is something you’d like to talk about more, consider connecting with one of our therapists in a 30-minute discovery session.

BaMidbar leverages Jewish wisdom to explore concepts of mental health and wellness. That being said, everyone has a different connection to Judaism, and that remains true in therapy. Our therapists will ask you about how you would like Judaism to be connected into your therapy sessions.

If Judaism is a source of strength or hope for you, our therapists may bring stories, readings, or practices into session to allow you to connect your healing journey to your Jewish journey. If you would prefer not to have therapy connected to Judaism in this way, your therapist will follow your lead.

If this is something you’d like to talk about more, consider connecting with one of our therapists in a 30-minute discovery session. 

NEW CLIENT INQUIRY