Style & Living

You know what I’ve never heard at the beginning of a session with a couple? “We only have one problem.” Never have I ever been tasked with helping a couple navigate one issue. The same is true with family therapy. Relationships don’t contain one problem; they contain endless differences, triggers, and frustrations that can populate the script of an infinite argument.

“What kind of question is that? I love my children!”

I didn’t ask if you love your children. Love is common. But do you like your children? Do you enjoy them? Enjoy spending time with them? Appreciate their personalities? Look forward to seeing them? Does your face light up when you think of them?

When I receive feedback about my articles, it is usually unassertive: “Good job this week,” “I really enjoyed your article,” and the like. Last week’s article received radically different attention.

Recap: Shani calls the number on the card, and a man tells her to meet him at her house and to come alone. On her way, as she’s walking through the park, a girl stops her. Shoshana realizes the girl is Ruty, Penina’s sister. Ruty says she knows she’s Penina’s new friend and she tells her not to go home.

Anxiety is one of the most common reasons for people of all ages to seek out and attend therapy. When therapy helps to eliminate constant feelings of unease and episodes of utter panic, clients tend to look back on it as a well-chosen endeavor. In many cases, however, the therapeutic experience itself ends up being a source of anxiety. Such anxiety can arise during therapy, but is especially prevalent when therapy is first considered as an option, or just starting to be broached.

At S’firah, Rabbi Akiva

Is brought to mind:

Illuminator of the Mishnah,