Bridging Two Decades of Research: Mental Health Treatment and Cultural Context in Orthodox Jewish Communities
April 29, 2026
12:00 – 1:00 pm via Zoom
1.0 Category II CEUs
Presenter:
Jennifer Taylor, LCSW, RPT-S
Senior Manager, IPD & Grant Funded Clinical Programs
Workshop Description
This journal discussion brings together a seminal article on pharmacologic treatment considerations among Orthodox Jewish adults (Feinberg, early 2000s) and a more recent comparative study examining mental health diagnoses, symptoms, treatment, and medication use within Orthodox Jewish populations. Participants will engage in guided discussion examining continuity and change across time, with attention to cultural values, stigma, treatment-seeking patterns, and implications for culturally responsive psychotherapy practice.
Learning Objectives
As a result of this training, participants will be able to:
Identify key similarities and differences in mental health diagnosis, treatment approaches, and medication use among Orthodox Jewish adults as described across the two articles.
Discuss cultural, religious, and community factors that influence help-seeking behavior, engagement in treatment, and attitudes toward psychotropic medication within Orthodox Jewish communities.
Apply principles of cultural humility to psychotherapy practice by reflecting on treatment implications and strategies for working respectfully and effectively with Orthodox Jewish client.
Jennifer Taylor, LCSW, RPT-S, serves as the Senior Manager of IPD and Grant Funded Clinical Programs at Jewish Community Services. She is responsible for the management of the clinical, operational, and fiscal activities for the mental health department and also supports the professional development of employees across departments. Jennifer’s clinical work focuses on helping individuals who experienced complex trauma as children using EMDR along with expressive therapies including play therapy, sand tray therapy and journaling. She has published multiple chapters in edited play therapy books on topics including cooperative games, group play therapy supervision and nature-based family play therapy and teaches graduate level social work and play therapy courses. She received her Master’s degree from the Florida State University in 2005. Jennifer’s clinical focus is on helping children and their caregivers have meaningful and joyful relationships while supporting the wellness and development of the professionals that serve those families.
Workshop Fees
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General Professional Community: $25.00
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Jewish Day School Educators, JCS Retirees, NJHSA Members: $20.00
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Current JCS Staff, Board, Advisory Council & Staff of Agencies Funded by The Associated*: Free with Code.
*To request your code and see a list of eligible agencies funded by The Associated, click here.
Jewish Community Services is approved by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners to provide
Continuing Education Units.
The Rosa J. Kolker Professional Development series is made possible with funding from Kolker-Saxon-Hallock Family Foundation, Inc., a supporting foundation of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore.