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Treating ultra‐orthodox adolescents with eating disorders in Israel: Culturally‐sensitive interventions, difficulties, and dilemmas
Author(s) -
Latzer Yael,
Stein Daniel,
Witztum Eliezer
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22790
Subject(s) - mainstream , psychology , honor , judaism , eating disorders , psychological intervention , ideal (ethics) , psychotherapist , value (mathematics) , power (physics) , social psychology , psychiatry , epistemology , law , philosophy , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , machine learning , political science , computer science , history , operating system
Young ultra‐Orthodox women in Israel have been faced in recent years with a greater risk of developing disordered eating, as they are more exposed to Westernized norms of the thin‐body ideal, self‐realization, and personal choice. Most are treated by mainstream Israeli psychotherapists who likely have different value systems and different perspectives on the nature of the illness, aims of treatment, and recovery. Ultra‐Orthodox psychotherapists may well experience a conflict between a need to be loyal to their patients and a concomitant need to honor the values of patients’ families and the community from which they come. The current article presents a theoretical background and four case studies highlighting the complexities and controversies inherent in the treatment of these women. We conclude that both ultra‐Orthodox and mainstream secular psychotherapists must be knowledgeable in regard to both Judaism and psychology, and be flexible, creative, and emphatic to all parties, to arrive at a compromised definition of recovery that can be accepted by the patient, her family, and her community.