Dealing with grief
Leaders and members of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) have participated in a professional development training course focussing on Grief and Bereavement Support, with Keren Ludski of the Australian Centre of Grief and Bereavement.
Learning to deal with grief
Keren is a qualified and experienced professional educator, counsellor, counselling supervisor, VET assessor and trainer, facilitator and speaker and has vast experience in bereavement counselling and facilitating bereavement support groups.
Over twenty Rabbis and Rebbetzins attended the course arranged by Rabbi Ralph Genende in his Professional Development portfolio on the RCV Executive, which concentrated on complex areas of grief and bereavement counselling such as in the palliative care setting, carer loss, child and adolescent bereavement and suicide loss.
Keren Ludski and Rabbi Ralph Genende
Rabbi Genende, who is also a trained counsellor with a Masters in Counselling commented: “This was a unique opportunity for our rabbis to learn not only from a consummate professional like Keren but also to share their own varied experiences from the coal-face and to wrestle with their own issues and ideas in the delicate area of grief counselling. The interplay of Halacha and contemporary thinking on palliative care, grief and mourning is rich and symbiotic. The participants also had a great opportunity to explore this interface. I think we all came out of it with a deeper understanding which will in turn benefit those we come into contact with”.
Keren noted that the course “covered a range of intense and heavy topics around bereavement and each topic invoked discussion and reflections from all participants. We are truly blessed to have such a committed and passionate group of people leading our community”.
The RCV which has previously offered extended courses in counselling skills and marriage preparation, will next year provide its members with further programs to extend their skills, starting with a course in couple counselling and marriage enrichment.
