Self-relations, a powerful framework for doing respectful and humane caregiving for oneself and for others is here brought into relationship with Jewish thought.
Jewish Relational Care A-Z: We Are Our Other’s Keeper is an extensive resource for caregiving tools and approaches. Using Jewish tradition and Self-Relations as take-off points, experts from many fields provide insightful perspectives and effective strategies for caregiving.
In the language of self-relations each of us is not referred to as a Self. Instead, each of us is more accurately described as a relationship between “selves”—relationship is the basic psychological and religious unit! Jewish Relational Care A-Z: We Are Our Other’s Keeper sensitively centers on relationships and the healing process, using the understanding that to spark healing in others, a loving, respectful relationship must first be present between every aspect of our “selves.” Thirty-six categories of caregiving are comprehensively presented, allowing its use as a helpful resource for any clergy considering any of the included topics. Each author’s personal reflections, and personal experiences using care tools clearly illustrate how love-respect relationships within oneself can transcend into effective care for others.
Jewish Relational Care A-Z: We Are Our Other’s Keeper provides helpful tools and explores:
- the use of language as a relational care tool
- time management for optimum performance for oneself and for others
- compassion fatigue, the need for self-care, and nurturing your own spiritual and psychological development
- purposeful visiting as a sacred task
- silence as an important part of spiritual care
- the profound difference made in lives through relational listening
- music as sacred power—a communion between humans and the Divine
- chanting as an intimate expression of the soul
- creative ritual in relational healing
- spontaneous prayer, and its place in relational care
- relational care with other faiths inside and outside of the community
- care for those going through divorce
- care when a pregnancy is unwelcome
- relational care for sexual orientation and gender identity issues
- successful caring for those who don’t care about you
- dealing with traumatic loss
- care for those who have sinned sexually
- fragile relationships
- care with the healthy aging
- relational care and retired clergy
- care for those traumatized by sexual abuse
- care for the cognitively impaired, mentally ill, and developmentally disabled
- care for the final moments of life
- care for the sick and dying
- care within the grieving process