INSIDER

JEWISH
FAMILY
SERVICE
OF
METRO-DETROIT

EXPANDING OUR SCOPE OF SERVICES

UPDATE ON THE WEST BLOOMFIELD
BRANCH OFFICE

Since the first day of business in the
new West Bloomfield Branch Office,
the phone has been ringing with calls
for service.
"We are excited to make Jewish
Family Service more available to the
community. Our speculation that the
agency's services are very much
needed in the West Bloomfield area
has proven to be correct," said John
Jacobs, President.
"I am overwhelmed with the
wonderful response we have received
to our new branch office," said
Yvonne Bernstein, M.S.W., Branch
Office Director.
The West Bloomfield Branch
opened in September 1990 and is
located in the West Bloomfield
Corporate Center (Paychex Building)
on Orchard Lake Road between
Fourteen and Fifteen Mile Roads.
The branch office hours are
Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 8
pm and Sunday, 10 am to 2 pm. "We
are open every evening and on Sunday
to be more accessible to the commu-
nity," said Bernstein.
"We originally scheduled Sunday
hours to be available to those in the
West Bloomfield community who work
full time and have family obligations
during the week," said Alan
Goodman, Executive Director. "We
have found the response by this group
to be extremely favorable."
The hours will remain flexible to
accommodate the public's demands.

The branch office specializes in a
variety of clinical services such as
marital and family, individual and
children's therapy. There are also a
variety of therapy groups, such as
Children of Divorce, Mixed Adults
and a Marital Therapy Group, being
offered at the branch location.
Among the many calls for J.F.S.
services in West Bloomfield, Marital
and Family Therapy are the two of the
most frequently requested services.
Yvonne Bernstein who specializes
in marital and group counseling
said, "I have found that there are many
stresses in a relationship where both
spouses work. These stresses include
meeting the demands of children,
financial burdens, intimacy problems
and job pressures."
Gretchen Rouster, M.S.W., a
Clinical Social Worker at the branch
office, specializes in family and
children's therapy.
"Sometimes a family can suffer
from the aftermath of marital stresses
or if a child has a problem it can
effect the entire family's relationship,"
said Rouster.
Other therapists working at the
branch office are Annette Bechek,
M.S.W., Ann Mintzer, M.S.W., Fay
Rosen, M.S.W. and Karen Rouff,
M.S.W.
For more information about the
branch office or to schedule an
appointment, please call Yvonne
Bernstein at 737-5055. U

SPRING 1991

SCENES FROM THE
WEST BLOOMFIELD OPENING

The West Bloomfield Branch Office celebrated its grand opening with staff and the
community. Pictured at the event are Alan Goodman, Executive Director and John Jacobs,
President.

(Pictured from left to right) Edward Gold, Past-President; John Jacobs, President;
Edythe Jackier, J. W.F. Vice-President; Rabbi Conrad, and Alan Goodman, Executive
Director, affix a mezzuzah on the door of the Jewish Family Service West Bloomfield
Branch Office.

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM

The Jewish community has for a
long time maintained that problems of
child abuse, incest and neglect do not
occur with any great frequency in
Jewish families. Researchers and
Jewish Family Service agencies across
the country have found that this is not
the case. The occurrence of abuse and
neglect in Jewish families is on a par
with the incidence in the society as a
whole.

"The time has come for the Jewish
community to acknowledge that child
abuse and incest occur in our midst,"
said Sandra Jaffa, Program Manager.
"Only after this has been done, can
we begin to deal with this issue effec-
tively," said Jaffa.

During the past four years, Jewish
Family Service has developed a non-
sectarian demonstration program, to
provide a range of specialized services
to address the issue of child abuse.
Our direction has been preventive in
nature and we focus on Jewish and
non-Jewish families where abuse is oc-

curring. The program attempts to stop
all forms of abusive behavior and
prevent future recurrences, before the
physical and emotional damage to the
child is too great.
The number of cases in the program
has increased more than 10 % in the
past five months. The majority of
their cases are of the Jewish faith.
"Children who grow up with the
trauma of abuse and neglect are more
prone to drug use, fail in school, or
struggle in relationships. They are
more susceptible to being abusers or in
abusive relationships. We are trying
to prevent the occurrence of abuse and
a new generation of abuse from hap-
pening," said Jaffa.
The program's unique approach
combines intensive therapeutic and
environmental interventions to enable
the individuals in the family unit to
begin dealing with the abusive behav-
ior in a non-threatening environment.
The social work staff use many
creative and multi-faceted treatment

approaches to deal with this problem.
This project, funded primarily by
the Skillman Foundation, has been ex-
tremely successful in addressing the
problem.
"We urgently need to find ways to
expand the funding for this extremely
successful program. We have learned
that child abuse cannot be stopped by
focusing on the children alone. To be
effective, we must engage the whole
family and see the problem in the
context of domestic violence," said
Alan Goodman, Executive Director.
The agency is currently seeking
endowments and additional funding
sources to support and expand this
program.
A contribution to the Child Abuse
Prevention Program will make a
difference for so many children and
families who will never be able to
break the cycle of abuse and neglect
without caring and professional help.
To explore how you can help,
please call Sandra Jaffa or Alan
Goodman at 559-1500.

ANNUAL
MEETING
TO HONOR
BERNARD STOLLMAN

"Ne

Jewish Family Service and Reset-
tlement Service will honor Bernard
Stollman at their joint Annual Meet-
ing. Mr. Stollman is retiring as
President of Resettlement Service, a
position he has held for eight years.
The Annual Meeting, a Russian
reception, will be on Thursday, June
13 at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
Southfield. An abundant array of
Russian Hor D'eourves will be
served at 5:15 pm. The Installation
and Business Meeting will begin at
6:15 pm.
Barbara Stollman is chair of the
event. Tickets are $25 per person.
For reservations and information,
please call Louise Hacker at
559-1500.

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