The Emergence of Counseling in Traditional Cultures: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish and Arab Communities in Israel

The introduction of school counseling services into traditional communities that are unfamiliar with counseling is a complex multidimensional process that involves considerable ideological tensions, disputes and obstacles... This paper considers the different trajectories of the recent development of counseling services within two distinctive minority groups in Israel-Arab and the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities. The dynamics of the change process for these traditional communities within the current Israeli social–political context lends support for the advancement of the international counseling community’s vision to promote human welfare and fairness as well as the healthy development of children and youth within diverse cultural contexts. The paper is based on a Keynote address, IAC Conference: Jamaica, April 2004.