Victorian Community Links with Pysychologists to Support Abuse Victims
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) and Australian Jewish Psychologists Inc (AJP) have partnered to offer support to those who have been affected by the latest child abuse scandal.
John Searle
This support extends to victims, perpetrators and their families, all of whom may have been deeply affected by the alleged abuse, media coverage of the matter and reactions in the community.
“As professionals we are trained to treat trauma regardless of whether it is associated with the alleged perpetrator, victim, or associated family and friends,” said AJP President Dr Nicky Jacobs.
Anyone requiring counselling by experienced Jewish psychologists should call the JCCV on (03) 9272 5566 and your number will be passed on to AJP. Callers are not required to provide their names to ensure anonymity, however should they wish to provide them, their call will be kept strictly confidential.
JCCV President John Searle said: “As the voice of Victorian Jewry, we are pleased to be able to assist in ensuring that those in our community who are in need of counselling receive the support they require. As AJP is an affiliate of the JCCV and does not have a reception facility, we are more than happy to be able to offer our services to ensure this important work is done”.
“The JCCV will also be hosting a community education evening on 14th August that focuses on empowering our children to be safe from child sexual assault. A number of experts will be presenting.”
AJP was established in 2000 in response to the Maccabiah bridge disaster in Israel. The organisation aims to make a professional contribution to the Jewish community and provide a forum for discussion of issues relevant to Jewish psychologists.
AJP members are all volunteers and are registered psychologists, many of whom speak Yiddish, Hebrew and other languages.
Two years down the track: I’m glad you have the the expertise within your own Jewish community, bringing other’s in can be unwise and can leave avenues for manipulation.
The important thing is for the members of the community not to lean on those coming forward as others have mistakenly done, and an abuse in itself, to prevent scandal.
There have been many precedents set by others to use as an example.