Jewish Marriage Council

Sensitive Support for Jewish People
www.jmc-uk.org 020 8203 6311 WHO WE ARE
1) 68 years ago the JMC was founded by Lord Jakobovits.

It is now chaired by His Honour Judge Martyn Zeidman QC and Vice Chair, Verity Zeidman. The organisation remains faithful to its original principles as the institution of marriage itself. Unfortunately, over the last few years, the threat to the ‘Jewish marriage’ is increasing, with divorce rates on the way to catching up with the non-Jewish world. The outside world is seeping into our community:

threats of computers, ‘I want it now’ attitudes, gambling, abuse, miscommunication, anxieties, stresses and more.

2) The Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Mirvis, is our religious adviser and we are looking to build more bridges with the United Synagogue.

3) We have 13 therapists who are all volunteers. They range from black cuppel and sheital wearing to Modern Orthodox. They all understand that if they have any halachic issues that come up in their sessions, they have to refer them to me, who will then consult with the Rabbonim. They do not give answers to people’s problems but help them come to their own conclusions.

4) All our therapists and the organisation itself have very strict policies and rules that follow the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) which, in very brief terms, means they will see each client for 1 hour each week. They are bound by the strictest of confidentiality rules. They do not give answers to clients but simply allow the client to talk and work things through themselves. All our therapists are experienced and qualified. WHO ATTENDS THE JMC?
1) We see individuals, engaged couples, married couples, divorced individuals and families.
2) The clients range from non religious to Chassidish but the policy of the JMC is to only accept a couple for counselling if they are in a halachically viable relationship. WHAT WE DO
1) All clients get an assessment to see which therapist is ideal for them and to ascertain if our service is right for them. For example, we sometimes refer clients to their GP.
2) The client has as long as they need with the therapist. Unlike the NHS, we do not restrict our clients to a fixed number of sessions.

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Our Story

The JMC is the brainchild of Lord and Lady Jakobovits. Founded over 70 years ago, it is now chaired by Mark Dembovsky. The organisation remains faithful to its original principles as, it does to the institution of marriage itself.

According to the figures produced by the Office of National Statistics 42% of marriages end in divorce and one third of marriages will end in divorce before their 20th wedding anniversary. There are no figures to the contrary to suggest that these figures are any different in the Jewish world.

We are very lucky to have the Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Mirvis, as our President and Dayan Gelley, head of the London Beth Din as our religious adviser.

Our organisation relies on the dedication of our counsellors and therapists, who boast a wealth of knowledge and all have many years of experience under their belts. We pride ourselves in understanding the nuances and minutiae of Jewish life, which provides clients with confidence and removes any difficulties and awkward moments they may encounter if they attend counselling outside of the community. Our therapists are diverse in their own religious practice and we are able to match clients appropriately should they require.

The JMC offer a non judgmental, strictly confidential service. We offer the following services:

Counselling (both individual and couple counselling)

Whether the situation is desperate and you just don't know who to turn to, or perhaps there has been a problem brewing for a long while and you've just made a decision to talk to someone professional.

Whatever your relationship, problem, stage of life you're in, single, married, widowed or divorced, our counsellors are here to help.

We charge:

£45 for individual counselling per session

£60 for couples counselling per session

Further reductions are available and are subject to a means assessment

Family therapy

Family Therapy enables family members to talk about matters in a calm and non-judgemental environment. It gives people the time in which to discuss their problems in order to understand each other's opinions; to build up family ties and find ways to make things work for the family.

Family therapy can be helpful when there are life changes, experiences or relationships that may cause upset to members of a family and family life.

These may include relationship difficulties, divorce and separation, physical and mental illness, diagnosis and disability, bereavement, school and educational problems and any other experience that is upsetting to individuals within a family.

Family therapists at the JMC work in a respectful way with all types of families and family members. They work with individuals, couples, children and adolescents - any part of the family. Sometimes people may also want to bring along other individuals who are closely linked to the family, such as a friend, a grandparent or a teacher.

We charge:

£60 per session

Further reductions are available and are subject to a means assessment.

Family mediation

Unfortunately the JMC recognises that not all marriages can be saved but does see how beneficial it is for separating couples, especially where children are involved to maintain a communicative and working relationship and endeavour to ensure that and a more recent addition to the services is that of family mediation. This is run by an experienced, specialist family solicitor and accredited mediator. She is able to guide couples through divorce or separation and help divorcing couples reach agreement regarding their division of their finances or facilitate the arrangements for their children.

Our charges for family mediation are £75 for an initial meeting and £200 per mediation session. Access to these significantly reduced fees are subject to means assessment.

Our office is open every day between 9.30 and 5.00 Monday to Thursday and 9.30 to 1.00pm on Fridays

We are able to see clients in the evening, subject to availability for the convenience of our clients.

Location

London

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Telephone

0208 203 6311

Website

http://jmc-uk.org/

Address

23 Ravenshurst Avenue
London
NW44EE

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 10pm
Tuesday	10am - 10pm
Wednesday	10am - 10pm
Thursday	10am - 10pm