Mental health treatment choices can be confusing. People confronting emotional challenges often don’t know what treatment options are available or what option might serve their needs best. Even once a treatment plan is determined and the kind of treatment is clear, it can be very hard to know which professional or which facility is the right one for you. Individuals within the Jewish community face the additional obstacle of finding a therapist that is sensitive to their worldview and lifestyle.

In 2001 Rabbi Sendy Ornstein recognized a void in the area of mental health. In the process of assisting people with their medical needs, he came across many individuals in need of care who struggled to navigate the mental health world. His idea was simple; to create an organization where people can ask for references to psychiatrists and psychologists, similar to what was already being done in the medical world.

He reached out to a number of senior mental health professionals who had been working within the frum community for many years to float the idea. The response he received was overwhelmingly negative. He was told that in our community, no one would use such an organization. Undeterred, he went ahead and started Relief. In 2003, Rabbi Binyomin Babad joined the staff, and that year, Relief assisted over 500 people. In the following year, that number doubled. A need was filled and the response was overwhelming.

Since 2001, Relief has provided services to over 100,000 individuals. The rate of incoming new cases has accelerated every year we’ve been in operation, with over 10,000 new cases in the past year alone. We have opened nine local branches in four countries, on three continents. Our database includes over 3,000 professionals from a wide range of disciplines, as well as numerous treatment facilities and organizations all over the world.

Relief exists to simplify the process of gathering mental and emotional health resource options for members of the Jewish community.

We serve as a bridge between the client and their next steps and providing clarity about what kind of professional would be helpful for their situation. We operate an extensive database and make specific referrals based on each client’s unique circumstances.

The process starts with a phone call between the individual seeking help and a Relief “referral specialist.” The caller explains the issue they are dealing with, and the referral specialist helps clarify the details relevant to providing helpful recommendations.

The referral specialist may provide some education about what the treatment options are for the kind of challenge the individual is encountering.
This education can be enlightening for the caller even before any specific recommendation is made.

Once the caller feels comfortable with a specific type of treatment (e.g. therapy, psychiatry, etc.), the referral specialists will work to identify the best specific professional for the individual, taking into account the specifics of the situation and the caller’s preferences. The referral specialist then provides the details and contact information for the professionals recommended and answers any other questions the caller may have. If the client is willing, the referral specialist will follow up and see how the referral worked out and make additional recommendations if necessary.

• We have built and continue to refine our professional database.
• We meet regularly with clinicians all over the globe to stay abreast of the most recent developments and services available in that particular area.
• We provide in-house training to all of our support staff.
• We invest a great deal in our knowledge base and to that end, we travel regularly to visit treatment centers and both in and outpatient care facilities.
• We are committed to research and make sure that our entire staff is up to date with the most current, evidence-based research and treatment practices.
• We gather information about the effectiveness of referrals made and are constantly reevaluating and updating our database.
• Where confidentiality is concerned, we go above and beyond the requirements of the law to protect the confidentiality of our clients
• There is no financial exchange between Relief and our clinicians or our clients.
• We are a donor-funded non-profit organization.