Dr. Ari Berman and Dr. Philip Ozuah recently signed a new agreement between Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medicine launching a joint Yeshiva University–Albert Einstein College of Medicine B.A./B.S.-M.D. program for highly qualified high-school graduates, ensuring their path to an excellent medical education and an impactful career in healthcare. Yeshiva University and Einstein have also created a task force to study the creation of joint academic and career-related programs in the fields of healthcare and health sciences.
“I am pleased to partner with Dr. Ozuah as our vital institutions expand our collaborative efforts and advance Yeshiva University, Montefiore, and our beloved Albert Einstein College of Medicine forward with strength and purpose,” said Dr. Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University.
“I have enjoyed working with Dr. Ari Berman to lay the groundwork for an exciting new chapter for Montefiore Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Yeshiva University,” said Dr. Philip O. Ozuah, president and CEO of Montefiore Medicine.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation’s premier centers for research, medical education, and clinical investigation. During the 2020-21 academic year, Einstein is home to 721 M.D. students, 178 Ph.D. students, 109 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2020, Einstein received more than $197 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities.
Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital, and academic medical center for Einstein advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and on Long Island.
Founded by Yeshiva University in 1958, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine is the affiliated medical school of Yeshiva University.
Montefiore is one of New York’s premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 11 hospitals, including the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families.
Founded in 1886, Yeshiva University brings together the ancient traditions of Jewish law and life and the heritage of Western civilization. More than 7,400 undergraduate and graduate students study at YU’s four New York City campuses: the Wilf Campus, Israel Henry Beren Campus, Brookdale Center, and Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus. YU’s three undergraduate schools—Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women, and Sy Syms School of Business—offer a unique dual program comprised of Jewish studies and liberal arts courses. Its graduate and affiliate schools include Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, and Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. YU is ranked among the nation’s leading academic research institutions.
Ferkauf Paves The Way For Career In Marriage And Family Therapy
By 5TJT Staff
Perhaps one of the great lessons of the corona pandemic has been the importance of a happy home life. Dr. Leslie Halpern, dean, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, learned this lesson early in her career as a clinical child psychologist. As she notes in her interview with 5TJT, “People who study child development are very aware of the importance of a warm and nurturing environment. I am thrilled we have a marriage and family therapy program now that will help professionals develop skills essential to building strong families.”
As posted on YU.edu, the newly launched Ferkauf Marriage and Family Therapy program “is designed to meet the demand for therapists that are equipped to provide quality service to families and couples. It is a 60-credit program that combines theoretical knowledge, field work, and mentorship opportunities. Graduates can practice in private practice and mental health centers with specialized MFT expertise.”
Dr. Halpern explained to 5TJT why this program was created, “We saw a need in the metropolitan area. Marriage and family therapy is quite popular in other states, particularly California. It has not been as popular as an independent degree in the northeast, especially the metropolitan area. This degree is licensable by New York State. Ferkauf felt very few offer this particular specialty… This is a career-directed degree. Graduates will be licensed as a marriage and family therapist to work in private practice or at hospitals and clinics.”
Based on the experience of Ferkauf’s doctoral students who became clinicians, as well as the densely populated metropolitan area, Halpern notes, “We see good prospects for our students [of the master’s program in Marriage and Family Therapy]. Clinicians report being very busy and not being able to accommodate the demand for therapy, resulting in clients being placed on waitlists to get treatment.”
Ferkauf’s doctoral programs have offered some training in marriage and family therapy, primarily under the direction of Dr. Shelly Goldklank. Some elected to focus on that area when they leave, and others not. Dr. Goldklank is a founding member and program chair of Section 8 of Division 39 of the American Psychological Association: Psychoanalysis and Family and Couples Therapy. She is the founding director of the Couples and Family Training and Education Program at the William Alanson White Institute for Psychoanalysis, where she is also a supervisory and teaching faculty member.
The newly launched master’s degree program focuses on marriage and family therapy, presenting, as Dr. Halpern notes, “a shorter path to the end. The master’s program can be completed in 2.5 years, which allows individuals who don’t want to spend 5 years on a doctoral degree to become a therapist.”
Dr. William Salton is acting program director of the Marriage and Family Therapy master’s program. He is also a clinical psychologist and director of The Max and Celia Parnes Family Psychological and Psychoeducational Services Clinic. The Parnes Clinic is a training clinic for doctoral students at Ferkauf while acting as a community-based clinic in the Bronx, near Einstein Medical at Jacobi Hospital. Dr. Salton has many years of experience providing clinical services. His own training included marriage and family therapy.
With small class sizes, students will have the ability to learn from Dr. Salton and other professors. Dr. Halpern notes the strategy behind this: “When you train people to be healthcare providers, you want an opportunity for dialogue and discourse, to share opinions and ideas. We plan to place students in a careful way, with close supervision and monitoring. The small class size allows for individual attention which is crucial because they are building therapy skills.”
Dr. Halpern confirms, “Students will get an excellent education from people who are experts in the field. Ferkauf has a long history of training people at the master’s level and training hundreds of doctoral students. Ferkauf boasts solid experience mentoring and training in mental health.”
While this program was created before the pandemic, as noted by Dr. Halpern and many psychological studies, the pandemic created a greater need for marriage and family therapists. “Families are stressed by the pandemic. Partners are living together under the same roof facing new struggles they never imagined before. This made people aware of the importance of seeking help and talking about issues in the family. You can’t escape to run off to the office. [Extended time at home highlighted the] positives and challenges of marriage and family life. Families with young children in particular might find greater stress and a need for marriage and family therapists.”
As a division of Yeshiva University, Ferkauf has a unique relationship with students from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary or RIETS. “RIETS students have the opportunity to take several courses in mental-health counseling as part of their degree through a collaborative program with Ferkauf, and some choose to continue at Ferkauf to complete the full master’s degree in mental-health counseling degree. Plans are under way to potentially offer a pastoral counseling certificate program. Halpern notes that it is beneficial for rabbis to have training in counseling and marital therapy.
When asked about the emphasis on shalom bayis in the Jewish community, Halpern agrees and expands the idea for the Ferkauf diverse student body and multicultural curriculum. “Harmony and peace are essential in any healthy marriage and for strong, supportive families.”
Halpern concludes, “We are the go-to school if you want a degree in mental-health counseling or marriage and family therapy, and we offer tremendous training resources.”
Visit https://www.yu.edu/ferkauf/degrees-programs/marriage-and-family-therapy to learn more and apply.