Barbara Gordon MAT, MSW, LCSW Barbara is Temple Habonim's part time social worker funded by the Kesher Program, a joint project of the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Bernhardt Foundation, Jewish Family Service, and the synagogue.
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Even though it's been a year since the Kesher program began at Temple Habonim, when I meet members for the first time I'm still often asked, "So what exactly do you do as the Habonim social worker?" It's a fair question! Having a social worker on-site is still a new idea for the temple and "social work" can mean different things in different circumstances. So what exactly do I do at Temple Habonim? Well, there are three basic parts to the Kesher role: First, I am available for short-term or crisis one-on-one or family support. I am here to discuss whatever is on temple members' plates, like balancing children at home and aging parents, coping with chronic illness or the loss of a loved one, understanding a child's learning differences, figuring out how to manage a major life-change, or parenting teenagers. Whether I recommend a clinician for more regular counseling, connect a family to community resources, or simply listen and share my perspective and experience, my goal is to support members and their families as they cope with whatever challenge they may face. We can meet at temple or anywhere else in the community, including congregants' homes and offices or even a local coffee house. Second, I run educational and support programs for the Habonim community. So far we are considering a number of possibilities for this coming year, including a discussion group on parenting from a Jewish perspective, a workshop to support families whose children are becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, and a program on communicating with adult children about issues like finances and end of life decisions. In addition, we hope to bring Jewish Family Service's Financial Literacy for Teens program to our religious school. We are always looking for new programming ideas, so if you have thoughts on a topic that might interest other congregants, please contact me - I'd love to hear your suggestions and would appreciate your input! Finally, I write this monthly column for the Bulletin . Although the topics vary from month to month they are always intended to address concerns or questions that I have heard from the temple community. As with programming, I welcome ideas for future articles - as I'm sure many of you know, sometimes the hardest part of writing a regular column is coming up with a topic that is relevant and meaningful! So, now that I've clarified what exactly I do , I hope you will feel free to reach out to me with your ideas, interests, or troubles. I can be reached confidentially at 401-338-7861 or bgordon@templehabonim.org. I look forward to hearing from you!
Barbara J. Gordon, LCSW 401-338-7861
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