Dynamics of Hope Consulting, Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein, B.C.C.
Dynamics of Hope Consulting, Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein, B.C.C.
Counseling and Therapists
We all need the opportunity to reflect and discuss our life's path. As your Mentor for Personal and Spiritual Transformation, I can help in achieving wholeness in all aspects of one's life. A Mentor helps you explore your relationship with G!d, with other people, and yourself, to find the life path that is right for you. We will set clear goals and will have opportunities to use traditional and non-traditional resource materials to expand your spiritual knowledge and practice.
Our aim is to bring hope and healing when they seem to be elusive. Illness and crises often force people to examine their beliefs and to rethink their perspectives. Utilizing the richness of Jewish and other faith traditions - presence, prayer, meditation, study and community, we are a resource to assist people facing the Ultimate Questions of life.
How do you find meaning?
Where do you find inspiration?
How do you experience unwanted changes? How do you get through them?
Living with illness, and death.
Where is G!d in your life?
What are your growing edges?
How do you find comfort, release from stress, clarity for decision making?
Rafael Goldstein received his Doctorate in Ministry in Pastoral Counseling from Hebrew Union College/Jewish Institute of Religion in 2014. He was ordained by the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York in 1994, and is a Board Certified Chaplain with both Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains and the Association of Professional Chaplains. He is a Life and Spiritual Mentor and member of the International Federation of Coaches. He is the founder of Dynamics of Hope Consulting, which provides workshops for people living with serious illness, healthcare and social service professionals working with people living with serious illness or loss.
Rafael served as the Director of Clinical Services for the Center for Spirituality and Health of the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. Under his leadership at Mount Sinai, the department grew from just one chaplain and one priest to over 35 people, including chaplains, Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) supervisors, CPE fellows, residents and interns and other staff. The number of people visited annually grew from under 1,000 to over 45,000 in 2015. Referrals from other health care professionals, especially nurses, grew from less than 100 annually to over 3,500. Under his leadership, the department went from being notably inadequate to to becoming known as one of the best in the country. Rafael participated in significant research in chaplaincy, wrote a peer reviewed article, participated in 3 other peer reviewed articles, and authored a chapter in a major textbook on chaplaincy.
Prior to New York, Rafael was in Phoenix, where he served as the Vice President for Jewish Affairs of Jewish Family and Children's Service. He was the founding Director of the Center for Life Enrichment, which provided social service and counseling programs for the Jewish community. Before coming to Phoenix he was the Chaplain of the Jewish Community of San Diego for 7 years, and founding Chaplain of the Jewish Healing Center of San Diego. He served as the last Director of Los Angeles Jewish AIDS Services, a program of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles.
Rafael is currently teaching a course called Psalms in the Key of Healing, based on his Doctoral Project on the same topic, at Hebrew Union College in the Doctorate of Ministry Program. Rafael is the very-part-time rabbi of a very small congregation in Norwich, NY. He served as the part-time rabbi of Congregation Kolot, Irvine CA, an intimate Reform/Renewal congregation for over 9 years. A native of New Jersey, Rafael holds a Bachelor's in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor's in Talmud from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he also earned a Master's in Jewish Education and Solomon Schechter Principal's Certification.
In 1994, he wrote Being a Blessing: 54 Ways You Can Help People Living With AIDS, published by Alef Design Group (1-800-BE-TORAH). He used to write a monthly "Healing Spirit" column for the Jewish News of Phoenix. A complete listing of articles can be found by Googling his name. In addition, he has compiled the largest, most comprehensive English and Hebrew prayer book for people living with illness, in recovery from alcohol and drug abuse, and for volunteers.