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November 26, 2004/Kislev 13 5765, Vol. 57, No. 13
Health agency to open new office
STEPHANIE N. HENSCHEL
Staff Writer
Arizona Interfaith Counseling, a nonprofit behavioral health agency, will open a new office Dec. 1 at Temple Beth Sholom in Chandler. The office, donated by the synagogue, will serve individuals, couples and families of every race, religion, ethnicity and gender.
Debra Kaplan Low, board-certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors, will provide counseling at the office.
Low, who recently completed her master's degree in counseling, has been a member of the synagogue for more than 15 years and it was due to her that the office is opening.
"For a long time I've thought about doing something at our shul," she said. "I've always been drawn to ... melding spirituality with psychotherapy."
She approached Rabbi Bonnie Koppell with the proposal to open an office at the synagogue. Koppell thought it was a great idea.
"It worked for the agency because they didn't have services in this area and of course it worked for Debra and the synagogue because it's a service we can offer to our members."
Koppell said an interesting thing about it was this is the first office that will be opening at a synagogue, not a church.
"My board was immediately receptive to the idea," Koppell said, which allowed the process to move along quickly.
Low stresses that no one who is seeking services will be turned away.
"This is not a value-options based program," she said. Instead, a sliding fee scale is in place to help those with lower incomes. Several managed care plans are accepted, as well as Medicare.
To contact Arizona Interfaith Counseling, call 480-969-2783. To find out more about the new Chandler office or to schedule an appointment, call Debra Low, 602-980-3163.
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