Jory Hanselman

As we prepare for the Days of Awe, days of deep introspection and self-reflection, we face a challenging task. Despite the challenges we face, last week’s Torah portion reminds us that we can do it; we are capable. From all…

In early March, BaMidbar hosted its first Experiential Educator Course, attended by Jewish community professionals looking to expand their mental health literacy and explore facilitation through the lens of social and emotional growth experiences. The program was a huge success,…

“How to use experiential education principles in online facilitation“ As we settle into a world of virtual interaction, video conferencing, and Zoom fatigue, professionals are struggling with creative and engaging online facilitation. This two-session course will explore how we translate…

“Just because its back to school doesn’t mean its back to normal”

By Jory Hanselman Read the full article in EJewish Philanthropy Wilderness 

The BaMidbar team has been closely monitoring developments related to COVID-19 since the onset of this global pandemic. We have examined countless possible scenarios and contingency plans. We have tracked national guidelines and worked closely with local medical experts, state…

Student health and safety is BaMidbar’s top priority. During the off-season our team spends countless hours preparing for emergencies and working with a variety of public health officials to ensure a safe and healthy experience for our participants. In March,…

By: Emily Heeren My sister sat down at the dining room table across from me. “So, hear me out,” she said, “and I’m only like 50% joking, but what if we just didn’t do Pesach this year?” Isn’t this particular week –…

Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Community Partners, We hope this email finds you and your loved ones in good health. In this climate of uncertainty and social distancing, isolation and mental health challenges are on the rise. The BaMidbar team is…

As BaMidbar prepares for an intensive three weeks of staff training, we are excited to introduce our field team, who serve as mentors and guides for students in our program.  Through applying therapeutic concepts, teaching technical and fundamental skills, integrating…

By: Gabi Wasserman Does it mean that BaMidbar accommodates Jewish ritual requirements? We do. However, this is only a part of why we call ourselves a Jewish residential therapeutic program. Havdallah candle

By Jory Hanselman February 27th, 12:18 AM, from the journal of a BaMidbar Field Guide: “Why on earth do I choose to do this?   People have normal jobs. I could be working a 9-5 office job someplace and be…

By Jacob Chatinover “Forgetfulness leads to exile, in Memory is the secret to redemption.” –Baal Shem Tov As field staff, I have often talked about the ways communal memory in Judaism impacts the stories we tell ourselves and the scope…

By Eliana Willis With snow on the ground and students and staff bundled up in warm clothing, it is hard to imagine that spring is just around the corner. But all around us, the trees are quietly awakening from the…

See what we’ve been up to for each of the eight days of Hanukkah!   Day 1: Backcountry Hanukiya Students constructed their own hanukiyah to light Hanukkah candles in the field for the eight nights of Hanukkah. Day 2: Dreidel,…

By Zack Slavkin The days continue to lose light earlier and earlier as we head in to our Rocky Mountain winter. In this time, it is important to find the small things in the day to be thankful for. When…

By Nick Magel-Haberek, MS, MSW, LCSW Adventure therapy is something that I feel quite passionate about.  For me, it’s not enough to do it all day at BaMidbar. I’m also going home and writing about it, refining my work, and…

By Jory Hanselman This week, BaMidbar staff and students embarked on a journey, as year-round programming launched on Thursday, October 18th.  This week’s parsha, or Torah portion, also begins with a journey.  At God’s command, Abraham sets forth from the…

Contributed By: Paulina Siegel, MSW, LCSW, CAC II The term “Millennials” has come to mean more than just the first generation to come of age in the new millennium; it has come to represent a stereotype, one that, far from…

By Gabi Wasserman We are currently on the threshold of celebrating Sukkot, the only pilgrimage festival referred to as Zman Simchateinu, “the time of our rejoicing.”  During Sukkot we partake in the mitzvah of leaving our permanent homes of comfort…

By Rabbi Anat Moskowitz Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught: As often as you can, take a trip out to the fields to pray. All the grasses will join you. They will enter your prayers and give you strength to sing…

By Dave Yedid Now that summer is here, I feel both inspired and exhausted as I reflect on my first year of rabbinical school at the Jewish Theological Seminary. These past nine months have passed largely at 122nd and Broadway,…

By Danit Cohen Lead Field Guide, Winter & Spring 2018 February 27, 10:18pm “It’s so cold here. My feet are wet and I am wearing every single layer in my bag, and still I can’t get ahold of the shivering.…

By Charles Elias A common question we receive is wondering what exactly is wilderness based therapy. Click here to listen to an interview with our Clinical Director, Charles Elias, who provides a brief overview of our clinical program, and read…

I sat down with our Clinical Therapist, Nick Magle-Haberek to learn about what it is like to be an Adventure-Based Therapist and his practice at BaMidbar. So Nick- Tell me a little bit about yourself: My name is Nick Magle-Haberek.…

I sat down with our Clinical Therapist, Ben White to learn about clinical treatment from a family-systems approach and his practice at BaMidbar. So Ben- Tell me a little bit about yourself: I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a…

A look at the numbers from this past season. For all inquiries please contact our Clinical Director, Charles Elias CharlesE@BaMidbarTherapy.org or by calling 720-835-2937.

Detroiter helps shape Colorado camp for young Jews struggling with mental health issues. By Julie Edgar Growing up in a Lubavitch home in Oak Park that was open to all Jews but closed to secular values, Hindy Finman reached adolescence…

Dear BaMidbar Community, 18 weeks ago, BaMidbar’s first students arrived at the Ramah in the Rockies ranch, and just one week ago, the last students of our inaugural season graduated. Over the last five months, students and staff embarked on…

Shavuot celebrates the receiving of Torah on Mount Sinai, and coincides with the wheat harvest in ancient Israel.  At BaMidbar, Shavuot will be an opportunity to think about insight and revelation, and the changes of the seasons and ourselves. Leading…

By Hindy Finman Since 1949 May has been Mental Health Awareness Month.  This blog questions the Torah’s perspective on advocating for the needs of others.  To learn how to Emor, speak up for those who are struggling please email Info@BaMidbarTherapy.org. This weeks…

This Passover, our students embarked on a physical and metaphorical journey, from Mitzrayim, the narrow place, to Eretz Yisrael, the Promised Land.  Read below to learn more about Passover at BaMidbar. Day 1: What’s your Mitzrayim? Mitzrayim means Egypt, but…

We chatted with Marisa to learn more about her passion for wilderness, what it means to be a field therapist and to get a glimpse of field life. Let’s start with a short introduction. Hi, I am Marisa Horn and…

This weeks episode of the podcast and radio show “The Jewish Hour,” Rabbi Herschel Finman interviewed BaMidbar Director Jory Hanselman regarding our program.      

This weeks episode of the podcast “A Dash of Drash,” Rabbi Marc Soloway and BaMidbar Director Jory Hanselman discuss the physical, metaphorical, and spiritual journey taking place at BaMidbar. Thank you Rabbi Marc for the opportunity to share Torah and joy this Pesach on…

At the end of the Passover narrative, G-d speaks to Moses and imparts various commandments. One of these commandments emphasizes the importance of the seder-וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא V’Hegadita l’vincha bayom hahu,“and you shall tell your children on that day” (Exodus:13:8), alluding to the importance of…

What does a week at BaMidbar look like? To answer- let us show you. Our week begins with Kavanah Group, where participants and staff set goals for the week. Then it is time to pack up and head out on masa (excursions). Weekdays…

By Miriam Green, Rabbinic Intern A couple of weeks ago, in my Facebook feed, I started receiving invitations to Purim parties.  Some highlighted costume themes, others Megillah readings; they all seemed fun, but nothing out of the ordinary – until…

During the month of January our team of clinicians, field guides, spiritual counselors, volunteers, and lay leaders came together for trainings on the topics of our mission and values, program curriculum, wilderness skills, clinical modalities, and an understanding of the…

By Jory Hanselman In 2014, Ramah in the Rockies began to ask the question: Where else can we have a profound effect on the American Jewish Community? Our ranch sits dormant nine months out of the year – how can…

BaMidbar is excited to introduce our Clinical Team Charles Elias, LCSW, MAC, LAC, CCPS II, SAP Clinical Director CharlesE@BaMibdarTherapy.org Charles is a native of London, England, and became an American citizen in 2002.  He has been a resident of Golden,…

By Hindy Finman Exhausted and dirty, I boarded my flight home. As I sat down I was overcome with a sense of gratitude and happiness. This was the type of simcha, joy, that consumes so much of you it becomes part…

A short eighteen months ago, Ramah in the Rockies made the commitment to create the nation’s first Jewish wilderness therapy program. In January 2018, this dream becomes reality as BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy Program welcomes its first students! Over the last…

As featured in The Forward: By: Jory Hanselman On Friday night, October 27th, 2017,  BaMidbar’s Director Jory Hanselman spoke at Mishkan Chicago’s services. The Forward featured a portion of Jory’s drash on Scribe, the Forward’s curated contributor network. “Why are there so many journeys…

By Miriam Green The festival of Sukkot is the season of the Jewish people’s greatest rejoicing.  From the beginning of Elul through Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we reflect and strive for personal improvement. Then, following the Torah’s instruction to experience…

As we prepare for the Days of Awe, the task before us is not insignificant. Nor is it easy. Yet, we are capable. And, as this week’s Torah portion tells us, we have the tools to face this. This is…

This summer, I spent a week at Beit T’Shuvah, learning best practices in the Jewish world of recovery and getting a chance to see their spiritual counseling program firsthand.  In Beit T’Shuvah’s integrative treatment model, each student works with a therapist,…

By Miriam Green When I arrived at the Wilderness Therapy Symposium on Thursday, I found myself in a new community, very different from the Jewish bubble in Los Angeles that I call home. I traveled there to learn about the…

By Rabbi Mark Goodman Depending on your perspective, Moses was either a flawless paragon of moral virtue, or an ill-tempered foster child with a tendency toward angry reactions. Abraham was either a true servant of the Lord, boundless in faith,…

As many of you may know, at 2:00 am MDT Monday morning, a fire broke out in the lodge at Ramah in the Rockies, the parent program of BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy. The building, which included administrative offices, the camp kitchen,…

I just returned from a month at Ramah in the Rockies, overlapping with tzevet (staff) training, and the first few weeks of chalutzim (campers) on the property.  After a month at camp, it’s hard to not be both inspired and…

At the recent Independent Educational Consultant Association conference, I attended a session discussing Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey.”  In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell asserts that many important stories and myths from around the world share a common structure.…

Thank You! Over one year ago, Ramah in the Rockies’ staff and key community stakeholders joined together to discuss the need for a Jewish response to addiction and mental health conditions.  This past Wednesday night, over 30 stakeholders from the…

We’re hiring a Spiritual Counselor/Rabbi in Residence! As I’ve been working on the position description for our Spiritual Counselor / Rabbi in Residence role, many people have asked me to further explain what makes our program distinctly Jewish.  Outside of…

It’s been awhile since our latest blog past, as we’ve been busy building content for our soon-to-launch website.  Stay tuned, as we’re preparing to send out a number of exciting updates in the coming weeks! At BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy, we…

In a blog post in early December, I discussed the role outcomes will play in our program development process.  As a mission-driven program, it is essential we have a vision of what change we hope to make in the world,…

In approaching program development, I knew that many of our tasks would be framed by the “existential questions” we needed to answer. These questions cover a broad swath of territory – from defining our target demographic to the nature of…

The most basic (and common) question that I hear is, “What is wilderness therapy?” In a nutshell, Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBH) programs use wilderness and adventure-based experiences as a vehicle to promote the therapeutic growth of participants, in a process…

It’s hard to believe three months have already passed since I joined the Ramah in the Rockies team to move BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy from an inception to reality. Over the coming months I’ll be using this blog to dive into…