If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am just for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, then when? - Hillel the Elder

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Ziv Shorkend's style

💙 Warm 👂 Listener 💭 Open minded 🌎 Holistic 🙏 Spiritual 🐣 Out of the box 🧘 Calm 🤝 Collaborative

Why Ziv Shorkend chose to be in the helping profession

A few years back, I reached a true rock bottom. I was depressed, traumatized, anxious, and addicted. I was tormented by thoughts and questions that I could not answer or change. After many sleepless and lonely nights, I started wondering, why do I even exist? I met a therapist who reframed my depression and anxiety and helped me understand that what I was experiencing was an existential crisis. She told me that I had developed to a point where my psyche was open to asking the real questions.

It took me two more years of struggle to find my own answers to those questions. Along the way, I realized that the answers had been within me the whole time, but that they were deeply personal and would only work for me. Eventually, I realized that the only way for me personally to be happy was by helping others. I became fascinated with other people's questions about meaning, purpose, and existence, and with helping them find their own answers within themselves. My own journey through struggle, questioning, and healing became an important part of why I chose to become a therapist and why I approach each person's journey with so much curiosity and compassion.

Ziv Shorkend's approach

I come from a patient-centered, no-one-size-fits-all, compassion-centered approach to therapy. I utilize tools from psychoanalytic humanism and apply the wisdom of Kabbalah to the modern, everyday experience. For me, therapy is not about giving someone a set of answers or telling them what their life should look like. It is about creating a space where they can explore their own questions, experiences, and deeper truths in a way that feels safe, compassionate, and meaningful.

Kabbalah is like a ladder. If you start from the top and climb down, it can be a deep spiritual journey into the unknown, learning, exploring, and understanding the endless Divine Light of God. That is a beautiful thing to study with your rabbi. But if you start climbing the ladder from the bottom, you enter a journey into yourself and your experience in the world. As you climb the ladder, you expose deeper and more profound truths about yourself and your potential for fulfillment. This requires a judgment-free, safe, and compassionate space, guided by a professional who understands both mental health and spirituality.

What you can expect from sessions with Ziv Shorkend

We start with a free introductory call to see if we are compatible and to begin thinking about a therapeutic plan that fits your needs. In some cases, we may meet for a short period of time to work on a specific issue or challenge. But in most cases, I recommend the full-year program, which consists of four seasons. Each season has its own purpose, but together they create a deeper journey of understanding yourself, your experiences, and what gives your life meaning.

We start by getting to know each other and building your very own Tree of Life. In the second phase, we deep dive into what got you to seek therapy in the first place and begin looking more deeply at the experiences that brought you here. The third part is about asking for the true meaning, first of what we have discovered about ourselves so far, and then about the meaning of everything else. The final season aims to find ways to preserve and implement the lessons we learn, so that the work does not remain something that only happens inside the therapy room, but becomes part of the way you live your life.

Ziv Shorkend's experience working with the Jewish community

I started my career in the Israeli healthcare system. I worked as a therapist in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, mental health hostels, and in my private clinic. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to help Jews of all colors and traditions live a happier and more fulfilling life. These experiences taught me that although people may come from very different backgrounds, they often share the same fundamental questions about who they are, where they belong, what gives their life meaning, and how they can live with greater fulfillment.

In 2023, I left Israel and faced a new question of my own: what does it mean to be a non-Israeli Jew? Since then, I have met and supported Jews from all over the world, mostly Americans, and helped guide them throughout their own journeys. At the same time, these relationships have helped me better understand myself and my own experience. My work today is shaped not only by my professional experience, but also by my continued curiosity about identity, meaning, spirituality, and what it means to build a fulfilling life.

Ziv Shorkend's Book Recommendation Zone

The Master of the Ladder: The Life and Teachings of Rabbi Yehudah Leib Ashlag
A monumental book in the understanding of the implications of the Zohar Kabbalah to every day experience by Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag
The Roots of Jewish Consciousness
A book written by Carl Yong’s disciple, exploring the jungian psychoanalytical reed to Kabbalah
Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis
In this book Erich Fromm demonstrates how to understand humanist psychoanalysis to the values of Buddhism
Client-Centered Therapy
A groundbreaking book by Carl Rogers, emphasizing on singularity of a unique patient and putting compassion in the center of therapy

Approaches

Concerns

Languages spoken

English Hebrew

Ages

Adolescents (13-18) Adults Elders (65+)

People I work with

Men Women Individuals Groups

Personal religious affiliations

Proud Jew

Jewish community experience

Extensive

London, United Kingdom

Remote

7 years in practice

Licenses

Life Coach by TAU 2019. License number 27-194117

Degrees

MA in Clinical Psychology by Max Stern Yezreel Valley College 2024

Average costs per session

$100

Payment Methods

BIT
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Ziv Shorkend

Life Coach