#MM05 – Q&A Mondays with Moshe Lang: Keeping the Ego in Check & The Changing Profession of Psychology

This is Episode 5 of the new Q and A series with psychologist Moshe Lang, one of Australia’s best known family therapists, renowned author and teacher.  Moshe has been practicing psychotherapy for over 52 years and generously shares with us a wealth of wisdom.

Every fortnight WAWID listeners send me questions to ask Moshe. These questions can be be about anything to do with his journey, therapy or the field of mental health.  Please send in your burning questions!

This weeks questions are:

  • My question (and personal quest) is how to keep the ego in check?  Michelle Hawke
  • I am curious as to how Moshe thinks his work and his career as a psychologist would differ if he were entering the profession now (ie at a time when Medicare and short term directive therapies seems to dominate)? Lucianne Nedinis

More info on Moshe

Moshe Lang is one of Australia’s best known family therapists. He was born in Israel and he migrated to Australia in 1961. He studied psychology at the University of Melbourne and is currently the Director of the Williams Road Psychotherapy Centre.

Between 1965 and 1979 Moshe was the senior psychologist at the Bouverie Clinic and Director of Training.  In 1975, during a sabbatical, he worked in Ramat-Chen Mental Health Clinic in Israel. In 1979, he founded Williams Road Family Therapy Centre, the first independent family therapy centre in Australia. He remained involved with the Centre until 2012.

Moshe was the Foundation President of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (1979-1988), and from 1982 to 1984 was President of the Victorian Association of Family Therapists (now known as Australian Association of Family Therapy).  He is a Life Member of the Australian Association of Family Therapy (1992).

Moshe has published extensively in the professional literature on themes ranging from:

  • working with children and adolescents
  • depression
  • suicide
  • working with Holocaust survivors and their families
  • couples therapy
  •  teaching family therapy.

His publications include the Children’s Depression Scale (with Miriam Tisher), which has been extensively used and published in numerous languages including Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Hindu, Arabic, Nigerian and Hebrew.

He has co-authored a variety of books based on his therapeutic work that are highly regarded and have been extensively reviewed and translated to Hebrew and French.  More recently he released a highly praised DVD titled Behind Closed Doors, providing the viewers, both professional and general public alike, with the opportunity to see him at work.

Recommended Resources

To learn more about Moshe visit to his website – moshelang.com.au

Books:

Corrupting the Young and Other Stories of a Family Therapist – Moshe Lang
Resilience: Stories of a Family Therapist – Moshe Lang (with Tesse Lang)
A Family in Therapy and The Answer Within – Moshe Lang (with Peter McCallum)
Behind Closed Doors, (DVD) – Moshe Lang doing couples therapy!
These books are also available as e-books at  – moshelang.com.au/where-to-buy/

Feedback

Post your question for Moshe under this episode!  Leave us a comment or some feedback, we'd love to hear from you!

Amy Felman

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