About the Journal
The Shalom Bayit Journal offers a thoughtful approach to relationships, emotional health, and Jewish life. Drawing from both contemporary psychology and Orthodox Jewish wisdom, it presents practical insights that are both grounded and accessible. The project is dedicated to helping readers better understand themselves, their relationships, and the people they love.
More than a collection of articles, the journal reflects a clear educational vision. Together with the Shalom Bayit Counseling Center, it creates a cohesive resource where evidence-based counseling and Torah values complement one another in meaningful ways. For anyone interested in the intersection of psychology, faith, and healthy relationships, it is a resource well worth exploring.
The Shalom Bayit Journal was created to explore the meeting place between psychology, relationships, Jewish thought, and meaningful living.
The goal of this journal is simple: to make psychology understandable, Torah approachable, and both practical for everyday life. Some articles draw primarily from clinical psychology. Others explore Torah sources. Many bring the two into conversation with one another.
Whether you came here looking for help with your marriage, insight into emotional health, or a deeper appreciation of Torah, I hope these writings offer both understanding and practical direction.
About Mac
My name is Mac Swed. I hold a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and I am a Licensed Counselor.
I chose to specialize in marriage counseling because I noticed a gap in the care available to couples within the Orthodox Jewish community.
Over the years, I met Jewish individuals and couples who sincerely reached out for help but struggled to find a therapist who understood them. Even when they found skilled clinicians, the therapeutic approach did not always fit comfortably within their Jewish religious beliefs. At times, this left couples feeling more disconnected and hopeless instead of providing a framework for healing that supported their religious worldview.
Through writing and practical resources, I hope to give people tools they can begin using right away.
I believe good therapy should be accessible, culturally informed, and grounded in an understanding of the whole person. My goal is to help people strengthen their relationships, deepen their emotional lives, and live with greater purpose.
A Personal Note
I am not a rabbi, and this journal is not intended to offer halachic guidance.
However, as a Licensed Counselor, I spend my days helping people understand relationships, emotions, suffering, and growth. As an Orthodox Jew, I also have the privilege of viewing those same experiences through the wisdom of Torah. As a husband and father, I wrestle with many of those same questions myself while trying to build a healthy Jewish family.
There's an idea from the great Ramchal known as דֶּרֶךְ הַנִּפְעַל (derech ha'nif'al), the idea that Boreh Olam created the world for human beings and therefore created it to fit the needs, limitations, and nature of the human mind.
Since then, I began to see something extra in the Torah and Judaism. I came to appreciate that the Torah does not simply tell us how to live, but it speaks with a profound understanding of who we are as human beings. Our strengths, our flaws, our patterns, and our capacity for growth.
Sometimes psychology helps us appreciate the depth of a Torah idea. Other times Torah provides a deeper framework for what psychology observes. My hope is not to merge the two into something new, but to let each illuminate the other while respecting the integrity of both.
That is the perspective from which this journal is written.
Thank you for reading.
— Mac Swed