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Showing Results 240 - 271 (271 total)
Are you Ready to Fly?
Author: Dodi Lamm
2020-02-27 19:55:01
Have you ever asked yourself, “I’m at a transition point in my life, where do I go from here?” As a therapist, I have many clients who are at this point in my life. They are stuck about next steps. Sheila has come to therapy to talk about her sadness. She sits across from me and appears forlorn. There is a pallor to her face, she is plain-looking, and her speech lacks inflection. In fact, there is sadness in her eyes. She looks …
Are You Experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Author: Mendi Baron, LCSW
2018-12-04 12:04:11
By Mendi Baron, LCSW Text and Image published in collaboration with the Jewish Press As Tishrei comes to a close and we head into the “pre-Chanukah” stretch, one important topic that comes up often, especially with teens, is S.A.D. Seasonal depression, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD), is a mood disorder that most commonly occurs during the late fall and winter months when the weather changes and it gets darker earli …
Are Positive-Thinking Gurus Snake Oil Salespeople?
Author: Benjamin Halpern, LCSW
2019-11-30 21:54:03
There are so many gurus who talk about positive thinking. They teach that everything is essentially positive. You need to recognize that everything is great and rosy, if you don’t then you are not thinking positively, and you will not have the happy life that you desire. This is taken even a step further, that if you don’t see something as positive, you make it become negative; you are in control and responsible for all the negativity …
Approaching Healing with Realistic Expectations
Author: Dr. Alan M. Singer
2022-11-29 21:49:48
Please don't be disappointed if this essay approaches the topic of healing with a measure of skepticism. From my professional point of view, there may not exist the concept of “complete emotional healing”. When discussing trauma with my MSW students at the Touro University Graduate School of Social Work, I begin the semester by quoting Dr. Sue Johnson (creator of Emotionally Focused Therapy) who states that our role as therapists is t …
Anxious? Or Just Jewish?
Author:
2015-03-01 00:00:00
Shimmy Feintuch, LMSW Being Jewish would make even a Buddhist monk anxious. There are so many laws and rituals that are part of our daily lives. Did you eat enough matzah? Is it time for davening yet? Or worse, is it too late? Did you say the words just right, or was it slightly off? Better say it again, then. Young children learn particular laws, such as those regarding hand washing, early, to form routines that will last a lifetime. But …
Anger and Self-Care
Author: Adina Segal, LCSW
2021-02-25 17:42:07
Since the beginning of COVID-19, I have consistently been receiving calls from clients asking for help controlling their anger. With concerns around social distancing, less assistance is available to families. In my line of work, helping those caring for relatives with dementia, I see fewer resources available to assist with care. At home, school closures leave parents, such as myself, with little respite. When schools do open, the anxiety around …
An Open Letter to Caregivers for the Opening of 5782
Author: Adina Segal, LCSW
2021-09-03 17:06:48
The month of Elul is the only time it is brought down in Halacha to visit the graves of departed family members. While there are a variety of reasons for this, it is a way to connect us to the full spectrum of the lifespan and to connect us to those who came before us. Instead of being a morbid practice, this minhag is meant to assist us in focusing on reevaluating our actions and priorities in our lives. In the vein of both teshuva and con …
An Open Letter to Caregivers for the Opening of 5782
Author: Adina Segal, LCSW
2021-09-01 20:50:02
The month of Elul is the only time it is brought down in Halacha to visit the graves of departed family members. While there are a variety of reasons for this, it is a way to connect us to the full spectrum of the lifespan and to connect us to those who came before us. Instead of being a morbid practice, this minhag is meant to assist us in focusing on reevaluating our actions and priorities in our lives. In the vein of both teshuva and con …
An Insider’s View
Author: Yehuda Krohn, Psy.D.
2020-06-02 09:52:36
Dear Readers When we published our last edition of Mind, Body & Soul, back in February, the world looked very different. The coronavirus was still perceived as a far-off threat. The terms social distancing and flattening the curve did not mean anything to us. Most of us did not think of our country as having limited healthcare resources, from PPE to hospital beds to ventilators. Few of us imagined that the industries and vocations we once cho …
Am I Losing My Mind?
Author: Menachem Hojda LMSW
2020-06-01 22:31:53
Where are their BRAINS?!?! I am hearing that question now all the time as we deal with the threat of Covid-19. I have friends who tell me that they watch reports of the protests to end stay-at-home orders and think how could those people do that? Where are their brains? Others ask the same questions about those putting the orders in place. “Don’ …
All in the Family
Author: Shaya Hecht, LMSW
2015-11-25 00:00:00
As many parents can attest, oppositional and defiant behavior can be quite difficult to manage. I have encountered parents who are eager to develop behavior plans from our very first meeting, as well as parents who report that behavioral interventions do not seem to work for their child. While research shows that behavioral interventions can be very helpful in reducing a child’s negative behavior, it is also important that the parent-child …
All Care is Not Equal: The Advantage of Treatment by a Psychiatrist
Author:
2015-03-01 00:00:00
Shalom Feinberg, MD But they are both MD’s… Moshe hasn’t been feeling well for months. He has a growing list of medical complaints and worries. His family doctor examines him and finds no illness to explain his symptoms. Moshe is no longer able to help his wife Leah with their children as he withdraws into bed whenever he is at home. With the help of a credible referral agency, Leah finds a competent psychiatrist nearby and cal …
After Mother’s Day: Musings on Bereaved Mothers
Author: Dvora Entin, LCSW
2016-05-25 00:00:00
Historically, Mother’s Day involved a mother, her mother, and maybe her grandmother as well. Today, with Facebook, social media, and a multitude of blogs, Mother’s Day exposes us to everyone else’s mother-child relationships. We scroll through our newsfeeds and see photo after photo of mothers and their kids, as well as adult children celebrating their older moms. As a therapist with my heart immersed in the world of those who h …
Addiction Challenges a Parent’s Love
Author: Alberta Montano-DiFabio
2019-11-30 22:10:36
In my present life, I welcome the opportunity to write on the topic of addiction, but this was not always the case. Life experiences, knowledge, and the healing of time have brought a clarity of thought and feelings to be shared. For some, this article may provide an opportunity to experience an inside view on addiction as well as new information and insight on the effect of addiction on families with a focus on how it challenges a parent’s …
Addiction: A Primer for the Perplexed
Author: Shimmy Feintuch, LCSW
2016-11-23 12:38:30
This ice cream is addictive! You need to watch this new show on Netflix. I’m addicted to it! The word “addiction” has entered our vernacular in a variety of ways. It gives us a way to earnestly, sometimes humorously, express that we are really into something, or that something is very, very good. I’m addicted to Shimmy Feintuch’s blog, Spiritual Sofa. I can’t stop reading it! But the truth about addiction is m …
Achieving True Attachment, Belonging and Connection
Author: Esther Gendelman MS, LPC, CPC
2017-02-22 13:13:24
A number of wedding brachos refer to the simchah of Adam and Chava in Gan Eden. At first, Hashem allowed Adam to experience the pain of utter solitude. As he named the other living beings and understood their essence, Adam instinctively grasped that they could not provide the depth of companionship that he craved. When Hashem created Chava, Adam recognized true kinship on a very deep level; he now found someone who could support and understand hi …
Achieving Balance: The Dialectic as Found in Jewish Sources
Author: by Yitzchok Kahn LMSW, CASAC-T
2022-06-02 18:24:25
When it comes to the topic of balance, therapists often talk about the concept of the dialectic. Popularized by Marsha Linehan, originator of Dialectic Behavioral Therapy or DBT, the dialectic is the ability to hold opposite ideas at one time. In DBT therapy, a person can be doing their best and can have the ability to do better. A person can be angry at someone and still love them. Life can be confusing and people can experience ambivalence. We …
Accessing Special Education Services: A Guide
Author:
2017-06-29 13:27:04
By Pamela P. Siller, MD There is a common misconception that if a child attends a yeshiva, he is not eligible to receive services from the Department of Education (DOE) within the five boroughs of New York City. As a psychiatrist who provides services for the DOE, I have been able to provide assessments in yeshivas, as well as in public schools. Consider the following scenario: Jacob is a nine-year-old boy who attends a yeshiva in Queens. Althoug …
Acceptance and Communication: Cornerstones in Marriage
Author:
2018-02-26 12:34:07
Acceptance and Communication: Cornerstones in Marriage By: David H. Rosmarin, Ph.D Imagine the following scenario: You and your husband are recently married. You move into a new community and are looking to become more acquainted with other people, so your husband joins the local shul and becomes involved with their evening programming. You are happy for him and don’t want to interfere, but as time passes you realize you really don&r …
A Window Within
Author: Esther Gendelman MS, LPC
2020-06-01 22:39:18
Living with constant uncertainty affects us deeply. Our perceptions of ourselves are either strengthened or turned upside down. Our true values become evident to ourselves and to those in our immediate vicinity. For example, perhaps we viewed ourselves as hard- …
A Supportive Summer
Author:
2017-06-29 13:27:17
By Rachel Rosenholtz, LCSW Once again, another school year has come to a close. For some kids, the year was enjoyable and rewarding; for others, not so much. Struggle, frustration, disappointment, behavioral issues and failure were hallmarks of their experience. For these kids and their parents, the respite of summer vacation couldn’t come any sooner. Parents can become particularly frustrated when they know and believe that their child is …
A Parenting Guide for the Chanukah Frenzy
Author: Sara Teichman, Psy.D.
2015-11-25 00:00:00
You don’t have to be Orthodox or even Jewish to know about the commercialization of Chanukah in our time. What with too many parties, too much fried food, endless doughnuts and an abundance of gifts, the holiday starts to lose its meaning. The surplus of stuff (some families give a gift every night!) makes some children grabby and whiney, and liable to lose appreciation for each individual gift – and its giver. For the parents of thos …
A Nagging Problem in Marriage
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R DHL
2021-11-28 11:22:00
The Gemara Beutza 35b describes the halakhic status of water dripping into a house from a leaky roof, and if it is permitted to put a pot underneath it to collect the drippings. You can imagine this man’s wife begging him to get the roof fixed before Yom Tov (the Holidays), and him procrastinating. While we are on the subject of leaky roofs and nagging, let us take a look at what Mishlei (Proverbs) has to say about this: משלי כ״ …
A Kitten's Cry
Author: Esther Gendelman, MS, LPC
2020-12-04 12:25:46
Sounds of helpless, pitiful cries kept wafting through my backyard window as I gently refocused my attention on the clients sitting in my therapy office. At the next pause, I met the owner of the cries. An adorable, little, black and white kitten looked imploringly at me, hungrily begging for food and comfort. Wondering if it was lost or abandoned, I fed it, held it and post …
A Guide to Guided Imagery
Author: Marlene Greenspan, MA, LPC
2017-08-28 15:40:32
Today’s world is jam-packed with information via a constant and steady barrage on our technological devices that surround and accompany us everywhere we go. Our children, as well, are in the same predicament. PBS Kids, for example, offers an endless stream of programs designed to entertain and educate children practically from infancy. Using color and movement, these programs fascinate young viewers, regardless of whether or not they …
A Glance at Integrative Mental Health at Hope Street
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A Fragile Process
Author: Rabbi Yehuda Krohn, Psy.D.,
2022-06-02 18:19:59
The fast-approaching holiday of Shavuos marks, among other things, the moment we experienced the Aseres Hadibros (Ten Commandments). The Aseres Hadibros set in motion a process that led to Moshe Rabeinu receiving two sets of Luchos (tablets), each of which was ultimately housed in the Aron (ark). If we pay close attention to the Aron, the Luchos, and the Aseres Hadibros, we can learn a valuable lesson about balance and, in particular, the t …
A Balanced Look at Aging
Author: Douglas Balin, LMSW, MPA
2022-06-02 17:52:14
Gene D Cohen, a psychologist and author of The Mature Mind; The Positive Power of the Aging Brain, says it best, “Psychology has severely underestimated the positive potential of the second half of life.” Until recently, the fields of psychology, medicine, social work and business have been dominated by Erikson’s theory that older adults are challenged not by growth but by the challenge of integrity versus despair. That &l …
4 Tips for Living with our Brains
Author:
2019-02-26 11:39:41
By Eitan Zerykier, LMSW Hands Exercise Try this: Slowly raise your hands in front of your face, until they are covering your eyes. Try to see the world through the cracks between your fingers. Feeling weird enough yet? Take a moment to stop reading and try this. When you are done, come back. What would it be like to walk around like this all day? How much would you see? How much wouldn’t you see? This is what it is like to …
13 Reasons Why: A Parenting Opportunity
Author: Dvora Entin, LCSW
2017-08-28 15:31:09
In a world where news headlines change dramatically at lightning speed almost hourly, perhaps the Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, seems like an already irrelevant topic of conversation or discussion. As a therapist who had to watch most of the episodes for a work-related responsibility, the content of the show persists in my subconscious and continues to draw my attention even several months later. Seeing this series as a parent of teenagers, as …
Keeping Our Cool
Author: Dr. Sara Teichman
2020-12-04 12:24:48
There are many disruptions and interruptions in our fast-paced society, and we are all guilty of losing it at times. Though it is human to react to things, being reactive and being overreactive are two very different things. When we overreact, we lose it- literally. Not just our temper, but our sense of proportion, and control of our emotions and behavior. We lose perspective, and our judgment is impaired. We feel out of control in the moment, an …