Author: Sara Kahan LMSW

May 13th, 2013

Do you enjoy meeting people? Do you find yourself searching for something to say when you meet someone new? What if you don’t know what to say? What if you do something awkward and people laugh at you? How will you react if you get rejected?
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August 26th, 2012

Tali Moskowitz, LCSW               Imagine your boss has sent out an email with the intention of motivating his employees. There will be a productivity competition, and the winner will receive a monetary reward. This may bring out a competitive part of you and motivate you to win the prize. How do you think this competition would cause you to feel toward your co-workers? Perhaps you wou …
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Author: Sarah Levy, Ph.D.

August 28th, 2013

Have you ever wondered why your daughter, who looks beautiful to you, complains of being “fat” or “ugly”?
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Author: Martin E. Friedlander, Esq.

August 28th, 2013

Children who were raised by religious families in religious environments are subjected to a degree of psychological torment when confronted by unknown environments due to one parent’s decision to longer live a religiously observant lifestyle.
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Author: Tzudek Stern LMHC, SpEd

July 2nd, 2014

Children do not come with instruction manuals, but there is a time in every parents’ experience when they wish they did. Most parents can truthfully state that there was something about parenting that was surprising, confusing, befuddling, or all of the above. One of those times can be when children exhibit emotional or behavioral problems. When is a problem behavior so extreme that parents should seek help? When are a child’s tantrum …
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Author: Moshe Norman, MSW, LSW

July 1st, 2014

Your seven-year-old son, Shaya, is so embarrassing. He approaches adults and asks personal questions that seem inappropriate. He seems to have no sense of shame, and little interest in conforming to social norms. You cringe at the thought of taking him to family affairs and public events, where you never know what kind of catastrophe might transpire. And when you broach the topic, he easily dismisses it and hardly makes eye contact. You have alre …
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Author: Ellen Cornfeld

July 1st, 2014

Few things are more painful for parents than watching their child grapple with their relationship with food. Sometimes it is a slight nuance noticed- a sudden ‘dislike’ for a certain food, or the disappearance of a cake. All seem to have what appear to be reasonable explanations …..”Oh, it gives me a stomach ache,” or,”I’m really trying to eat healthy now-that’s not good for you.”   What …
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Author: Joel S. Rosenshein Ph.D.

July 2nd, 2014

A parent needs to be very aware of the maturation levels of children in general and certainly of their own child's maturation. The milestones of development within the first three years of life are key reminders to parents of how their child is developing.   This should include sitting up, beginning to crawl, walking, talking and of course relating to their environment in a positive way. Before seeing a therapist about these issues, a parent …
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Author: www.ezermizion.org

August 28th, 2013

“Hello, Ezer Mizion calling…” When a call comes in from Ezer Mizion, it means something serious. My knees buckled. My blood ran cold.
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Author: Ellen Cornfeld, CNT

August 19th, 2014

One of our primary roles as parents – and one that takes up much of our energies, thoughts and time – is to make sure that our children eat healthy. Few things are more painful for parents than watching their child grapple with their relationship with food. Sometimes it is a slight nuance noticed, a sudden dislike for a certain food, or the disappearance of a cake, all of which appear to be accompanied by reasonable explanations. &rdq …
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Author: Dr. Sara Teichman, PsyD

February 25th, 2014

It is worrisome when our children are less than truthful; however, for ages six and under, what is perceived as lying by the adult is simply childish immaturity. In fact, it would be best for parents to avoid the term “lying” lest it turn into a self-fulfilling prophesy. Let me explain what I mean. Children, particularly those younger than six, have a very hard time differentiating between fantasy and reality. So, for example, a child …
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November 4th, 2012

He recognized me before I recognized him. We were in Yerushalayim on different sides of the street.  He was six foot two waving and yelling my name. "Noach, Noach, Noach Schwartz, the social worker! It's me Yechiel Klein! Don't you remember me? "He was wearing a hat, white shirt and suit and looked like a regular bochur from the Mir or Brisk. He did not look like the Yechiel I had met ten years earlier at a clinic in Boro Park.   …
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Author: Liz Wallenstein, LMHC

August 19th, 2014

Did you know that if you are experiencing migraine headaches, digestive issues, chronic back or joint pain, or other chronic pain conditions and disorders, that it might be your body’s way of trying to tell you something? The latest research in psychology has been putting an emphasis on somatization, or how feelings and experiences show up in the body. It turns out that the body can store information that is not in our conscious minds, mean …
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THE RIGHT MATCH You need to be comfortable with your therapist. Even if someone is the best therapist, it does not mean that he or she is the best therapeutic match for you.   LICENSE A therapist should be licensed by the state or supervised by someone who is a licensed therapist. This does not assure that the therapist is good; it, simply verifies a minimum level of competence.   TRAINING The therapist you choose should have some …
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What to Expect When You Are Divorcing   Divorce isn't always the best solution but sometimes it is the only one. Before you decide to divorce, make sure that you have exhausted all other options. This article will touch on a few basic factors you should be aware of when going through the divorce process. When deciding whether or not to divorce, the question you should be asking yourself is, "Am I better off with this person or possibly alon …
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What if the controlling behavior went away, the anger was gone, there was no more fear? And the person you married turned out to be a truly beautiful human being after all? What if you could heal completely from the pain you have experienced in your marriage and get a fresh start?   I've been lucky. I went to graduate school to learn exactly how to accomplish all of the above, just like all the other therapists, but unlike them, I've had th …
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Author: Allan J. Katz, M.S. CRC

March 4th, 2013

The Orthodox Jewish world continues to seesaw back and forth about the pros and cons of the Asifa on Technology at Citifield in New York that was shown in communities around the world. Debates abound on the best Internet filters, blocks and technological band-aids to repair the dangerous environmental influences of the outside world. Let’s ban or block the Internet and suddenly our children will be less distracted, our communities more heimish and our learning and davening more for the sake of Heaven instead of rote blabbering to get it over with.
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Author: Dr. Sara Teichman, PsyD

May 28th, 2014

Most children who are brought to therapy have typical run-of-the-mill issues like low self-esteem or poor peer relations. Sometimes, however, parents bring in a really difficult, out-of-control child who is what we used to call a “problem child.” This child may be angry, moody, aggressive and undisciplined. He has difficulty learning and is unmanageable in school. Often the parents are at the end of their rope, having exhausted their …
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Author: Laura Freiman, LCSW

J-date, Frumster, Saw You at Sinai, singles retreats, good old fashioned shadchans, etc. There are a variety of services dedicated to helping singles meet their basherts. Yet, what services exist to help the newly engaged or married couple? Once we find our mate, it is assumed that we should instinctively know how to cohabitate, communicate, and negotiate with the opposite sex. As if this is in any way intuitive! Marriage is hard work and nobody quite prepares us for it. Finding one's mate is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Hair styles for boys changed radically in 1964. That was the year the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Instantly, every kid in America wanted to drop the ubiquitous "crewcut" and grow long hair. At that time I was 11 years old and living in a small town in northern Wisconsin - and I had a terrible secret. One fateful day, while we were playing dodge ball in gym class, my terrible secret, was exposed. My teacher had spotted a massive bal …
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Tzvi Pirutinsky Therapist; Probation Offenders Program, Freehold, NJ Ph.D. candidate; Columbia University, New York, NY Email: [email protected] Introduction In recent years, there has been growing awareness of the painful and controversial issue of sexual abuse within our community. Many rabbonim, therapists, and community leaders have stepped forward to address the complex halachik, legal, cultural, and psychological dynamics involved. Survi …
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August 25th, 2012

By Avigdor Bonchek, Ph.D. The topic of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has received much media coverage over the past decade. This is because we have recently seen remarkable progress in the treatment of this serious, debilitating, psychological problem, which for centuries had defied attempts at treatment. The progress in treating OCD can be attributed both to medical advances (treatment with anti-depressants) and to cognitive behavioral t …
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Susan Vorhand Did you know that in many languages there is no word for art? There is, however, the concept of an artful life. Given the rich texture of life that these cultures have and art’s obvious importance in the cultural milieu, we are surprised that their language does not contain an equivalent word for art. The answer is both simple and complex. The Western world has traditionally looked upon art as a category of spiritual expressi …
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by Batya Jacobs HaRav Tauber says that husband and wife are like two rough diamonds. A rough diamond can become a priceless, pure jewel, but only if another diamond is used to remove the impurities. So HaKadosh Boruch Hu puts together two perfectly matched rough diamonds. He makes sure that they have their little differences. The friction from these differences scrapes away at their impurities so they gradually become multifaceted, pure, shinin …
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Pamela P. Siller, MD Your daughter is sick…she has a runny nose and a cough. At first you think it is only a cold, but you take her to her pediatrician anyway. He tells you that it is just a virus but it keeps getting worse. A blood test is ordered; it shows an infection, necessitating an antibiotic for seven days. This makes her feel better almost immediately. If only it were so easy when dealing with difficulties related to the mind. Th …
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Depression affects over 14 million American adults every year. Depression can be a debilitating disorder that interferes with an individual’s thoughts, mood, behavior and physical health. The effects of this illness can ruin relationships, cause problems at work, make it difficult to overcome serious illnesses, and even result in suicide. While the exact cause of depression is not known, the leading scientific theory is that it is caused by …
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November 28th, 2012

Dr. Judith Guedalia © 2012

Director, Neuropsychology Unit; Chief Psychologist; Shaare Zedek Medical Center; Licensed Supervisor
and Specialist in Medical, Rehabilitation, and Developmental Psychology; EMDR Certified Practitioner:
Supervisor; Certified ADOS Diagnostician; Co-Chair Nefesh Israel. Dr. Guedalia can be reached through her
website: www.drjudithguedalia.com ALSO her new book:A Neuropsychologist’s Jou …
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By Candida Abrahamson, PhD.   Have a teenager? Finding the experience not, perhaps, unending simplicity and joy? You're not alone. Adolescence is a complicated time in which a teen accomplishes her progression to adulthood by separating from her parents, and attaching, in turn, to her friends. Teens go from needing parents to rejecting them. In a healthy family, this ambivalence ultimately leads to a deeper acceptance of parents as caring …
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By Micky Lavin Pell   Just as physical exercise has been shown to have many benefits for disease prevention and overall health, so too does psychotherapy play a role in preventing a variety of mental illnesses and maintaining mental health.  While psychotherapy has largely been used in treating and healing emotional wounds, therapists are now suggesting that there is greater potential for also using therapy to help people create bette …
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Author: Dr. Jonathan M. Lasson

May 13th, 2013

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that affects many people throughout the world. Many people observe individuals with OCD and laugh at them for their overly scrupulous behavior, however; OCD is no laughing matter. Those who suffer from this disorder are in severe psychological emotional pain. This pain that can torment other aspects of their lives for many years if gone untreated.
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November 28th, 2012

Addiction necessitates secrecy, double lives, and self-denial in order to allow self-destructive behaviors
to persist over time. The addiction can survive so long as addicts can sustain their dual Jeckle and
Hyde existence. Once the behaviors are exposed, discovered, or revealed by loved ones, the addict
can no longer easily maintain this lifestyle, and is often forced to confront the unpleasant truth about
the reality he/she …
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HELPING YOUR CHILD DEAL WITH YOUR DIVORCE By Daniel Gottlieb, Psy.D. The child's voice is always the weakest. The child is never consulted regarding the parents decision and even were the parents to do so, in the overwhelming number of cases the child would express a preference that the parent not divorce. While this preference may not always dovetail with the child's best interests, it reflect he degree which the children value the stability of …
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By Ronen Hizami, MD As Printed in the Jewish Press Health Supplement of December 29, 2010 The phone call every parent dreads . "Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, we need you to come in to the school for a meeting about your Yanky." With trepidation, the parents arrive at the school. They are aware that Yanky has always been a happy and bouncy boy, but he never caused too much trouble at home or in the neighborhood. What could be happening with a second grad …
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Author: Rabbi Tzvi Fried, LCSW

January 5th, 2015

There are big “hates” and smaller “hates” -the big hates need to be contained, the lesser ones examined. First let’s see the big. People hate those who perpetrated violent crimes against them or loved ones; they suffer with injuries for years; think: murder, rape, assault. Or even less extreme brutality such as financial crimes: a tenant who wouldn’t move out and cost the landlord thousands of dollars and possi …
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Author: Sarah Kahan, LMSW

November 27th, 2013

The definition of empathy is the ability to mutually experience the thoughts, emotions, and the direct experience of others. It is commonly described as the ability to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” or “see things from another perspective.” It goes beyond sympathy, which is a feeling of care and understanding for the suffering of others. Psychologists today are studying the complex pathways of human development and pinpointing …
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            The Transcending Trauma Project, based at the Council for Relationships in Philadelphia, is an ongoing qualitative research project investigating three generations of Holocaust survivor families. The goal of the project is to understand how survivors coped with the horror and losses of the war and to understand the impact of their experiences on the second and third generations. …
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Author: Chana Kaiman, LCSW and Miriam Yerushalmi, MS

June 2nd, 2014

When two souls are united in marriage, it brings an unparalleled magical bond from which new life can evolve.  A deep emotional commitment is paired with spiritual advancement. The following are some psychological / spiritual pathways to develop a peaceful and harmonious home. In our overscheduled, stressed lives there are myriad demands upon couples which leave little opportunity for investing in the richness and passion betw …
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Author: Dovid Katzenstein, LCSW

June 1st, 2014

Here is a list of ideas about marriage that may or may not be relevant to you. They are not absolute and one can surely argue about the merits or limitations of each. Still, it can be helpful to look these over every once in a while to renew your perspective and motivate you to work to improve your marriages.   -Be your own person. Though you are married and life-partners, remember that you and your wife are still two separate people who nee …
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