Author: Chaim Neuhoff, Ph.D.

December 28th, 2016

Question: I am a tenth grade Rebbe in a local mesivta. I am concerned that one of the bochurim in my shiur may have OCD. He is a very good bochur and does very well, but is shy and seems very anxious about his grades. I noticed recently that he spends a very long time putting on ( and taking off) his teffilin. At least 10 minutes. He is constantly adjusting them during davening. He also takes a very long time davening. How do I know the differenc …
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Author: Chaim Neuhoff, Ph.D.

May 14th, 2017

   Question:   I am wondering if you can help with the following question that I frequently wonder about. Why is there more of a need for therapists today than a generation or two ago? Somehow we managed fine in the past. I am not, chas v'shalom, against therapists, especially those who follow Da'as Torah. I am just seeking to understand.
Very intriguing question, one that deserves serious coverage. For the purpose …
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Author: Chaim Neuhoff, Ph.D.

November 13th, 2017

Question: I am an older teenager. Can you please explain to me why some people have such a hard time waking up in the morning? This is something I constantly struggle with and I never am able to beat it. Oversleeping is something that is constantly getting in the way of my aliyah. It also really annoys my parents and rabbiem.  I wouldn't say it just has to do with going to sleep late because I have friends who go to sleep really late and sti …
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Author: Chaim Neuhoff, Ph.D.

May 22nd, 2018

Question: The time has come in my life for me to make a parnassah to support my family. I am having a difficult time choosing what career path I would like to take and what field I want to get involved in. I am generally not a person that has a hard time making up his mind but I can’t seem to settle on something that I think I would be good at and interested in. Someone mentioned that therapists are trained in career counseling so …
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Author: Chaim Neuhoff, Ph.D.

March 9th, 2018

Question: I am a teenage girl who bh has many things going for her; I have a great, loving family, plenty of friends, good grades and all in all I am very happy. I do suffer from trichotillomania (I pull out my hair). But just to make it clear those that don't know would not be able to tell, My friends know and really don't think it to it, it really has no effect on my life. Do you think it is necessary to go for therapy or do whatever it ta …
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Author: Chaim Neuhoff, Ph.D.

July 18th, 2018

Based on a Shiur from Rabbi Eliyahu Brudny  Tisha B’av, as we all know, is a tremendous paradox. It is simultaneously a Yomtov, a fast-day, and a Yom Avel that all somehow go hand in hand. We sit on the floor like Availim and then, based on the Pasuk of "Koro Aloi Moed", we omit several sad parts of davening  including lamnatzeiach, tachanun, or tzidkoscha tzedek.  This is such a rare occurrence to have su …
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Author: Chaim Neuhoff, Ph.D.

March 14th, 2018

בס"ד Remarks of the Novominsker Rebbe (Rabbi Yaakov Perlow) at the recent MHP Agudah conference, November 2017. Words of introduction from Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel ברשות the Rebbe שליט"א and ברשות the wonderful people who have gathered today. You are dedicated professionals who continue on a daily basis to make such a tremendous difference on our communities and on the world around us. When I was growing up, this idea of Mental …
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Author: Chaim Neuhoff, Ph.D.

February 21st, 2018

Question: My mother-in-law has been fighting a very serious illness for the last few years. At this time the doctors say that they have no more treatments to offer her. I don't think my husband really accepts the implications of this. My children have always had a close relationship with their grandmother and are always asking when she is going to get better. We have been very positive throughout this but now I am not sure how to approach it with …
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Author: Chaim Neuhoff, Ph.D.

July 4th, 2018

I wanted to share excerpts from this New York Times article by Clay Routledge.  It touches on many important themes including the role of meaning, community, contributing, family, and religion.   I touched on some of these themes in the following blogposts.   https://nefesh.org/ChaimNeuhoff/footsteps-ii.html.  Related to the loneliness and despair of those who have left Orthodoxy.    https://nefesh.org/ChaimNeuhoff/a …
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Author: Chaim Neuhoff, Ph.D.

January 3rd, 2018

Remarks of Rav Yehoshua Eichenstein at the recent MHP Agudah conference, November 2017.   Words of introduction by Rav Elya Brudny I would like to introduce Rav Yehoshua Eichenstein who you soon will have the זכות of interacting with. I was first introduced to Rav Eichenstein as a 15-year-old 12th grader. At that time, I was learning פרק מרובה in Rav Pam’s Shiur at Torah Vodaas. In those years, Yeshiva ended in June and we …
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