Author: Rabbi Yehuda Krohn, Psy.D.

November 28th, 2021

Dear Readers Welcome to the November issue of Mind Body & Soul, titled “staying the course”. The term “staying the course” may not be familiar to everyone. Staying the course, in its most literal sense, refers to those on a sea journey, facing forces – be they powerful storms, loss of power, or even pirates – that jeopardize their reaching an intended destination. A skilled traveler calmly adjusts in a mann …
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Author: Dr. Alan M. Singer

November 28th, 2021

"Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change." (Jim Rohn) I am not trying to be a contrarian, but when I saw that the theme for this Mind-Body-Soul is Staying the Course, I thought to myself that one foundation of our field of mental health is to NOT stay the course. The founder of Emotionally Focused Therapy, Dr. Sue Johnson explains it this way: clients come into our offices with one story, and we help them leave with …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R DHL

November 28th, 2021

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״ …
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Author: Esther Gendelman, MS, LPC, CPC

November 28th, 2021

One word encapsulates the theme of staying the course. That word is LIFE.  If we want to choose life, we choose to stay the course no matter what happens. Sometimes, the course is filled with pain and grief while at others, there are experiences that elicit intense joy and we savor each moment.  I might be a young child whose world changed when a parent died, or a special needs sibling was born, or my parents divorced, or I experienced …
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Author: Pamela P. Siller, MD

November 27th, 2021

Patients frequently question their mental health professionals as to what action they should take in any given circumstance.  Most want advice about marriage, children, jobs and coworkers, while others have concerns about other relationships.  One of the most complicated of these, which can cause the most angst, and possible detriment, is the therapeutic relationship.  ______________________________________ Miri is an 18-year-old g …
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Author: Adina Segal, LCSW

September 3rd, 2021

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 …
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Author: Yehuda Krohn, Psy.D.

September 1st, 2021

Dear Readers, Welcome to the August edition of Mind, Body & Soul, themed “Taking the first step”.  I’d like you to consider the many and varied ways that people take their first steps. A baby, transitioning from crawling and cruising to walking, is literally taking his first step. Until now he did not even have the capacity to walk. Children and adults, who can already walk, sometimes feel as though they are stuck in a …
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Author: Dr. Alan Singer

September 1st, 2021

The foundation stone of a building, also known as the cornerstone or setting stone, is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, and will thus determine the position of the entire structure. This metaphor can be used in searching for the foundation stone of marriage.   In my professional opinion, the foundation stone of marriage is TRUST. …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

September 1st, 2021

Why do We Hate The People Loved? Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R   The Recent daf Yomi (Succah 4b), quotes a verse (Shemos 25:22) that becomes the inspiration from one of my favorite sayings in the Gemara. וְנוֹעַדְתִּ֣י לְךָ֮ שָׁם֒ וְדִבַּרְתִּ֨י אִתְּךָ֜ מֵעַ֣ל הַכַּפֹּ֗רֶת מִבֵּין֙ שְׁנֵ֣י הַכְּרֻבִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־אֲר֣וֹן הָע …
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Author: Douglas Balin, LMSW, MPA

September 1st, 2021

The Covid 19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on a long-neglected issue; the emotional health of older adults in America. Older adults have become a significant part of our society. Each day, 10,000 individuals celebrate their 65th birthday in the United States, and there are more than 40 million people over the age of 65, according to the Census Bureau. Peluso, Watts and Parsons, in their book, Changing Aging, Changing Family Therapy, predict tha …
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