About Us - Our History
NEFESH was founded in 1992, to bring Orthodox Jewish professionals and rabbis together to address mental
health issues that we deal with daily on a professional and communal level. We have since grown to over 750
members worldwide, including United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Israel, Brazil, Belgium and Argentina.
Between three and four hundred people have attended each of our fourteen annual conferences, which have
taken place in New York, Miami, Baltimore, Norfolk and Israel. Our rabbinic advisors, led by Rav Dovid
Cohen, Moreh D'Asrah, and Rabbi Abraham Twerski, M.D. ZT"L, and our rabbinic liaison, Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb,
Ph.D., provide guidance on issues that affect us as mental health professionals.
Who We Are
NEFESH International, now in its thirtieth-year, is an interdisciplinary organization of Orthodox Jewish mental health professionals providing leadership and integrative education in the field of personal, family, and community mental health. With over 1000 members worldwide, our growing and diverse constituency are Torah-observant psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychiatric nurses, chemical dependency counselors, psychotherapists, guidance and pastoral counselors, and graduate students. Affiliates include Rabbanim, mechanchim, attorneys, social service agencies, and allied professionals.
NEFESH provides an opportunity and vehicle for mental health professionals, Rabbanim, and educators to network and collaborate in meeting our common challenge - to enhance the emotional well-being and achdus of Klal Yisroel. Together we are developing timely and effective approaches that are based on widely accepted mental health principles, within a Torah perspective and halachic framework. We address critical issues facing us as professionals and confronting Jewish families and communities.
NEFESH offers conferences, on-line sessions, CEU credits, a vibrant listserv, low-cost supervision, mentoring and professional development.
Our Moreh D’asra, is Rav Dovid Cohen, shlita, of Congregation G’vul Yaavetz, Brooklyn.
Contact:
Mrs. Alice Tusk, LMSW, Director of Operations, Atusk@NEFESHinternational.org 201 384 0084