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Social Media, Living for Whom? The Impact of Insta-Living on Mental Wellness and Brain Development

Wednesday, October 21st, 2026   10:00 AM EDT -1:00 PM EDT
Rebecca Soffer, PhD and Faye F. Walkenfeld, PhD and Meira L. Orentlicher, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, CRA
$59.99 USD Cost For Member: $39.99

Recent data shows a sharp rise in anxiety and depression among young adults and youth (GenZ). Haidt (2024) links increased suicidality in girls and "failure to launch" in boys to the prevalence of social media and video gaming. To address this crisis, we must first understand how emotional regulation develops, enabling confidence in risk-taking, decision-making, and self-identity. When these developmental processes are disrupted by an unhealthy environment, mental health declines. Therapy can support these missed developmental opportunities through neurobiological, cognitive-behavioral, and attachment-based interventions.

About the Presenter

Rebecca Soffer, PhD, is the undergraduate deputy chair of psychology at the Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Brooklyn, NY. As a licensed clinical developmental psychologist, Dr. Soffer is the founder and Clinical Director of Developmental Partners LP, a private practice providing developmental assessments for children in the tri-state area.

Frimi Faye Walkenfeld, Ph.D., chairs the Department of Behavioral Science at the Touro University School of Health Sciences, where she is also an Associate Professor and serves as adjunct faculty in Touro University’s PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology. A New York–licensed psychologist with a private practice, she earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the City University of New York. Her research explores how behavioral and cognitive processes shape development across the lifespan. 

Meira L. Orentlicher, PhD, OT, FAOTA, CRA is an occupational therapist with specialization in developmental disabilities and pediatrics. Currently, she is the Associate Dean, Research and Faculty Scholarship in the School of Health Sciences of Touro University.  Her research and clinical experience focus on preparing adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities and their families for the transition from school to adult life. She presented numerous presentations and published articles and book chapters on transition, school-based occupational therapy, and the role of occupational therapy in addressing the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Define emotion regulation and describe at least three ways it supports mental wellness and psychological development (e.g., decision-making, risk-taking, identity development).
  2. Explain how attachment, play, and other experience-dependent processes contribute to emotion-regulation development, and summarize at least two mechanisms by which excessive technology/social media use can disrupt these processes
  3. Identify and apply at least three intervention strategies (neurobiological/somatic, cognitive-behavioral, and attachment-based) to support emotion regulation in clients impacted by excessive technology use, using case examples or vignettes.

Agenda:
Agenda:​
  • Introducing social media and rising rates of mental illness ​
  • Living for Whom? Contexts for Developing an Authentic Self​
    • Identity​
    • Attachment​
    • Regulation​
      • Neurobiological (OT)​
      • Psychological​
  • From Regulation to Resilience: What Can We Do?​
    • OT interventions​
    • Psychological interventions​
  • Discussion​
  • Q & A​
This presentation is open to:
  • Social Workers
  • Professional Counselors
  • Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Licensed Mental Health Practitioners
  • Medical Doctors and Other Health Professionals
  • Other professionals interacting with populations engaged in mental health based services
Course Level: intermediate
Level of Clinician: intermediate
  • New practitioners who wish to gain enhanced insight surrounding the topic
  • Experienced practitioners who seek to increase and expand fundamental knowledge surrounding the subject matter
  • Advanced practitioners seeking to review concepts and reinforce practice skills and/or access additional consultation
  • Managers seeking to broaden micro and/or macro perspectives

Participants will receive their certificate electronically upon completion of the webinar and course evaluation form.

Disability Access - If you require ADA accommodations, please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification. Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling. The grievance policy for trainings provided by NEFESH INTERNATIONAL is available here Satisfactory Completion Participants must have paid the tuition fee, logged in and out each day, attended the entire workshop, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate (If this is a pre-recorded program, a post-test with a passing grade of 80% to receive a certificate.) Failure to log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available after satisfactory course completion by clicking here.
There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.
Refund Policy:
Full Refund until 48 hours before scheduled date.
48 hours before: full refund less $5.00 processing fee. After event no refund will be given.
*exclusions apply for reasonable need and cause.