2026 NEFESH Summer Conference - Day 1
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 | Online Event
WHAT’S ON OUR MINDS
The Topics We Deal With Every Day These Days
An online conference exploring the clinical realities shaping our work today.
Join us for Day 1 of our Annual Summer Conference featuring live interactive CE credits. Register for individual classes below or for full conference access.
FREE for NEFESH Members when attended live | Non-Members: $180
Register using the email linked to your NEFESH membership.
To register for just one class, click on the class title below.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
NEFESH International gratefully thanks our sponsors for their generous support of this event.
Day 1 Conference Schedule
Schedule is subject to change.
All times are EDT.
Tuesday | July 14, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
When a child struggles in school, the mental health professional often becomes the bridge between two vital but disconnected systems: the home and the classroom. Yet our training rarely prepares us to work skillfully with the adults surrounding a child — the parents navigating fear and frustration, and the teachers balancing a classroom while advocating for one student. This session explores how clinicians can shift from child-only interventions to a systems-informed approach that equips parents and educators as active partners in a child's progress.
Drawing on practical frameworks and real-world case examples, participants will leave with concrete, ready-to-use strategies for consulting with teachers, guiding overwhelmed parents, and bridging the gap when home and school are in conflict. Whether you work in private practice, a school setting, or an agency, this session will strengthen your ability to create meaningful change by working with the whole village around a struggling child.
Presented by: Eli Farkas, LMSW and Yonatan Vinnik, LSW
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM
Sports betting has exploded into mainstream American life, and Orthodox Jewish communities are not immune — clinicians, educators, and rabbinical leaders are increasingly confronting it across age groups and settings, often without adequate tools or language.
This presentation examines the psychological mechanisms driving problem gambling in the current landscape — cognitive fallacies, System 1 thinking, near-miss reinforcement, and app design engineered to bypass rational decision-making — and translates that clinical knowledge into practice. Participants will leave with a clearer framework for understanding the psychology of sports betting and practical language for bringing that understanding into conversations with clients, families, and the community.
Presented by: Shimmy Feintuch, LCSW, CASAC-G
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
The session is anchored by Elan Javanfard, MA, LMFT, who will serve as the primary presenter and clinical facilitator. Elan will introduce the overarching theme of integrative, community-based, and culturally competent care, provide context for each topic, and synthesize the key clinical takeaways throughout the session.
Through transitions, commentary, and reflective prompts, he will guide participants in connecting themes across disciplines and applying them to their own mental health practice.
Designed for intermediate-level professionals, this session emphasizes innovation, conciseness, and actionable learning—offering a high-yield format to close out the conference with clarity and inspiration.
Moderated by: Elan Javanfard, MA, LMFT
Featured Ignite Presenters:
Rabbi Benny Gruen, PsyD (non-clinical), LSW
Revisiting Chosson/Kallah Education and Early Divorce
Based on an informal research project examining perceived causes of early divorce, Rabbi Gruen will discuss findings suggesting inadequate premarital preparation as a contributing factor and explore the potential role of mental health professionals in providing chosson and kallah education.
Bruchy Moskovics, CSW, CCLS
Helping Children Overcome Anxiety Quickly and Effectively
Drawing from her clinical work and psychodrama experience, Bruchy will present practical approaches for helping children move through anxiety efficiently, equipping clinicians and parents with actionable tools and renewed hope.
Caroline (Chani) Silver, LPC
Preparing Therapy Interns for Clinical Practice
Chani will address the gap between graduate training and real-world clinical readiness, sharing her experience of feeling underprepared and introducing innovative technology-based solutions to improve therapist training.
Menachem Hojda, LCSW
Defending Social Work Education and Early Professional Development
This presentation addresses misconceptions about the preparedness of early-career social workers, highlighting research on therapist effectiveness and advocating for foundational clinical development and attunement skills before advanced techniques and certifications.
Mordy Gottlieb, LCSW, CSAT
Therapist Burnout and the Power of Delegation
Mordy will explore how therapists often become overwhelmed by administrative and operational responsibilities, encouraging clinicians to build support systems, delegate non-clinical tasks, and create more sustainable practice models.
Leigh Loffe
The Healing Power of Human Connection in Suicide Prevention
Using the story of a hotline caller who later became a hotline supervisor, Leigh will discuss suicide prevention through the lens of interpersonal neurobiology, emphasizing attunement, compassion, and the transformative impact of meaningful human connection.
Kasriel Gewirtzman, LMHC, DP
When Couples Therapy and Individual Therapy Become Entangled
Kasriel will present clinical scenarios illustrating the complexities and unintended consequences that can arise when couples work and individual therapy intersect, encouraging thoughtful and ethical clinical practice.
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Humor and storytelling have long been utilized within psychotherapy as mechanisms for enhancing therapeutic alliance, facilitating emotional processing, reducing defensiveness, and promoting cognitive flexibility. These interventions may function as “trans-rational” techniques, accessing emotional and relational material that may not emerge through exclusively cognitive or skills-based approaches.
This experiential workshop will examine the clinical application of humor as an adjunctive therapeutic modality across treatment settings. Participants will review relevant literature regarding humor in psychotherapy, observe clinical examples, engage in experiential exercises and role-play demonstrations, and explore both the therapeutic potential and clinical risks associated with humor-based interventions. Emphasis will be placed on developing intentional, ethically appropriate, and culturally sensitive uses of humor within participants’ primary therapeutic orientations.
Presented by: Edwin Susskind, PhD
Important Note
Once you register for the conference, there is no need to pre-register or select your classes prior to the conference. At the time of each class, you will select the class from the time slot that you want to enter.