Question 1- sharing an experience of someone divorcing and not being open to listen.

Question 2: Are there real benefits to taking popular workshop courses that claim to help everyone? It sounds unrealistic that one approach works for all. Should I just continue with individual therapy instead?

Question 3: I’m calling about the program from September 29, 2025 (Program #1265) — the mother asking about her 17-year-old son going off the derech. Why isn’t that just considered normal teenage behavior?

Question 4: I went to visit my mother and stepfather for Shabbos. He often puts her down and speaks to her disrespectfully. As a guest at the table, what is my role? Should I defend her, distract him, or stay silent?

Question 1: I’m about to start therapy and want to make sure I get the most out of it. How can I prepare myself to benefit as much as possible?

Question 1B: I have a friend who always agrees with me. I actually want her to be more honest and share her real opinions — even if she disagrees. How can I tell her that in a nice way?

Question 2: I’m struggling to stay organized and often forget to eat lunch. How can I create a better routine and stay on track during the day?

Question 3: What is the role of a friend when someone is struggling in their Yiddishkeit? How can I be supportive without overstepping?

Question 4: My wife and I are regular listeners and really appreciate your program. By nature, I’m stubborn and quite opinionated. I’m working on seeing other perspectives, but when I give in, I sometimes feel like I’m being pushed around. How can I find balance — like in DBT’s Walking the Middle Path?

Question 1 – Aryeh, what do you do when the parents themselves are complicated?

Feedback 2 – From a caller on the 9/8/25 program (Program 1, #1260, Question 5): I took your encouragement and spoke about it with my therapist. It worked out really well—the therapist explained that I can reach out and that it was simply a misunderstanding.

Question 3 – How can I build a better relationship with myself? Because I don’t feel connected to myself, I also struggle to connect with others. This bothers me even more. How can I change this?

Question 4 – My therapist offered to see me three times a week. Is that common?

Question 5 – My son attended a yeshiva where the boys went to therapy several times a week. It actually bothered him that they went so often. Discussed the differences between therapy and mentorship?Question 6 – My yeshiva is asking me to leave. If I transfer to another yeshiva that “helps boys with issues,” I’m afraid I’ll go downhill because of the environment. I don’t want that. What should I do?

Question 1 – How do cell phones impact family life and relationships? In particular, when a couple uses them excessively, what advice would you give to young couples about healthy cell phone use?

Question 2 – Do you have any guidance for dealing with moderate OCD, especially when it comes to religious anxiety around Rosh Hashanah? I often feel like I’m not doing teshuvah properly and can only see what I’ve done wrong.

Question 3 – Can you speak about the termination process in therapy? I’ve been in therapy for two years and made significant progress. At one point I thought I was ready to finish, but now that I have, I’m finding it very difficult and feel I need support.

Question 4 – A close family member has a 16-year-old son who dropped out of yeshiva about six months ago. He spends all day on the internet gaming and does nothing else. While the parents are trying to stay connected to him, I believe this is an addiction. Should I suggest that they see an addiction therapist?

In this episode, Mordechai Weinberger, LCSW, answers listener questions ranging from parenting and therapy to emotional resilience and community challenges:

• When a teenager simply says “OK” and walks out of the room, how should parents respond? What might that behavior be communicating?
• After a year of somatic therapy, IFS, and parts work, I’ve made progress but now feel stuck. Do I need a more directive therapist, or should I stay the course?
• A listener shares feedback from a previous episode, describing how he faced major life challenges by taking small, steady steps: “Whatever I was able to do, I did.”
• How can you help someone open up emotionally when they seem disconnected or unwilling to share?
• There’s a girl in the neighborhood who bullies others, and her mother refuses to intervene. What can I do to protect my daughter?
• I’m currently in therapy at Serenity, but my therapist doesn’t want to involve Mordechai. Can he still help? And how long does it typically take to come out of depression?

Real-life challenges. Thoughtful answers. Always grounded in compassion, clinical insight, and Torah values.

In this powerful episode, Mordechai Weinberger, LCSW, addresses a wide range of emotional and practical questions submitted by listeners:

• Can someone truly avoid their emotions and issues without consequences? Does emotional avoidance ever really work?
• Are there times when it’s appropriate—or even necessary—to push through someone’s personal boundaries? What are the risks and limits?
• As a schoolteacher, how much support should you offer students beyond the classroom? When does helping become overstepping?
• What is trichotillomania (compulsive hair-pulling), and how can someone struggling with it be helped?
• A listener shares a personal crisis: stuck in the U.S. due to flight cancellations from the war in Israel, off medication, separated from her husband, and with her autistic son acting out back home — what can she do in such a high-stress situation?

Join us for real questions, compassionate answers, and Torah-aligned insight into the human mind.

Question 1 – What is the difference between the Sarno method and somatic therapy?

Question 2 – What is the most appropriate method of therapy for someone who has experienced trauma?

Question 3 – What is the difference between Radical Acceptance and ACT therapy?

Feedback 4 – The caller who asked about Radical Acceptance (#3) felt like it was a personal message from Hashem. I now realize I need to accept my reality.Feedback 5 – From Radical Acceptance: I need to accept that, when it comes to family, they may not change.

Question 1 – I’ve been in therapy for the past five years. Now that I’m past the major struggles, I wish someone had told me what to expect moving forward and reassured me that it’s okay. Why isn’t this kind of guidance given more often?

Question 2 – My son is being bullied in class, and we don’t fully know what’s happening. What can we do as parents?

Question 3 – Why do I find it difficult to show appreciation to others, even when they’ve helped me?

Question 4 – I have a general question: Where is the line between discipline and abuse?

Question 5 – My therapist was on vacation for five weeks this summer, and now I’m dreading my upcoming session. Why might I feel this way?