Some kids don’t have the picture-perfect family we all wish for. Some parents don’t have the picture-perfect lives they imagined they might have when they were kids. Sometimes tragedy takes away the parent that was supposed to be there to guide you throughout childhood, to attend school functions, sport games, plays and class trips. Sometimes marriages don’t work out and… READ MORE>>
Blog
Resilient Role Models
Posted by on September 5, 2016
How is it that some people can endure significant stress and even traumatic life events while still maintaining a positive, constructive and optimistic attitude, while others, when confronted with stressful life events, find it difficult to function and to sustain hope. Some people who have coped remarkably well under certain trying circumstances, or at one time in their life, seem… READ MORE>>
Fourth meeting of the Discussion Group for Children of Holocaust Survivors on Tues. Sept. 13
Posted by on September 1, 2016
On Tues. Sept. 13, I will lead the next meeting of the Discussion Group for Children of Holocaust Survivors at the Y in Boro Park. This meeting, which will take place at 7:00pm Tuesday, September 13, will be the fourth in the series of monthly meetings. Irit Felsen
Starting teaching again at Yeshiva University, for Fall 2016 Semester
Posted by on August 31, 2016
The Fall 2016 semester at Yeshiva University in the Bronx is underway. This semester I am teaching a graduate level psychology course at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. The course is “Couples and Family Counseling” (Course #6440). Irit Felsen
Adult Siblings in Holocaust Survivors’ Families
Posted by on July 31, 2016
This past week we held at the Boro Park Y in Brooklyn the third meeting of the Discussion Group for Children of Holocaust Survivors, and the topic was the relationships between siblings in Holocaust families. Most of the sixty participants who attended this week reported, by show of hands, having grown up with at least one sibling. Indeed, most people… READ MORE>>
Third meeting of the Discussion Group for Children of Holocaust Survivors this week: Siblings Relationships
Posted by on July 24, 2016
This coming Tuesday I will lead the third meeting of the Discussion Group for Children of Holocaust Survivors at the Y in Boro Park. This meeting, which will take place at 7:00pm this coming Tuesday, July 26, will be the third in series of monthly meetings. The topic this week will focus on Sibling Relationships in families of Holocaust Survivors…. READ MORE>>
Summary of 2nd meeting of Discussion Group for Children of Holocaust Survivors
Posted by on July 20, 2016
The second meeting of the Discussion Group for Children of Holocaust Survivors took place at the Boro Y on June 28. Again, the room was packed with nearly fifty participants who gathered together to better understand the legacy that binds us together. Further deepenimg some of the themes raised during the previous meeting, the discussion focused in particular on the… READ MORE>>
Lecture on June 15 at Jacobi Medical Center
Posted by on June 8, 2016
I will be giving a lecture, entitled “Dehumanization and Empathy: The Impact on Patient Care” at Jacobi Medical Center on June 15, 2016, 2:00-3:30pm. Location: Jacobi Medical Center, 1400 Pelham Pkwy S., Bronx, NY 10461, Bldg. 4, 2nd fl. Conf. Ctr. The presentation will review findings from neuroscience of social cognitions regarding the neuro-affective substrate of dehumanizing perceptions of others…. READ MORE>>
Did You Marry the Wrong Partner Or Do You Have the Wrong View of Marriage? Great Article from the NY Times this past weekend
Posted by on June 2, 2016
As a couple therapist and teacher of couple therapy, I am forever fascinated by the complexities that marriage or long-term partnership present us with. The weaving of two lives together involves learning to understand our own family history and its impact on how we give and perceive love, it requires learning to know ourselves better, learning to know and understand… READ MORE>>
Morris County Traumatic Loss Coalition : Presentation about Deirdre’s House, the center for Morris County child abuse victims
Posted by on May 15, 2016
Last Friday I attended the meeting of the Morris County Traumatic Loss Coalition and had the pleasure of listening to the presentation by Anthony DeVincenzo, director of Deirdre’s House in Morristown, NJ (www.deirdreshouse.org), located on 8 Court street, Tel. 973-631-5000. The most important message from Mr. DeVincenzo was that child abuse is a real issue in our society, with about… READ MORE>>
Comments on the First Monthly Group Meeting for Children of Holocaust Survivors in Boro Park
Posted by on May 11, 2016
Last night we had the first in a series of ten monthly meetings of a discussion group for children of Holocaust survivors which took place at the Boro Park Y in Brooklyn. The series of meetings is organized by “Bikur Cholim Chesed Organization”, and was made possible by a grant from the Jewish Federations of North America, through their Center… READ MORE>>
REMINDER: A Monthly Group Meeting for Children of Holocaust Survivors, Starting TODAY (May 10) in Boro Park
Posted by on May 10, 2016
I will be leading monthly group meetings for “Second Generation”, the children of Holocaust survivors. The group will meet at the Boro Park Y. The first meeting is scheduled for May 10, 2016 and there will be a total of ten meetings throughout the year until the end of December 2016. The group is intended for individuals who wish to… READ MORE>>
After The Holocaust – Primo Levy And The Nexus Of Science, Responsibility and Humanism
Posted by on May 5, 2016
Last night at the United Nations Headquarters in NY I attended the program organized by The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme in partnership with the Primo Levy Center of New York, in honor of Yom Hashoa. Having celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme remains steadfast in its mission: to help… READ MORE>>
May is Mental Health Month
Posted by on May 3, 2016
May is Mental Health Month, and in this context I would like to turn our attention to the parents of adult children suffering from mental health issues and addictions. Our lives as parents are focused on our children. The well-being and success of our children is, for many of us for many years the most important aspect or our existence…. READ MORE>>
Amplifying Resilience: An Orientation to the Social Resilience Model (SRM)
Posted by on April 30, 2016
Last Thursday, I attended a presentation by Laurie Leitch, Ph.D who, together with retired Army Brigadier General Loree Sutton co-founded Threshold Globalworks, an organization that states as its mission bringing cutting-edge initiatives, informed by neuroscience, that amplify social resilience and human potential. The organization delivered services in different parts of the world to train local individuals to help their peers… READ MORE>>