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>>
Blog
A Monthly Group Meeting for Children of Holocaust Survivors, Starting May 10 in Boro Park
Posted by on April 17, 2016
Irit Felsen is new member of National Center for Crisis Management and the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress
Posted by on April 3, 2016
I recently joined as a member of the National Center for Crisis Management and the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (http://www.aaets.org/index.htm). The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress sees as its mission working towards increasing awareness of the effects of trauma and, ultimately, improving the quality of interventions with survivors. This mission is very close to my… READ MORE>>
Writers Institute at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, Mar. 30/2015
Posted by on March 30, 2016
Tonight, I will be attending the Writers Institute at The Graduate Center, City University of New York : Children of the Holocaust: Writers of the Next Generation. The event will feature readings and a discussion of the experiences of family relatives who suffered under Nazi persecution and how this legacy continues to shape the authors subjectivity and literary work. More… READ MORE>>
The Annual Bill Lane Social Work Disaster Response Conference
Posted by on March 19, 2016
This coming week on Thursday, March 24, 2016, I will attend the Annual Bill Lane Social Work Disaster Response Conference . The topic this year is The Integrative Model of Coping and Resiliency: Basic Theory and Practice. The conference will bring together experts in disaster mental health to explore best practice models of disaster response. The presenters at the Conference… READ MORE>>
Presentation on Mar. 20/2016 at Ofek School in West Orange, NJ
Posted by on March 19, 2016
On Sunday, March 20, I will be presenting a talk to the parents and members of the Isreaeli-American community at the Ofek School (http://ofekschool.wix.com/ofekschoolnj) in JCC MetroWest, on 76 Northfield Avenue, West Orange, NJ. The presentation, which will take place between 2:15-4:00, will be in Hebrew. The Ofek School is an integral part of the emerging Israeli community in MetroWest,… READ MORE>>
“Illusions of Immortality: Psychoanalytic Engagement with the Human Condition”
Posted by on March 14, 2016
On Saturday March 12, I attended the NIP (National Institute for the Psychotherapies) 27th Annual Conference. Entitled “Illusions of Immortality: Psychanalytic Engagement with the Human Condition” (http://www.nipinst.org/nip/training/events/annual_conference/), the conference was a uniquely enriching experience. The presentations addressed, from different yet complementary perspectives, the mind’s struggle with its own demise, with the knowledge that we all must die. Martin Frommer, Ph.D.,… READ MORE>>
REMINDER: Irit Felsen presenting at OHEL Workshop on “Psychology of Change” on Mar. 9/2016 in Brooklyn, NY
Posted by on February 28, 2016
On March 9, 9:00-4:00 I will be presenting a workshop at the Ohel Institute for Training. The workshop topic will be : Psychology of Change: Promoting Positive Therapeutic Outcomes The presenters will be : David Pelcovitz, PhD, Irit Felsen, PhD and Alessandra Scalmati, MD, PhD This advanced full-day workshop will provide valuable insights for mental health professionals seeking to enhance… READ MORE>>
Dying with dignity – an important conversation to have
Posted by on February 21, 2016
Recently on CNN.com, Dr. Jacquelyn Corley wrote a piece titled “Why Doctors Want to Die Differently” : http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/17/opinions/doctors-choose-quality-of-life-over-length-corley/index.html Dr. Corley describes the heart wrenching story of a man who was lying in the hospital bed on the twentieth day after he had suffered a massive hypertensive hemorrhage which destroyed his brain. She said that from the perspective of any remaining… READ MORE>>
Paper published: Encounters with Chronic Psychiatric Holocaust Survivors: Trauma, Psychosis and Functionality
Posted by on February 16, 2016
Last week a paper I wrote, entitled “Encounters with Chronic Psychiatric Holocaust Survivors: Trauma, Psychosis and Functionality” appeared in issue 6 of the online journal “Kavod”. The paper can be found at http://kavod.claimscon.org/2016/01/encounters-with-chronic-psychiatric-holocaust-survivors-trauma-psychosis-and-functionality/. The paper describes a research project conducted by me and Dori Laub with chronically hospitalized psychiatric Holocaust survivors. “Kavod: Honoring Aging Survivors” is a professional Journal for… READ MORE>>
Encounter-Focused Couples Therapy: A powerful method for connecting two people, for creating safety in a relationship, for learning to listen and to hear each other more authentically
Posted by on February 10, 2016
This past weekend I assisted in leading a couples workshop in Miami, with Hedy Schleifer, MA,LMHC and her husband Yumi. The workshop, enitled “An Adventure in Intimacy”, is based on Encounter-Centered Couples Therapy, a model that includes a fascinating blend of ideas derived from relational psychology, attachment studies, developmental psychology and the recent burgeoning field of neuro-affective research. Concepts and… READ MORE>>
Event in support of the Survivor Initiative at the Museum of Tolerance and Gratitude, NY
Posted by on February 4, 2016
Last night I was at the Museum of Tolerance and Gratitude in Manhattan (http://www.museumoftolerancenewyork.com, and part of the Simon Wiesenthal Center), as part of the action-oriented Survivor Initiative (http://www.survivorinitiative.org/), an organization that raises funds to support service agencies that serve Holocaust survivors in NYC who are living under the poverty line. It was wonderful to see so many young people… READ MORE>>
Report from Workshop on Parenting Adult Children Substance Abusers
Posted by on February 1, 2016
Yesterday I attended a program at the Northeast Counties Association of Psychologists of Bergen – Hudson – Passaic Counties (NCAP) (for more details, see http://northeastnjpsychassoc.org/). The program, entitled “The Convergence of Attachment, Codependency & Trauma: The Crisis of Parenting Adult Children Substance Abusers”, was presented by Osna L. Haller, Ph.D., and focused on this extremely difficult problem of parenting, which… READ MORE>>
Meeting of the Morris County Traumatic Loss Coalition
Posted by on January 30, 2016
Last Friday I attended the meeting of the Morris County Traumatic Loss Coalition. The meeting was a great example of an effort to present mental health professionals in the community with an organized, clear overview of some services which are available, some even free, of which many of us are not aware. Providing information about the different access points to… READ MORE>>
United Nations Program for International Day of Commemoration in Memory of Victims Of The Holocaust: “The Holocaust And Human Dignity”
Posted by on January 27, 2016
Today I attended the 2016 International Day of Commemoration in Memory of Victims Of The Holocaust at the United Nations headquarters in NY, which was profoundly moving. (More information is available at http://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/2016/calendar2016.html.) The messages delivered by two survivors of the Holocaust, Marta Wise and Haim Roet, and a survivor of the Sinto who were also exterminated by the Nazis… READ MORE>>
Irit Felsen presenting at OHEL Workshop on “Psychology of Change” on Mar. 9/2016 in Brooklyn, NY
Posted by on January 23, 2016
This advanced full-day workshop will provide insights for mental health professionals seeking to enhance their understanding of the key factors contributing to positive behavioral and emotional change, and successful psychotherapeutic outcomes across different therapeutic interventions. The workshop will provide an overview based on current research and clinical findings, with direct application to clinical practice. Participants will have the opportunity to… READ MORE>>