There’s a great motivational quote, attributed to Nelson Mandela: “I never lose, I either win, or I learn.” That’s an empowering way to...

Originally written: April 26th, 2017 "Good luck movin' up cuz I'm movin' out!" You might recognize that line from the chorus of a Billy...

This was originally published as a schmoozeletter email in 2021: Someone recently shared an interesting thought with me. She was saying...

This was originally written in 2022, as a schmoozeletter subscriber email Yesterday, my kids asked to go for Slurpees. My car needed gas,...

This post was originally a schmoozeletter email from 2022 There's this odd thing I do sometimes when I'm walking down the steps in my...

*Some of this is adapted from a schmoozeletter email from 2021 Have you been feeling especially down for the last 420 days? For many...

*This was originally written in 2021 Do you ever find yourself getting confused by contradictory wisdom? Like, sayings that are quoted...

In this week's Torah portion we read what is often considered the last formal commandment: "Now write for yourself, this song." What...

*This was originally written in 2022 When my now adult daughter was a tiny, adorable preschooler ( which btw was   about 10 minutes ago...

*This was originally published as a schmoozeletter email in 2022 Decades ago when I was in high school, we had a school-wide assembly...

One of the most scary symptoms faced by the loved ones of some who suffer from psychological distress is the phenomenon of self-harming...

What if we never had that “honeymoon phase” of being in love? A common refrain from many couples therapy clients from certain backgrounds...

This week of the summer always feels a little off for me. Like, mixed confusing feelings. Selfishly- I look forward to the summer all...

This was originally a schmoozeletter email, several years ago: Do you ever find that certain things get you mad, but it doesn't really...

This post was originally written as a schmoozeletter email, several years ago. Have you ever gone camping? As a family, we did it a total...

*This was originally a schmoozeletter email* I once read someone describe the time period we're living through as "the age of metaphor."...

*This was originally a schmoozeletter email in 2021 Do you have any things that most people dislike but you kind of like? For me, it's...

This was originally published as a subscriber schmoozeletter email, a few years ago: Today I was thinking about something that happened...

Hi:) Trying something new. You might know that I send out a weekly email as a free subscription. It's been several years now, and I had...

“What's the biggest struggle you see in couples today?” This is one of the most common questions couples therapists hear, and there’s...

When I was a kid, there was this mean teasing game kids played on each other, by simply repeating everything one person said. I haven't...

What do you say when there’s nothing to say? The email request from the editor to write about the only thing on most of our minds came in...

What a jarring wake up call. Last week, I was reading the book “No Bad Parts” by Dr. Richard Schwartz. I chose it intentionally for this...

Trigger warning: this post will be more explicit than usual. (It's excerpted from one of the schmoozeletter emails) Often, when working...

Dear Elisheva, Every year around this time I struggle with the idea of asking and granting what feels like lip-service forgiveness. As...

Parented by G-d, and Parenting G-d’s Children One of the most challenging, if unoriginal, theological struggles for me personally has...

“We wish we had died! We wish we had died!” Cry out the people who personally experienced miraculous salvation. “If only we had died in...

The yomim tovim / Jewish holidays are often “busy season” for Orthodox therapists. In our communities, where there’s a profound emphasis...

*This was originally a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, My problem comes up mostly around Shabbos and Yom Tov family...

*This was originally a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, My wife and I have been married for almost three years, and...

Trigger Warning: This post deals with explicit and psychologically raw topics. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 74b)questions how Queen Esther could...

Originally published: Feb 2017 Leah [pseudonym] is a 21 year old assistant preschool teacher in a beis yaakov school and part time...

*Due to a misunderstanding about a deadline for a guest post on another site, I ended up with a "spare" mini-article this week, and opted...

Chani was 20 years old when she presented for therapy. The official referral was “anxiety about dating,” but when she began to share, it...

Recently, I tweeted the following: "Please don’t tell people that if they pray hard enough, they’ll get what they want. And please,...

When families get together in clans, for holidays, celebrations, or other occasions, sometimes interactions that are well-meaning can...

*This post was originally published as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times.* Dear Elisheva, My problem is on a low simmer most of...

*This essay was written five years ago* Will the two-dimensional cardboard and plastic “glasses” we borrowed from our friends really be...

Tami, a motivated college student, sought help to deal with her test taking anxiety. She describes her symptoms: “I just get so nervous...

*This post was originally published as a State of Mind column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, My family is in a...

Can you smell love in the air? (That might just be your neighbor’s bbq grill. Go ahead and ask them to toss a few extra dogs on for you.)...

*This is an excerpt from one of my schmoozeletter emails.* One of the more painful categories of work we do is talking with people who ...

*This originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times Dear Elisheva, Our oldest daughter just returned home from her year...

*This originally appeared in the Five Towns Jewish Times State of Mind column* Dear Elisheva, I would imagine my problem is not unique,...

*This post originally appeared as an article in Bari Mitzmann's Hakol B'Seder Haggadah Companion “Once upon a time…” That old familiar...

Trigger warning: this post discusses sexual trauma Zeesy, a 19-year-old newlywed, was referred for intense erotophobia- a fear of ...

In my work as a therapist serving an almost completely religiously affiliated population, one issue that arises very, very often, is the...

This post originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times: Dear Elisheva, We think we may have an issue with our son and...

This originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times. Dear Elisheva, I can’t decide whether my problem is marital or...

This post is an excerpt from the schmoozeletter of October, 2020. You can subscribe to these here: elishevaliss.com/newsletter Do you...