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I cried about nothing today
Note: This post is more personal and less clear than usual- not sure if I'll leave it up, but sharing it for now: “Just because other...

Elisheva Liss
Sep 2, 20257 min read
What do couples fight about most?
“What's the biggest struggle you see in couples today?” This is one of the most common questions couples therapists hear, and there’s...

Elisheva Liss
Jun 3, 20246 min read
Avinu Malkeinu: A Prayer-Inspired Essay on Parenthood
Parented by G-d, and Parenting G-d’s Children One of the most challenging, if unoriginal, theological struggles for me personally has...

Elisheva Liss
Aug 28, 20238 min read
Can my daughter be my best friend?
Dear Elisheva, I’m a 43 year old wife, mom, and professional. I have a happy marriage, amazing kids, and a satisfying job. My oldest...

Elisheva Liss
Aug 9, 20236 min read
Will my kids be spoiled?
Dear Elisheva, My husband and I were raised very differently, in a lot of ways. One way that comes up deeply for us, in our parenting, is...

Elisheva Liss
Jul 10, 20236 min read
Prepping Kids for Summer Sexual Safety
*This appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, We are sending our son to sleepaway camp this summer for the...

Elisheva Liss
May 13, 20237 min read
10 Tips for Preempting/ Avoiding Family Drama over the Holidays/Yom Tov
The yomim tovim / Jewish holidays are often “busy season” for Orthodox therapists. In our communities, where there’s a profound emphasis...

Elisheva Liss
Apr 4, 20236 min read
Why are they doing this to me?"
*This was originally a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, My problem comes up mostly around Shabbos and Yom Tov family...

Elisheva Liss
Apr 3, 20237 min read
"Why Won't My In-laws Support Us?"
*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...

Elisheva Liss
Mar 8, 20235 min read
How do I make friends as a grown up?
*This originally appeared in the Five Towns Jewish Times State of Mind column* Dear Elisheva, What I’m struggling with feels more...

Elisheva Liss
Jan 4, 20237 min read
10 Ideas of What Not to Comment on when Spending Time with Extended Family (or Other Humans):
When families get together in clans, for holidays, celebrations, or other occasions, sometimes interactions that are well-meaning can...

Elisheva Liss
Oct 7, 20223 min read
A Total Eclipse of my Son
*This essay was written five years ago* Will the two-dimensional cardboard and plastic “glasses” we borrowed from our friends really be...

Elisheva Liss
Aug 30, 20223 min read
Was My Kid Brainwashed in Seminary?
*This originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times Dear Elisheva, Our oldest daughter just returned home from her year...

Elisheva Liss
Jul 20, 20227 min read
Fireworks and Fireflies
“He’s smarter than I am now…” The thought darts through my mind from time to time, punctuating our evolving conversations. My almost 17...

Elisheva Liss
Jun 15, 20225 min read
Relationship Uncertainty
*This originally appeared in the Five Towns Jewish Times State of Mind column* Dear Elisheva, I would imagine my problem is not unique,...

Elisheva Liss
May 19, 20226 min read
Sacrificing Souls on the Altar of Modesty
In my work as a therapist serving an almost completely religiously affiliated population, one issue that arises very, very often, is the...

Elisheva Liss
Jan 18, 20223 min read
Problem with my Kid's Rebbe
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...

Elisheva Liss
Jan 13, 20226 min read
The Problem with Labeling Pedophilia as a "Sickness"
*Trigger warning, sexual abuse described:* Yitzi’s parents really thought they’d taught him enough: “No one is allowed to touch you in...

Elisheva Liss
Jan 4, 20224 min read
Don’t even TOUCH it… How making fake rules can lead to disaster: A Chinuch Message
“I think it was the earrings that were the final straw for me.” The young woman is explaining to me how she went from being a...

Elisheva Liss
Oct 1, 20214 min read
My Teen Discovered Pornography- What Should I Do??
This originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times: Dear Elisheva, I honestly never thought I would be writing a letter...

Elisheva Liss
Sep 15, 20217 min read
B'sha'ah Tova Faux Pas
Adina’s eyes darted around my office, then closed and watered with unsuccessfully repressed shame. She was trying to explain the freshly...

Elisheva Liss
Sep 4, 20214 min read
Hey, Teachers- Your Students Have Issues
A local teacher once called me to talk about some frustrating feedback she had gotten at work. Apparently, a parent had called the...

Elisheva Liss
Aug 15, 20213 min read
Fighting about Whether to Have a Baby
How do you decide when to start a family? How many kids to have? When to stop having kids? Even if we knew exactly how many kids we hoped...

Elisheva Liss
Jun 4, 20214 min read
"I Was Molested by my Brother but neither of us Knew It."
Trigger Warning: This post contains sensitive content about child sexual abuse. *Like all vignettes featured in this blog, it reflects...

Elisheva Liss
Mar 14, 20213 min read
Coping with Back to School Season Overwhelm
It’s September, and children everywhere are yanking out their uniforms, knapsacks, paperwork, and supplies, packing up lunches and...

Elisheva Liss
Sep 9, 20203 min read
Thinking about Homeschooling in the 11th Hour?
Hey, parents! How are you holding up?? With schools scrambling to formulate and convey their plans to reopen, many parents find...

Elisheva Liss
Aug 19, 20202 min read


No Camp? What Are We Supposed to Do??
Are you one of the many parents who thought they were finally going to get a much-needed break from 24/7 parenting by sending your kids...

Elisheva Liss
Jun 20, 20202 min read


This Is Not Homeschooling
Parents keep commenting to me: “Wow- this is so hard! I don’t know how you do this all the time.” And I answer: “We don’t. We homeschool....

Elisheva Liss
Apr 20, 20203 min read


What to Teach Kids Right Now (And Always)
What if we covered a little less math, and instead teach kids what really counts. Less social studies, and more social skills. Less...

Elisheva Liss
Mar 22, 20201 min read


How to Run Family Meetings
So we find ourselves suddenly spending more time at home with our families than we ever have before. Trying to juggle parenting,...

Elisheva Liss
Mar 21, 20203 min read


Totally Grossed Out By Private Parts
Please Note: This post contains explicit content, is for mature readers only, and may be triggering for survivors of trauma. Fay and her...

Elisheva Liss
Feb 3, 20203 min read


Why It's Important to Teach Kids Accurate Names of Body Parts
Tzivi came home from preschool and told her mom that her Morah had gotten upset at her that day. “Morah said I used a bad word. But I...

Elisheva Liss
Dec 5, 20194 min read
Hey Teachers Your Students Have Issues
A teacher in my neighborhood once called me to talk about some frustrating feedback she had gotten at work. Apparently, a parent had...

Elisheva Liss
Aug 28, 20193 min read
More Attempts To Reduce Abuse This Summer
Trying to Reduce Abuse this Summer As we wind down the scholastic year, label the socks, and pack up the duffels, we scan the emails...

Elisheva Liss
Jun 19, 20193 min read


"My High School Principal Nearly Destroyed Me"
“My Principal Wouldn’t Let the Other Girls Talk to Me” A courageous letter from a girl who was deliberately ostracized, to the principal...

Elisheva Liss
May 21, 20197 min read


Hang In There Young Mamas, It Gets Easier
“Little kids, little problems, big kids, big problems. Just you wait!” warned the more experienced moms; their condescending tones...

Elisheva Liss
Apr 14, 20194 min read


Could We Please Stop Telling Young Women that Marrying a Yeshiva Guy Is the Only Way to Get a Good Husband
This will be a short, not-so-sweet, but to-the-point post (bordering on rant). To some, what I’m about to say might be obvious, but to...

Elisheva Liss
Nov 26, 20182 min read


Parental Plane Letter to My Child Going Off to Israel
In preparation for Rosh Chodesh Elul, I am deviating from my usual blogging style to share something a bit more personal. The following...

Elisheva Liss
Aug 8, 20187 min read


My Kid “Frummed out” in Israel:Should We be Glad or Concerned?Seven Talking Points for Parents
“It’s not that I mind Rachel becoming more religious; we expected that to a degree, when we allowed her to go to Israel for the year....

Elisheva Liss
Jun 6, 20187 min read


Teaching Children about “The Birds and the Bees”
There are, essentially, only two ways for kids to hear about sex: their parents, and Someplace Else. While that “someplace else” may be...

Elisheva Liss
Jul 27, 20174 min read


The Perfect In-Laws
Dan and Liz were fighting about their families again. Both educated professional thirty-somethings, they do an impressive job juggling...

Elisheva Liss
Apr 12, 20167 min read


Help! My Wife Won't Go Back to Work
Anna was a 28 year old CPA, well respected in her company, and on track for eventual promotions. She married Josh, a 29 year old rising...

Elisheva Liss
Mar 28, 20166 min read
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