Relationships

Recently, I sent my friend a WhatsApp message and saw that she was online. I waited for her reply, albeit white-knuckled (yes, figuratively). However, she did respond shortly afterward, and I felt ashamed and embarrassed for feeling as though I did something wrong to not be worthy of an immediate response. In situations like this, Read More …

Milaine Grossbard loves finding creative ways to express to others what it’s like to raise two special needs children. She dislikes cooking but her hobbies are breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She uses humor to make people laugh.
Milaine Grossbard
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The following poem was selected as one of the winners of this year’s Refuat Hanefesh Creative Expression Contest. Age group: College and Up. It has been lightly edited.      My Son   My Son you came in this world giving us so much joy   Your future flashed before my eyes, my sweet little baby Read More …

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We all have heard, in some form or another, the horrors that occur within the walls of the psychiatric unit of the hospital. Whether it be the straitjacket that people wear as they are strapped into a stretcher, carried off to procedures; or the crazy people that scream all day and are only quieted with Read More …

Sheri is a mother of five, who is grateful that her daughter reached out for help.
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I Didn’t Know It started with small things. My daughter would take a nail clipper and pick at her skin. I didn’t know that was considered cutting. She was a sweet girl but from the time she was young, occasionally she seemed so negative. I didn’t know that was considered depression. We had her in Read More …

Howard Weiner grew up in the Detroit area. He completed all of his training in medicine, adult psychiatry, and child/adolescent psychiatry at the University of Michigan. He is also a graduate of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute. He has worked in a variety of settings including outpatient programs, hospitals, and residential treatment programs. He has a special interest in the interface between spirituality and mental health.
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The purpose of this article is twofold. The first is to help parents understand the nature of substance use disorders. The second is to identify signs that indicate that their child may be suffering from such a disorder. This is not an academic treatise on the subject but rather a practical approach.     The Read More …

Author’s Note: I’m a single girl in my mid-twenties struggling with mental illness. I’ve struggled with mental illness nearly all my life. I’ve also struggled socially and academically. Learning didn’t come easily to me and neither did socializing. This is a letter I wrote to my family and community about how I worked so very Read More …

Vice President at Refuat Hanefesh
Avi J. Gordon, PsyD, grew up Toronto, Canada and is currently a pre-Doctoral Intern at Faulk Center For Counseling in Boca Rio, Florida. He is a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Candidate at Loyola University of Maryland and obtained his M.A. in Psychology from Columbia University. Avi’s clinical experiences at college clinics and outpatient mental health centers include anxiety, depressive, and personality disorders, as well as complicated grief, relationships, and various identity and developmental factors. His research interests include emerging-adult religious and spiritual identity. He is passionate about the mission of Refuat Hanefesh and spreading mental health education and awareness in an effort to ensure access to care for those who may need it. When he’s not working, he can be found rollerblading, playing music or ice hockey. Avi can be reached at avigordon@refuathanefesh.org
Avi Gordon, PsyD

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and for some, it is synonymous with an enjoyable time spent among family and close friends. For others, it can be stressful, to say the least. Whether or not it is your belief to express gratitude on Thanksgiving as part of a formal celebration, it’s a good time to at Read More …