In this episode, Mordechai Weinberger, LCSW, answers listener questions ranging from parenting and therapy to emotional resilience and community challenges:

• When a teenager simply says “OK” and walks out of the room, how should parents respond? What might that behavior be communicating?
• After a year of somatic therapy, IFS, and parts work, I’ve made progress but now feel stuck. Do I need a more directive therapist, or should I stay the course?
• A listener shares feedback from a previous episode, describing how he faced major life challenges by taking small, steady steps: “Whatever I was able to do, I did.”
• How can you help someone open up emotionally when they seem disconnected or unwilling to share?
• There’s a girl in the neighborhood who bullies others, and her mother refuses to intervene. What can I do to protect my daughter?
• I’m currently in therapy at Serenity, but my therapist doesn’t want to involve Mordechai. Can he still help? And how long does it typically take to come out of depression?

Real-life challenges. Thoughtful answers. Always grounded in compassion, clinical insight, and Torah values.

In this powerful episode, Mordechai Weinberger, LCSW, addresses a wide range of emotional and practical questions submitted by listeners:

• Can someone truly avoid their emotions and issues without consequences? Does emotional avoidance ever really work?
• Are there times when it’s appropriate—or even necessary—to push through someone’s personal boundaries? What are the risks and limits?
• As a schoolteacher, how much support should you offer students beyond the classroom? When does helping become overstepping?
• What is trichotillomania (compulsive hair-pulling), and how can someone struggling with it be helped?
• A listener shares a personal crisis: stuck in the U.S. due to flight cancellations from the war in Israel, off medication, separated from her husband, and with her autistic son acting out back home — what can she do in such a high-stress situation?

Join us for real questions, compassionate answers, and Torah-aligned insight into the human mind.

Question 1 – What is the difference between the Sarno method and somatic therapy?

Question 2 – What is the most appropriate method of therapy for someone who has experienced trauma?

Question 3 – What is the difference between Radical Acceptance and ACT therapy?

Feedback 4 – The caller who asked about Radical Acceptance (#3) felt like it was a personal message from Hashem. I now realize I need to accept my reality.Feedback 5 – From Radical Acceptance: I need to accept that, when it comes to family, they may not change.

Question 1 – I’ve been in therapy for the past five years. Now that I’m past the major struggles, I wish someone had told me what to expect moving forward and reassured me that it’s okay. Why isn’t this kind of guidance given more often?

Question 2 – My son is being bullied in class, and we don’t fully know what’s happening. What can we do as parents?

Question 3 – Why do I find it difficult to show appreciation to others, even when they’ve helped me?

Question 4 – I have a general question: Where is the line between discipline and abuse?

Question 5 – My therapist was on vacation for five weeks this summer, and now I’m dreading my upcoming session. Why might I feel this way?

Question 1 – I have tried many different therapy modalities, and somatic work helps me the most. However, I’ve noticed that the last 10 years of my life feel cloudy and fuzzy. Why is that?

Question 2 – When I don’t remember things, such as forgetting appointments or tasks I need to do, what is causing that? What might be wrong with me?

Question 3 – I am in therapy, but I constantly doubt myself. The only work that really helps me is somatic and deeper therapy. Still, my strong denial keeps coming up again and again. Will I need to be in therapy forever till I get rid of the denial?

Question 4 – What is the difference between behavioral therapy and somatic therapy?

Question 5 – I’ve struggled with weight, and my doctor referred me to OA (Overeaters Anonymous). What is known about the long-term success of OA?

Question 6 – (Aryeh) How can we help a horse gain weight?Question 7 – Why is it that some women can cry the moment they light Shabbos candles, but I can’t cry even for someone close to me who is very sick?

Question 1 – Why would people share positive information before a shidduch and then this girl goes off the derech a few months after getting married?

Feedback 2 – This is in response to the previous question.

Question 3 – I have been seeing a therapist and doing a lot of somatic work. Over time, I developed a strong connection to my therapist. Because of the intensity of the work, I find myself constantly thinking about my therapist, and I am still struggling. What should I do now?

Question 4 – I am a yeshiva bochur over the age of 20. I feel restless in the afternoons when it comes to learning. For some reason, the beginning of a new zman feels especially difficult, and I don’t yet have all my chavrusas? Why am I so restless?

Question 4B – Last year I shared with friends that my grandmother is in the hospital. They suggested that I speak to a therapist, but my parents don’t think I need one. Do I need to speak to a therapist?

Question 5 – My wife struggles with weight loss. She goes from one expensive diet to another, many of them extreme. We’ve tried everything, but nothing lasts. Is this simply a matter of self-control? What can I do as a husband?

Question 1 How should I approach a neighbor who has a special needs child? I want to offer help, but I’m afraid they’ll feel hurt if I offer—or left out if I don’t.

Question 2 Can you discuss the idea of community and tzibbur—how everyone belongs, even if they’re not fully observant?

Question 3 You often talk about reaching out for support. But when is the right time to trust yourself instead of always turning to others?

Question 4 I called a few weeks ago about whether IOPs are just for “crazy” people. Now that I’ve been in one for two weeks, I want to break that stigma. It’s actually very validating and supportive. Why is it so hard to give ourselves the compassion we give others?

Question 5 Thank you for your book Mastering Relationships. Your framework helped me understand why I found people “boring”—it was really about me. Now I get it.

Question 6 What should the ideal therapist-client relationship look like? Is the therapist a mentor, teacher, healer—or something else?

Question 7 Can you offer a summer program for people who have extra time and want to grow emotionally?

Question 1: I’m leaving my Mini Cooper for 14 days and I’m nervous. How should I manage this? (From Aryeh Autistic)

Thank you 2: Thank you for answering my question about two years ago on how to speak more calmly and express myself better. It really helped.

Question 3: Why do you take other people’s calls but not mine? I’ve tried calling in a few times.

Question 4A: I’m in a relationship with someone who shows signs of a personality disorder. I’ve learned to just listen and tolerate—but am I doing them a disservice by not challenging them to see their issues?

Question 4B: I struggle to tolerate my child’s crying—it feels overwhelming. How can I handle this better?

Question 5: What can be done when someone refuses to let their marriage therapist speak to their individual therapist—and the results in therapy are minimal?