Mental Health Decoded with Mordechai

Question 1 - My Friend's Psychiatrist Said Her Body Is 'Fighting the Medication.' She Hasn't Even Been Taking It for Two Weeks. What Does That Mean?

Question 2A - Thank You for Serenity. My Experience Has Been Amazing, and I Was Matched with a Very Experienced Therapist. Is There a Way to Find Out More About a Therapist's Background and Experience?

Question 2B - When I Started Working in Mental Health, I Realized I Needed to Take Care of Myself and Reduce My Internship Caseload. Is This Normal for New Clinicians?

Question 3 - My Husband's Therapist Suggested That Because His Therapy Is Free, He May Be Less Motivated. Can Free Therapy Still Be Effective?

Question 4 - My Daughter Was Hospitalized Around Yom Tov Last Year, and This Time of Year Is Bringing Back Difficult Memories for Both of Us. How Can We Handle These Flashbacks? 

Question 1 - How Can Someone Develop a Thicker Skin and Not Be So Affected by Others?

Question 2 - What Are Your Thoughts on Medication for Children? Why Does It Seem to Be Recommended So Often?

Question 3 - I Made a Mistake in the Past and Keep Thinking About How My Life Could Have Been Different. How Do I Stop Living in the Past?

Question 4 - While Doing IFS, I Sometimes Feel Like I'm Reliving the Pain of My Childhood. Should I Push Through the Pain or Step Back Until I'm More Ready?

Question 5 - During Elul, How Do You Know What Is Healthy Yiras Shamayim and What May Be a Mental Health Issue?

Question 6 - If the Water Element Wants to Make Things Happen, Why Do Water People Often Help Others More Than Themselves?

Question 7 - A Close Relative Keeps Picking at a Scab Even After Being Asked to Stop. What Is This Behavior Called? 

Question 1 - A Relative Needs Therapy, but Her Husband Is Against It. She Would Feel Guilty Going Without His Support. What Should She Do?

Question 2 - How Can You Know Beforehand Whether Reaching Out to Someone Will Help Them or Make Them Uncomfortable?

Comment 3 - I Went to an Agency for Therapy, and I Am Very Happy with the Experience.

Question 4 - How Can Someone Manage a Fear of Death During the Yomim Noraim, When the Books of Life and Death Are Open?

Question 5 - I Thought I Could Handle Two Weeks Without My Therapist, but I'm Struggling. How Do I Not Feel Discouraged That I'm Not as Far Along as I Thought?

Comment 6 - Great-Grandmother Sharing Some Things She Believes This Generation Is Doing Better. 

Question 1 - Now That Summer Is Ending, How Can We Keep Our Kids Active and Grounded at Home?

Comment 2 - I Would Like to Read from My Journal and Share How My Different Parts Have Become Calmer and Less Intense.

Question 3 - My Teenage Daughter Was Placed with Her Friends, but She No Longer Wants to Be with Them. How Can She Build Resilience, Stay Strong, and Make the Best of the Situation?

Thought 4 - I Adapted the Words of the Serenity Prayer to Apply Specifically to Couples and Relationships, and I Would Like to Share It.

Question 5 - My 8-Year-Old Son Has Developed a Mouth Twitch That May Be from Stress. Should I Send Him to Therapy?

Question 6 - How Do You Tell Your Married Children That You Need a Break and Can't Host Them for Shabbos During the Summer?

Question 7 - Last Week You Spoke About How Many People Develop Post-Traumatic Growth and How Few Develop PTSD. Did You Mean to Blame or Shame Those Who Do Develop PTSD? 

Question 1 - If I Take Medication, Does It Have to Be for Life, or Can I Eventually Come Off It?

Question 2 - I Became Very Connected to a Life Coach During a Difficult Time, but She Crossed Boundaries, Wasn't Confidential, and I Now Feel Used, Hurt, Angry, and Sad. How Do I Understand What Happened, Deal with the Loss of the Relationship, and Know What Was My Responsibility and What Was Hers?

Appreciation 3 - I Want to Thank You for All That You Do.

Question 4 - You Mentioned Schizoid Personality Disorder Last Week. What Does Cluster C Mean?

Question 5 - I Generally Balance Caring for Others with Setting Boundaries. How Do I Stop Feeling So Bad When I Set a Boundary? 

Question 1 - I Have a Relative with Misophonia, and Exposure Hasn't Helped. What Other Treatments Can Help?

Question 2 - What Is Schizoid Personality Disorder?

Question 3 - What Do People Mean by a 'Mental Breakdown'? How Is It Different from Depression or Anxiety, What Is the Professional Term, and Can Someone Eventually Come Off Medication?

Question 4 - I Called a Year Ago About Choosing Between an MSW and MHC, and I Chose the MSW. I've Heard It Can Take Years for a Therapist to Feel Confident and Experienced. Why Does It Take So Long? 

Question 1 - How Can Someone Go Through a Trauma and Not Remember What Happened?

Comment 2 - Mastering Relationships Helped Me Realize That What I Thought Was a Lack of Confidence Is Actually My Water Nature. I'm Learning to Better Understand and Accept Who I Am.

Question 3 - What Are Common Situations That Can Create Tension Between a Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law, and How Can They Be More Aware of Them?

Question 4 - My Friend and I Went Out to Eat, and Someone Asked Us to Order Food for Them. We Felt We Couldn't Say No Because We Had Something They Didn't Have. How Can We Learn to Say No in These Situations? 

Interview Let's Get Real with Coach Menachem regarding my dissertation. The power of one.

Question 1 – I read Mastering Relationships and realized I am a Water person. I care deeply about others, but I often get lost in their pain. How can I stay compassionate without becoming overwhelmed?

Comment & Question 2 – Your program has helped me realize that I am not stuck and that I have the power to change the dance. Thank you for that. I have a personal question about my parents, but I feel embarrassed asking it on the air. Is it okay to change the details or ask it as if it's about someone else, such as my husband?

Question 3 – What are your thoughts on energy healing and healing work?

Comment 4 – I wanted to comment on Serenity's feedback. Whenever you ask for callers, I always feel like I should be the one asking a question. Why do I feel that way?

Question 5 – I have set boundaries with someone who repeatedly calls me insulting names, so I leave whenever it happens. How do I stay strong when the behavior continues over and over? 

Question 1 – On your previous program about boundaries, you discussed doing what you are willing to do without feeling guilty. I often make supper for a neighbor who has experienced significant loss, but she frequently asks for more than I am comfortable giving. How do I set healthy boundaries without feeling guilty? 

Question 2 – I know someone who, even at a simcha, focuses on her problems instead of celebrating. Rather than saying, 'Baruch Hashem,' she talks about everything that is wrong in her life. Can a person like that change?

Question 3 – What defines an addiction? Can people truly recover from one? I struggle with food addiction and wonder if I can heal.

Question 4 – Is food addiction simply a matter of dieting, or is it something more?

Question 5 – What is the harm reduction approach, and how does it work?