Podcast
Mental Health Decoded with Mordechai
Hosted by JewishPodcasts.fm · EN
Mental Health Decoded is a one-of-a-kind, live call-in podcast created for the Frum community, where listeners can ask real mental health questions on air and receive practical, compassionate guidance in real time.
Hosted by Mordechai Weinberger, LCSW, this Frum-friendly program provides a safe and respectful space to explore meaningful topics like self-esteem, anxiety, parenting, trauma, OCD, depression, and more — all through the lens of Torah values and clinical insight.
Join us — one question, one insight, one podcast at a time.
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Mental Health Decoded Episode #1319
3w ago01:03:54Tap to summarizeQuestion 1 – Can we discuss the highly sensitive child book? How do you help a child like this, and is it more nature or nurture? Question 2 – My 10-year-old daughter is very confident, but I have a neighbor her age who is manipulative toward her. She pressures her, excludes her, and tries to control situations to fit her own agenda. How can I guide my daughter in handling this? Question 3 – My parents still tell me how I should dress, even though I am already a mother of teenagers. I’ve tried asking them respectfully to stop and to respect our differences, but they make me feel like I’m being disrespectful. How can I develop a thicker skin around them? Question 4 – I struggle with social anxiety and was told that exposure therapy would help. I’ve tried it, but I don’t feel it’s working. Why might exposure not be helping me?
Transcribe →Mental Health Decoded Episode #1318
3w ago01:06:00Tap to summarizeQuestion 1 – Why are there no more programs on Kol Mevaser? Question 2 – Regarding last week’s program: Why did you recommend not staying with the same therapist for more than two years? Are there ever exceptions? Question 3 – How can I help ground an 11-year-old child who becomes very dysregulated? He says he enjoys getting hyper and making other children hyper. At seudos, he starts throwing things and says he can’t control himself. Question 4 – Is it okay to allow children to get hyper and silly? My kids tend to become more energetic than others, and I sometimes encourage playful behaviors like jumping in puddles and playing in the mud.
Transcribe →Mental Health Decoded Episode #1317
4w ago01:09:47Tap to summarizeQuestion 1A: Regarding being in therapy for 5 or 6 years (5-18-26 program 1), what are the exceptions where long-term therapy may still be appropriate or beneficial? Question 1B: When interacting with difficult or complicated people, how can I set limits and say no without feeling hurt or guilty afterward? Question 2: I had a general question about anorexia and how it develops emotionally and psychologically. Question 3: I am starting therapy and want to know how to tell whether the therapist is the right fit for me. Question 4: How do you deal with a friend who is overly pushy or demanding? Question 5: If someone struggles with anorexia, is full healing and recovery truly possible? Question 6: I was asked to help support a child from a very difficult home environment in building self-esteem. Is that something I should take on, and how can I know if I am the right person for that role?
Transcribe →Mental Health Decoded Episode #1316
4w ago01:01:27Tap to summarizeQuestion 1: How can I tell the difference between simply feeling down and experiencing depression? Question 1B: I worry that I may struggle in therapy because I tend to be emotionally closed off and may have difficulty opening up. Question 2: How do you know when it may be time to end a friendship? Question 3: I would like a deeper understanding of how a marriage can be impacted when a sibling separates just a few weeks before their wedding. Question 4: I wanted to share an awareness regarding therapy. If someone has been doing trauma work for five or six years and still feels emotionally raw, and the therapist’s approach has been more conceptual than emotional, would it be advisable to seek a therapist that is more emotional and will support the person better?
Transcribe →Mental Health Decoded Episode #1315
May 1101:03:15Tap to summarizeQuestion 1: Someone in my family is viewed as wonderful by the public, but in their personal life they deeply hurt the people closest to them. How can I cope with the anger and resentment I feel toward this person? Question 2: Trichotillomania improved for several months during therapy but later returned. Why might that happen? Question 3: I have a three-year-old who is afraid to use the bathroom. I notice that when I am anxious, he becomes more anxious, and when I am calm, he seems calmer. Can a parent’s emotions impact a child’s ability to use the bathroom comfortably? Comment 4A: I related to the mother whose three-year-old was struggling with using the bathroom. My daughter went through the same thing, and it was very stressful and frustrating. Eventually, I learned to let go of the pressure, used a laxative when needed, and one day things finally improved naturally. Question 4B: I also wanted to ask another question. We have a yesom staying in our home for about a year. Initially, he struggled significantly with functioning, but over time he became much calmer. Recently, however, I discovered that he has been stealing money from my purse, and I also received a call from a grocery store saying he stole from there as well. My husband was advised to respond very strictly. Do you agree with that approach?
Transcribe →Mental Health Decoded Episode #1314
May 1101:02:29Tap to summarizeQuestion 1: For most of my life, I struggled with low-grade anxiety. After experiencing several difficult life events, I began therapy and was eventually encouraged to consider medication. Thanks in part to your program, I decided to try it, and it has helped significantly. A psychiatrist also helped normalize the experience for me and reassured me that I was not “crazy.” I am on a low dose and functioning much better, even with trauma reactions. However, part of me misses feeling emotions as intensely as I once did, including during davening, and I sometimes question the tradeoff of being on medication. Question 2: How do I balance my role as someone’s physical aide without enabling dependence or avoiding tasks that I believe they are capable of doing on their own? Question 3: I wanted to know whether you are familiar with cranial sacral therapy and your thoughts on it. Question 4: What should a client do if they were told during intake that sessions would last an hour, but the actual sessions are only around 20 minutes? Question 4B: I previously went to a coach but did not feel a strong connection. How is therapy different from coaching, and can a therapist help me in ways a coach may not?
Transcribe →Mental Health Decoded Episode #1313
May 501:00:57Tap to summarizeQuestion 1: My son is in play therapy, with one session for him and one for me each week. What is the parent’s role in these sessions? Are they only about the child, or can they also address my emotions as a parent? Question 2: You encouraged parents to spend quality time with their children, which can be very powerful. What should a parent do when one sibling teases another by saying hurtful things, such as calling him “slow” because he wears glasses? Question 3: In play therapy, the child usually attends alone. However, my son wants me to join every session. What should a parent’s role be during the session? Question and Comment 4: I teach four-year-old boys. If a child lost a parent a year or two ago, the mother wants us to be very lenient with him. But its not good for him socially and academically. I decided to discipline him, by the end of the year the child became a mentch and part of the class but his mother is upset at me. How should I look at it? Question 5: Why do some people turn to food when they are stressed or anxious? Comment 6: Parents of gifted children with additional challenges sometimes expect teachers to provide significantly more one-on-one attention. However, this can take time away from the other students. If a child truly needs that level of support, additional professional help may be necessary.
Transcribe →Mental Health Decoded Episode #1312
May 501:04:36Tap to summarizeQuestion 1: A close friend leaned on me emotionally more than I felt comfortable with, and eventually pulled away. Should I reach out to show I care, and how do I manage my feelings of resentment? Question 2: What does play therapy for a child typically look like, and how does it help uncover underlying emotional issues? Question 3: My 14-year-old daughter feels she is always the one reaching out to a longtime friend, and the friendship now feels one-sided. Should she distance herself and invest more in other friendships? Comment 4: Children may not always understand why they struggle socially. Constantly discussing it may increase self-doubt, while guidance from a trusted adult can help them better understand themselves and improve social connections.
Transcribe →Mental Health Decoded Episode #1311
Apr 2701:02:20Tap to summarizeQuestion 1: A 12-year-old girl is being raised only by her father. She comes to my house from time to time, and I try to give her attention and support. Because of her upbringing, she seems to crave a lot of attention, often in immature ways. Should I still give her attention through those immature behaviors? Comment 2A: I wanted to thank you for the chizuk you gave to stay-at-home mothers on Kol Bramah Radio on 4/27/26, Program 1310. Comment 2B: I needed to place some of my children in foster care. We still maintain a connection with them, and I’ve learned that it does not have to be all-or-nothing. I see them growing and doing much better. Question 3: My father-in-law lives outside of Brooklyn, and when we visit, we stay in a gabbai’s apartment. I daven in the gabbai’s shul, which has a very small minyan, and I often feel pressured to daven for the amud. It is very difficult for me, but I feel guilty saying no. How can I deal with that guilt? Question 4: Why would someone be afraid to daven for the amud? Question 5: I have a teenage son who wants to know how to overcome the fear of davening for the amud. Question 6: I especially appreciated the question in the previous program about a mother needing to return to work. As a working mother of two, I found the validation very meaningful. My question is: How can you encourage a sibling to be more communicative when they tend not to share where they are going or what they are doing?
Transcribe →Mental Health Decoded Episode #1310
Apr 2701:12:22Tap to summarizeQuestion 1: I have a lot of mixed feelings about unconventional therapy. I recently heard about kinesiology, and I was wondering if you could help me better understand how it works. Question 2: My wife had a baby two months ago and recently returned to work. She is finding the transition overwhelming and feels she is missing out on bonding with the baby. She also does not feel comfortable in her work environment. Question 3: I find myself tremendously triggered by children, from around age 3 through 16. I am especially anxious thinking that my one-year-old will eventually grow into those ages. My mother struggled with this as well, and I wonder if that may be impacting me.
Transcribe →