2026 NEFESH Summer Conference - Day 1

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 | Online Event

Join us for Day 1 of our Annual Summer Conference featuring live interactive CE credits. Register for individual classes below or for full conference access.

FREE for NEFESH Members when attended live | Non-Members: $180

Register using the email linked to your NEFESH membership.

To register for just one class, click on the class title below.

Day 1 Conference Schedule

Schedule is subject to change.

All times are EDT.

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Supporting Supporters: Clinical Strategies for Working with Parents and Teachers

When a child struggles in school, the mental health professional often becomes the bridge between two vital but disconnected systems: the home and the classroom. Yet our training rarely prepares us to work skillfully with the adults surrounding a child — the parents navigating fear and frustration, and the teachers balancing a classroom while advocating for one student. This session explores how clinicians can shift from child-only interventions to a systems-informed approach that equips parents and educators as active partners in a child's progress.

Drawing on practical frameworks and real-world case examples, participants will leave with concrete, ready-to-use strategies for consulting with teachers, guiding overwhelmed parents, and bridging the gap when home and school are in conflict. Whether you work in private practice, a school setting, or an agency, this session will strengthen your ability to create meaningful change by working with the whole village around a struggling child.

Presented by: Eli Farkas, LMSW and Yonatan Vinnik, LSW

3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

False Start: The Psychology of Sports Betting and What Frum Mental Health Professionals Need to Know

Sports betting has exploded into mainstream American life, and Orthodox Jewish communities are not immune — clinicians, educators, and rabbinical leaders are increasingly confronting it across age groups and settings, often without adequate tools or language.

This presentation examines the psychological mechanisms driving problem gambling in the current landscape — cognitive fallacies, System 1 thinking, near-miss reinforcement, and app design engineered to bypass rational decision-making — and translates that clinical knowledge into practice. Participants will leave with a clearer framework for understanding the psychology of sports betting and practical language for bringing that understanding into conversations with clients, families, and the community.

Presented by: Shimmy Feintuch, LCSW, CASAC-G

4:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Ignite Talks!

Moderated by: Elan Javanfard, MA, LMFT

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

An Experiential Workshop on Utilizing Humor as a Therapeutic Modality

Humor and storytelling have long been utilized within psychotherapy as mechanisms for enhancing therapeutic alliance, facilitating emotional processing, reducing defensiveness, and promoting cognitive flexibility. These interventions may function as “trans-rational” techniques, accessing emotional and relational material that may not emerge through exclusively cognitive or skills-based approaches.

This experiential workshop will examine the clinical application of humor as an adjunctive therapeutic modality across treatment settings. Participants will review relevant literature regarding humor in psychotherapy, observe clinical examples, engage in experiential exercises and role-play demonstrations, and explore both the therapeutic potential and clinical risks associated with humor-based interventions. Emphasis will be placed on developing intentional, ethically appropriate, and culturally sensitive uses of humor within participants’ primary therapeutic orientations.

Presented by: Edwin Susskind, PhD

Important Note

Once you register for the conference, there is no need to pre-register or select your classes prior to the conference. At the time of each class, you will select the class from the time slot that you want to enter.