NEFESH International is engaged in a flurry of activity leading up to its 19th annual conference. Conference co-chairs, Lisa Twerski, LCSW, and Chaim Sender, LCSW, are very excited about the upcoming event which promises to be as exceptional as the previous ones, if not more so. They have put together an outstanding program, replete with workshops presented by renowned experts in their respective fields. The following are just a few of the many professionals who will share their knowledge and expertise with conference attendees.

Learn about the Art and Science of Treating Addictions, presented by Binyamin Tepfer, Ph.D, who is the founder and clinical director of Tepfer & Associates in Cedarhurst, New York. He is also a CSAT supervisor at the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals, and AASECT certified sex therapist

Those who work with couples will want to attend this workshop on emotionally focused therapy. Elana Katz, LCSW, is a senior faculty member at the Ackerman Institute for the Family, an internationally renowned lecturer, an executive board member of the New York Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy, and a board member of the New York Association for Collaborative Professionals. Ms. Katz will talk about “Creating Change in Couples’ Treatment using Emotionally Focused Therapy.”

NEFESH has recently begun to present programs for early professionals, those who have been working in the field 5 years or less, as well as students; a recent presentation was highly successful and very well received by an appreciative audience of early professionals. With this in mind, NEFESH is proud to announce that for the first time, the conference will include separate tracks specifically geared for early professionals as well as doctors. A description of some of the presentations follows.

Marcy Davidowitz, LCSW, will address early professionals on the “Competencies and Proficiencies for Beginning Clinicians and Students.” David Katzenstein, LCSW, Deborah Marchuck, LCSW, Barry Horowitz, LCSW, and Lisa Twerski, LCSW, will talk about “Anxiety, Opportunity, and Hope; Navigating the Early Years of a Career in Mental Health.”

The MD track will include a presentation on “Early Identification and Treatment of Depression in Children and Adolescents” by David Brent, MD, who is the academic chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University at Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Barry Holzer, MD, will talk about “ADHD Across the Life Cycle: Impact on Education, Future Employment and Marriage Questions.”

These are but a few of the many important and fascinating topics that will be discussed at the conference. It is clear from the above list of programs that the focus of the presentations is on many important emotional, social and neurological/medical issues that plague our communities. All the presenters are very knowledgeable and the material presented in the workshops will be highly informative and relevant in daily interactions with clients.

The conference is open to mental health professionals, doctors, rabbis and educators who will benefit from the many educational opportunities that are offered. Clinicians who need CE credits will be able to sign up and receive them. CMEs are available to MDs, PAs, and NPs. In addition, the conference is well known as an unparalleled venue for networking among all professional groups.

This year’s conference will be held over a Shabbos to which all attendees look forward for many months prior to the event. In addition to professional enrichment, Shabbos provides ample time for socializing, listening to divrei Torah and zemiros and enjoying the outstanding seudos for which NEFESH is known. In addition, NEFESH member and well-known singer, Yisroel Williger, LMSW, will be the ba’al tefilla on Shabbos and will entertain participants at a melave malka; so much intellectual stimulation and a world-class entertainer, as well!

The conference will take place December 24-27, 2015, at the beautiful Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge, New York. The event will be catered by Elite under KAJ. To register, please go to www.NEFESH.org.