ISRounds: A Virtual International Mental Health Educational Series – for FREE!
World class experts share their wisdom and expertise to support the clinical work and professional development of mental health professionals in Israel and around the globe. Other medical and human service professionals are cordially invited.
ISRounds programs are apolitical, non-commercial, and non-sectarian.
Academic Co-Sponsor: Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School
Course Overview
Dr. Falk, director of Weill Cornell’s Pediatric OCD, Anxiety and Tic Disorders (POCAT) Program in Manhattan, will present an overview of exposure therapy, including a practical, how-to tutorial. This presentation is intended to enhance the skills and confidence of clinicians treating children, teens and adults with distressing and paralyzing symptoms of OCD and anxiety. Dr. Falk will also describe strategies and techniques that effectively address the identified patient’s symptoms in the context of their family system.
In the second portion of the program, Aharon Herskovitz will describe the history and ongoing treatment of an Israeli teenager with disabling OCD symptoms. Dr. Falk will review the case from the perspective of exposure therapy, and the matter of family involvement in these intense times will be considered in a panel discussion involving the presenter, Dr. Falk, and Dr. Cyma Gauze - this session’s ISRounds moderator.
Expert Presenter & Discussant: Avital Falk, PhD
(Director of Child & Adolescent Psychology, Vice Chair, Treatment Innovation & Associate Professor - Weill Cornell Medicine)
Clinical Case Presentation & Panel Discussant: Aharon Herskovitz, MA
(Clinical Psychologist - Ogen LaNefesh, Raanana)
Program Moderator & Panel Discussant: Cyma Gauze, PhD
(Registered Expert Psychologist, Israel & Licensed Psychologist, Ontario, Canada)
Avital Falk, Ph.D: Expert Presenter & Discussant
Dr. Avital Falk completed her BA in Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and earned her Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from UCLA where she received research and clinical training in evidence-based interventions for children, adolescents and adults. She has received numerous awards for her research, including the Norma and Seymour Feshbach Doctoral Dissertation Award and, as the recipient of the UCLA Clinical Psychology Training Program’s Scientist Practitioner Award, Dr. Falk has contributed multiple publications and presentations on clinical research.
Dr. Falk completed her clinical internship training at the NYU Child Study Center and Bellevue Hospital Center and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College through the Youth Anxiety Center to work with emerging adults in addition to children and adolescents.
She founded the Intensive Treatment Program (ITP) for OCD and Anxiety and is currently the Director of the Weill Cornell Pediatric OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program (POCAT), the Director of Child and Adolescent Psychology and the Vice Chair of Treatment Innovation.
Aharon Herskovitz, MA: Case Presenter / Panel Discussant
Aharon Herskovitz completed his BA in Psychology at Bar-Ilan University and earned his MA in Educational and Child Clinical Psychology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He completed his clinical training through internships at Tel HaShomer Hospital and Maayanei HaYeshua Medical Center. He is the founder and director of Ogen LaNefesh, a therapy clinic in Ra'anana serving children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.
Aharon specializes in OCD and anxiety, working primarily within an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) framework. He regularly trains volunteers at the OU's Chaverim Makshivim mental health hotline and provides workshops for rabbis and educators through Maagalei Nefesh, the Center for Mental Health, Community, and Halacha.
Cyma Gauze, Ph.D: Program Moderator / Panel Discussant
Dr. Cyma Gauze is a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience working with children and adults. Dr. Gauze earned her BA in Psychology at McGill University and her MA and Ph.D. at Concordia University in Montreal. She has worked extensively in private practice in Toronto and Israel, providing both assessment and therapeutic services. She has also served as a clinical consultant to colleagues and clients within a range of multidisciplinary settings, including child and family mental health clinics and schools. Dr. Gauze’s clinical interests include treatment of anxiety and depression across the lifespan, mind body wellness, and effective provision of mental health care across culturally diverse populations.
