Events
Our Symposiums
and Events
Hineni’s symposiums featuring experts on mental health and wellness aim to explore, understand, and address the mental health challenges that impact our Toco Hills Orthodox Community.
View recordings of past events, register, or sign up to be notified of future speakers.
Credit: Beth Intro Photography
Upcoming Events
Save a spot by clicking the button above and choosing “Mental Health First Aid Training” under Additional Information and submitting payment.
Mental Health First Aid for Adults is an 8-hour course (2 hours online, plus 6 hours in-person) that teaches community members how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. The training, meant for non-mental health professionals, provides the skills one needs to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis.
- Dates: Two consecutive Sundays
- Sunday, February 2
- Sunday, February 9
- Time: 9:30am-12:30PM
- Location sent upon registration & payment.
- Participants must complete all days of training in order to receive certification in Mental Health First Aid USA.
- Cost per participant: $54 (Includes course materials and certificate. Limited scholarships available.)
- Attendance for full course required for MHFA certificate.
- For additional information on Mental Health First Aid visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/
Tracie Bernstein, Founder and Director of Nourishing the Soul (NTS), is a non-profit facilitator and spiritual educator who helps people access meaningful Jewish Exploration and change for themselves and their organizations. She offers workshops, retreats, and conferences. Tracie is a certified Mental Health First Aider and Trainer and is the facilitator for Fayette Factor’s Jewish Community Workshop and Online Toolkit for Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Recovery which she helped develop. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Rabbi Michael Bernstein and has three children, Ayelet, Yaron and Liana.
Past Events
Dr. Eric Fier is a board certified psychiatrist, treating children, adolescents, and adults. He is the founder of TherapyWorksATL and has been a valued member of the Toco Hills community for 24 years. In Hineni’s first Symposium on Mental Health, Dr. Fier reviews his top seven (out of ten) tips for mental wellness, shares impactful journeys from his clients and more, all through a Torah observant lens.
“There is no better way to destigmatize mental health within the orthodox Jewish community than to halachasize mental health.”
Rav Yoni Rosensweig is a leading expert on Mental Health and Halacha. He is the Founder of the Ma’aglei Nefesh Center for Mental Health, Community & Halacha, the Rabbi of Netzach Menashe Community in Israel, and a teacher in Midreshet Lindenbaum.
He has authored several books, including the recently published and ground-breaking work on the interplay between Mental Health and Halacha, titled “Nafshi Beshe’elati.” He has semicha from Rav Nachum Rabinovitch and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and holds degrees in education, history, and philosophy. In this Symposium, Rav Rosensweig discusses the importance of Halacha’s role in the destigmatization surrounding mental health in the orthodox Jewish community.
In a Q&A moderated by Hineni Co-Founder Debra Shaffer Seeman, mental health professionals shared valuable insights into the evolving landscape of their mental health practices during an evening of thought-provoking, enriching conversation about mental health in our community. The audience was empowered with practical takeaways to help support friends, family, and themselves.
Parenting Coach Cari Newman helps parents and caregivers learn to understand their children, break through frustration and burn-out, and sustain a positive, proactive approach to parenting, even when it looks nothing like what they imagined. She is a 26-year veteran classroom educator who now works exclusively with parents.
Deborah Fernhoff, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist with Atlanta Center for Psychotherapy. Her areas of expertise include career and life adjustments, PTSD/Traumatic Response, aging, couples, individual, and family therapies.
Dr. Gideon Matzkin is the Medical Director and Counseling Psychiatrist at Recovery DBT. As a psychodynamic psychiatrist, he has helped hundreds of patients and their families struggling with a range of disorders including self harm, chronic suicidality, addiction, mood, anxiety, psychotic and attentional disorders. He believes in harnessing the power of family and interdisciplinary collaboration in order to help his patients reach their potentials.
In a Q&A moderated by Hineni Co-Founder Debra Shaffer Seeman, mental health professionals shared valuable insights into the evolving landscape of their mental health practices during an evening of thought-provoking, enriching conversation about mental health in our community. The audience was empowered with practical takeaways to help support friends, family, and themselves.
Parenting Coach Cari Newman helps parents and caregivers learn to understand their children, break through frustration and burn-out, and sustain a positive, proactive approach to parenting, even when it looks nothing like what they imagined. She is a 26-year veteran classroom educator who now works exclusively with parents.
Deborah Fernhoff, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist with Atlanta Center for Psychotherapy. Her areas of expertise include career and life adjustments, PTSD/Traumatic Response, aging, couples, individual, and family therapies.
Dr. Gideon Matzkin is the Medical Director and Counseling Psychiatrist at Recovery DBT. As a psychodynamic psychiatrist, he has helped hundreds of patients and their families struggling with a range of disorders including self harm, chronic suicidality, addiction, mood, anxiety, psychotic and attentional disorders. He believes in harnessing the power of family and interdisciplinary collaboration in order to help his patients reach their potentials.
Request a Recording
As a safe space in our community, we respect the privacy of those who participate in our events. If you would like to access one of the recordings that aren’t publicly available, please submit your details below and we will be in touch via email to share the recording.
More Symposiums coming soon!
Hineni does not provide medical, legal, or therapeutic advice or services. We provide general information as a service to the community. The information provided is not a recommendation, referral or endorsement of any resource, therapeutic method, or service provider and does not replace the advice of medical, mental health, legal, or educational professionals. Hineni is not responsible for any information or services provided by third parties.
