Therapy for Individuals from Orthodox Jewish Backgrounds
Religious life can be a source of deep meaning, community, and structure—and it can also bring internal conflict, identity questions, and immense pressure. For those raised in or connected to the Orthodox Jewish world, seeking therapy can feel daunting. There may be concerns about judgment, cultural misunderstanding, or having to explain your values, customs, or language just to get the help you need.
Dr. Harari offers a space where you don’t have to educate your therapist in order to feel seen, or worry about being judged.
As a psychologist with both personal roots and professional experience in Orthodox Jewish communities, Dr. Harari brings cultural fluency and clinical skill to working with individuals navigating a wide range of issues—whether they remain fully observant, have stepped away, or find themselves somewhere in between.
Understanding Without Explaining
Therapy with Dr. Harari is grounded in respect for your background and your individual experience. Whether you're grappling with anxiety about dating or marriage, struggling with halachic concerns, or questioning your place within the community, this is a space where your story will be met with empathy—not confusion.
Common areas of focus may include:
Anxiety around dating, matchmaking, and marriage expectations
Challenges with intimacy, vulnerability, or emotional expression
Balancing communal, familial, and personal needs
Religious identity shifts, doubts, or halachic dilemmas
Perfectionism, burnout, or high-pressure academic/career pursuits
Sexual identity and experiences of exclusion or inner conflict
Grief, guilt, or ambivalence about separating from or returning to observance
These struggles often involve deeply internalized standards and fears—fear of disappointing loved ones, of being “off the derech,” of losing one’s sense of belonging. Therapy can help you explore these complexities without judgment and work toward a life that feels aligned with your values, even when they are evolving.
A Space for Honest Exploration
Therapy doesn’t require rejecting the past—but it can help clarify what you want your future to look like.
Whether you’re actively part of a yeshivish or Hasidic community, more modern Orthodox, formerly observant, or navigating multiple identities, you deserve care that respects where you’ve been and supports where you’re going.
Dr. Harari uses an integrative approach—drawing from evidence-based modalities like DBT, CBT, and relational therapy—while honoring the spiritual, familial, and cultural dimensions of your experience.
Sessions are offered both in-person in New York City and virtually throughout New York State.