Wherever you are
If faith is a resource, we use it. If it is a source of pain, we look at that directly. If you are somewhere in the middle, that is a reasonable place to stay for a while.
Faith, doubt, and what comes with them
Therapy for Spiritual and Religious Questions in Boca Raton
Religion sits close to identity, family, and community. When your relationship with it shifts, those shift with it.
You are welcome here whether your faith steadies you, troubles you, or you are working out what you still believe.
Available in person in Boca Raton and virtually for appropriate clients in Florida and New Jersey.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute ConsultationReady to start therapy? Book a Full Session on ZocdocHave a question? Send Me a Message
In-person therapy in Boca Raton• Virtual sessions also available in FL & NJ
My role is the same in both directions.
My background
Ordained as a rabbi, working here as a therapist.
What that does and does not mean
I am an ordained rabbi, though not currently practicing as one, and I have a personal meditation practice. That is context for why these conversations are familiar to me.
In this room I am your therapist, and I have no stake in where you land. I have worked with people deepening into religious life and with people leaving it, and my role is the same in both directions.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute ConsultationWhat comes up
The questions people bring.
Meaning and purpose, often after a loss
Guilt and shame expressed in religious terms
Belonging, and the cost of staying or leaving
Family expectations and the conversations that go badly
Distance between what you were taught to want and what you want
Anger at God, which is usually easier to carry once it is said out loud
You can work with me whatever your background. Being Jewish, religious, or spiritual is not a requirement.
Who comes for this
Three different starting points.
People whose faith sustains them, who want a therapist who will treat it as a resource rather than a symptom.
People wrestling with it, still inside, finding parts of it painful, unsure whether the difficulty lies with the belief, the community, or what they were taught about themselves.
People questioning or leaving, facing the loss of certainty, of community, and often of standing within their own family.
My approach
Led by you.
Meditation and mindfulness
Available where they are useful and welcome. They form no part of the work if you would rather they did not.
Religious harm
Where religious settings involved being shamed, coerced, or harmed, that is trauma, and EMDR can be part of addressing it.
What this is
This is psychotherapy that can include religious and spiritual experience. It is separate from pastoral counseling or spiritual direction.
What the work may look like
A clear process, adapted to your situation
Understand where you are now
What you believe, what you practise, and what has been changing.
Separate the strands
Belief, community, family expectation, and what you were taught about yourself are different things, and they often get tangled.
Address what carries pain
EMDR and somatic work where shame, coercion, or harm in religious settings still hold their charge.
Work out what you want to keep
At your pace, with no destination I am steering you toward.
Questions about this work
Can you support me if I want to remain religious?
Yes. If your faith sustains you, it gets treated as a resource. I have worked with many people deepening into religious life.
What if I am questioning or leaving?
That is equally welcome. Leaving often costs certainty, community, and standing within a family, and there is a great deal to work through in it.
Do I need to share your background?
No. Being Jewish, religious, or spiritual is not a requirement for working with me.
Will you bring religion or meditation in if I do not want that?
No. Meditation and mindfulness are available where they are welcome, and they form no part of the work otherwise.
Local, face-to-face care
Therapy in Boca Raton.
Meet with Shaya in his Boca Raton office, accessible from communities throughout South Florida. Virtual therapy is also available to appropriate clients in Florida and New Jersey.
A next step at your pace
Take the first step without committing to treatment.
A free 15-minute consultation gives you space to describe what you are working through, ask about my approach, and see whether working together feels like a fit.
Free 15-minute consultation
Find a time that works for you.
Schedule your free 15-minute consultation below.
If the scheduler does not load, schedule directly on Calendly.