Dr. Aviva Goldstein

Dr. Aviva Goldstein Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Dr. Aviva Goldstein, Education Website, Jerusalem.

I am a lecturer, family counselor and educational consultant committed to utilizing the wisdom embedded within Judaism and positive psychology to nurture the inherent strengths of young children, adolescents, parents, families and communities.

Of course we want to know how our kids are feeling about school.Especially when we know they’re facing a new teacher, a ...
23/09/2026

Of course we want to know how our kids are feeling about school.

Especially when we know they’re facing a new teacher, a new class, social uncertainty, or a transition they may find difficult.

But there’s a difference between checking in and repeatedly checking for danger.

Sometimes our questions are really about our own anxiety:
Are you nervous?
Are you worried?
Are you excited?
Are you going to miss me?
Are you sure you’re okay?

And when we keep asking, we may unintentionally communicate:
There must be something here to worry about.

This doesn’t mean we should ignore what our kids are feeling.

It means we can give them room to tell us when something is there, rather than repeatedly inviting them to search for something that might be wrong.

Sometimes, instead of asking again, we can simply observe.

How are they sleeping?
Are they talking about school spontaneously?
Do they seem more withdrawn than usual?
Are they functioning?
And if they bring something to us, we listen.

Less checking. More noticing.
Not because their feelings don’t matter.
Because they do.

09/09/2026

Happy first week of school to all who celebrate!

There is something uniquely Israeli about September 1.The radio is talking about it. The newspapers are talking about it...
01/09/2026

There is something uniquely Israeli about September 1.

The radio is talking about it. The newspapers are talking about it. Restaurants are celebrating it. Everyone is wishing everyone else a good year.

And underneath all that excitement are millions of individual stories.

A child starting first grade.

A teenager beginning her last year of school.

A teacher walking into a new classroom.

A family sending a child off while a parent is serving in the reserves.

A child starting school in a community that has been through so much.

And, this summer, thousands of new olim arriving in Israel—some of them walking their children into an Israeli school for the very first time.

So, yes—let’s celebrate.
שנת לימודים טובה לכולנו. #תלמידים חגית משה Nefesh B'Nefesh Nefesh B'Nefesh.il misrad_hachinuch ארגון המורים העל יסודיים

31/08/2026

The last week of summer is its own strange little season.

The routine is gone, but the new routine hasn’t started yet.

Everyone has been together for a LOT of hours.
Bedtimes have drifted.
Plans have accumulated.
Everyone is a little overstimulated.
Everyone is a little tired.

And there’s that weird sense that summer is already over, even though school hasn’t actually started.

So yes, your kids may be fighting over things that make absolutely no sense.

You may be finding yourself annoyed by things that normally wouldn’t bother you.

Everyone may seem just a little… done.

It doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong.

Sometimes transitions are just uncomfortable, and the last few days before a new routine begins can be surprisingly dysregulating.

So maybe this is not the week to expect everyone to be at their best.

Lower the bar a little.
Keep things simple.

And remember: you don’t have to make the last week of summer magical. You just have to get through the week. 😄

“I don’t want to go to school.”That sentence can make a parent’s brain start working overtime.Are they anxious?Are they ...
30/08/2026

“I don’t want to go to school.”

That sentence can make a parent’s brain start working overtime.

Are they anxious?
Are they struggling socially?
Do they hate their teacher?
Are they having a hard time separating?

Maybe.

Or maybe they don’t like the bathroom.
Maybe they hate where their class plays at recess.
Maybe they’re tired.
Maybe they just don’t feel like going.

We don’t always have to figure it out immediately.
Sometimes we can simply listen:
“Okay. What don’t you like about it?”
And then hear the answer without immediately trying to make it better.

Because one of the things children learn from our response is not just whether school is safe.

They learn:
Can I tell my parent that I’m unhappy without my parent freaking out?

Sometimes the most reassuring thing we can communicate is:
“You can have a hard feeling. I can handle hearing it.”

And yes, if it turns out the problem really is the bathroom… we’ll try to deal with the bathroom.

30/08/2026

Happy First Day of Class for those starting today

27/08/2026

Maybe summer doesn’t need a beautiful ending. Maybe it can just end. ☀️

No more forcing everyone to have fun. (Because that is most definitely not fun.)

You’re allowed to let the last days be ordinary.

There’s a funny thing about the end of summer:Sometimes we’re the ones who are sad about it.We’ll miss the lazy mornings...
26/08/2026

There’s a funny thing about the end of summer:
Sometimes we’re the ones who are sad about it.

We’ll miss the lazy mornings.
The later bedtimes.
The unstructured days.
The feeling that everyone is a little more available to each other.

And then we look at our kids and assume they must be feeling it too.

And they might be.
But they also may not be.

Your child may be completely ready for school. They may be excited to see their friends. They may not be thinking about “summer ending” at all.

And if they are sad, that’s okay too.

The point isn’t to make sure your child has the “right” feelings about the transition.

It’s to notice when we assume that our feelings about a transition are their feelings, too.

Sometimes the most helpful thing we can do at the end of summer is let our kids have their own experience of it.

Even when it’s different from ours.

25/08/2026

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Oh no. I said exactly what you told us not to say,” take a breath. ❤️

You did not ruin your child with one hard goodbye.

We’re human. Big transitions bring up big feelings, and sometimes those feelings come out in ways we wish they hadn’t.

What matters now is the repair.

Once everyone has settled a little, a simple phone call can go a long way:

“This is going to be hard, but I’m going to figure it out.”

Or:

“This is going to be hard for all of us, but we’re going to adjust.”

You don’t have to pretend you’re fine. You just want your child to know that your feelings are yours to carry—and that you trust both of you to get through this.

One imperfect moment doesn’t define your relationship. Give some attention (not too much, don’t obsess) to the repair. It’s ok. #עוףגוזל

There are a lot of feelings that come with watching our children move into a new stage.The parent sending her/his 18-yea...
24/08/2026

There are a lot of feelings that come with watching our children move into a new stage.

The parent sending her/his 18-year-old off to college or Israel for a gap year may be excited, proud, nervous, and heartbroken—all at the same time.

The parent dropping her/his 3-year-old off at kindergarten may feel completely ready for this next stage and still cry in the car afterward.

Our children don’t need us to hide those feelings.

In fact, it’s healthy for them to know that the people they love have feelings.

The tricky part is when our children begin to feel responsible for managing those feelings.

There’s a difference between:
“I’m going to miss you.”
and:
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”

Between:
“I’m feeling emotional about you starting school.”
and:
“I’m going to be so lonely now.”

One says: I have feelings about this.
The other can sound like: Your leaving is hurting me, and I need you to make me feel better.

Our children are allowed to know that their leaving affects us.
And they’re also allowed to leave.
They get to be excited.
They get to be nervous.
They get to be ready.
They get to have an experience that belongs to them.

And we get to have our feelings—and take care of them ourselves.

We don’t have to hide our feelings from our child. We just don’t want to hand them the job of managing them.

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