Omer Leshem is a doctoral intern working at the Counseling Center at Pace. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music from New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music with a minor in Psychology. He then did a masters in Psychology, and now holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology, both obtained from the New School as well. Omer is most interested in working in a Clinical Psychology setting, but his background and passions lie with music. His doctoral research was in “the psychology of music,” where he combined both his personal and professional passions. Omer was heavily influenced by his mother who was a clinician in the field. He says that “everyone deals with being human and having emotions,” and that his passion for psychology also came from a wanting to “understand [himself] and those around [him].” The New School has given Omer a psychodynamic approach to psychology, meaning that he “appreciates that people are very complicated and that there are things changing inside of us in a dynamic manner.” His goal is to try to help people understand themselves better, including “all the different layers” of themselves, not just what is seen on the surface. 

Omer’s specialty and most profound interest is music. He has been “playing since age 5,” with his main instrument being the saxophone. He has a primary interest in jazz music, but he also composes other music in styles from the Middle East. He has been performing ever since he was a teenager, and his passion grew from there. During his military service in Israel, he “served as a saxophone player in the Air Force band.” From there, he moved to New York to pursue a career in music. What he didn’t expect was to “branch out” his interests to the field of psychology alongside his passion for music. 

But what is the connection between psychology and music? Omer says that “there is a very high correlation between having an arts career and suffering from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.” While he claims that there is no one, clear theory that explains this correlation, there are still many questions to ask; do people go into the arts already experiencing these mental health problems, or does the “act of pursuing them full time” contribute? Omer is very curious to see how this research will develop.

There are also many known positive correlations with music and mental health, which can help everyone, especially students. Omer says that “listening to music can have lots of positive benefits,” and that “music can help calm you down, feel understood, or get a connection to other periods of time.” For some people, working out and listening to music can energize them or bring them joy. Music listening can be used in “lots of different ways for many purposes.”

As far as Omer’s personal research goes, the bio on his website says that he is “investigating how audience members’ empathy shapes their emotional musical experience.” Omer conducted this study during his time as a master’s student. In the study, he took “some evidence regarding how empathy affects people’s emotional experiences, and how this is affected when listening to music.” Their goal was to look at which of these previous findings would “replicate in a live concert setting.” They found that “people who had a greater trait of empathy, specifically those  who had higher tendencies to look at others’ perspectives, were more likely to identify the emotion that the performer was trying to convey.” This finding shows that music can be a fantastic way to communicate, especially if you are open to an empathetic experience. 

At the Counseling Center, Omer sees clients individually and in group settings. He helps with paperwork, attends staff meetings, and participates in outreach and consultations. He also adds more to his already busy schedule by assisting new psychology graduate students in getting started with their clinical work. For Omer, the most meaningful part of working in the counseling center was the “one-on-one work with clients,” and that “hearing their stories and difficulties was meaningful, as [he] was invited to be a part of their lives and to go together through the things that [his] clients are struggling through.”

Although Omer works in the Counseling Center, he primarily engages with the Pforzheimer Honors College. Within the Honors College specifically, Omer helps plan events and topic discussions, such as “perfectionism, culture and bias, and adjustment difficulties with moving to New York and to a university.” As for future events, be sure to check out Omer’s talk on navigating mental health challenges as a creative, and what to do about it. This will be taking place on Friday, March 31 from 12:10-1:00 pm in the NYC Honors Conference room. There will be more events and discussions as the semester progresses.

As final pieces of advice, Omer says to “check out” the Counseling Center if you are frustrated. There is lots of stigma around taking care of your mental health that students are frightened of, and many say that therapy “just isn’t for them” and that it will not help. However, this is a misconception that can prevent students from experiencing lots of relief, even if it does involve “airing out your dirty laundry.” Omer advises to contact the Counseling Center in your hour of need, even if it can be anxiety inducing. Engaging in self care is extremely important for anyone, especially burnt-out college students (yes, YOU!), and this can be done by doing anything that brings joy and relaxation. Omer hopes that students “know that there is somewhere to go when things get challenging” and that you are heard and understood. 

If you’d like to check out some of Omer’s music and personal bio, check out his website at https://www.omerleshem.net 

To contact the counseling center on each campus:

NYC:

161 William Street, 7th Floor, NYC
Phone: (212) 346-1526
Fax (212) 346-1530
Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
*You can call the Counseling Center 24/7 to connect with a Crisis Counselor

Pleasantville:
Administration Building, 2nd Floor
Phone: (914) 773-3710
Fax: (914) 773-3639
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
*You can call the Counseling Center 24/7 to connect with a Crisis Counselor

White Plains:
Law School
Phone: (914) 773-3710
*You can call the Counseling Center 24/7 to connect with a Crisis Counselor
By appointment only