Daniel Balva, at The Blogs

Daniel Balva

Apr 27, 2026, 9:08 AM

Exclusionary Justice: The APA’s Failure to Protect Jewish Psychologists

In January 2026, the Chief Executive Officer of the American Psychological Association (APA) wrote that leadership means “deciding which battles matter most and committing fully to them, rather than spreading ourselves thin trying to respond to everything at once.”...

Jan 20, 2026, 7:16 AM

Beyond Condemnation: Confronting Antisemitism and Antizionism in the APA

Content image: Original APA 2025 Conference badge with a ribbon and sticker added by the attendee, AI-modified to remove identifying details.

Professional organizations in the mental health field are intended to serve as a home for seasoned practitioners, early-career professionals, and students alike—providing meaningful opportunities for education, networking, collective advocacy, and ethical guidance. In psychology, that home is the American...

Oct 10, 2025, 9:45 AM

When Academia Enables Harm: Antisemitism in Mental Health Scholarship

In July 2025, I published an article focused on the abandonment of Jewish therapists within the mental health field, shedding light on pervasive antisemitism in the discipline. The responses to my article were revealing: “Stop killing babies,” “the new...

Oct 9, 2025, 7:44 AM

Acknowledging Our Pain: Standing with the Jewish Community

"Anemones Before the Rain" at the Nova Festival site in Re’im, Israel. (Photo: Daniel Balva)

October 7 marked two years since the largest massacre of Jews in modern times, and still, 48 hostages remain in captivity. Two years later, the Jewish community continues to grapple with the pain of loss, the trauma of war,...

Jul 2, 2025, 3:01 AM

The Abandonment of Jewish Therapists: Antisemitism in the Mental Health Field

Israeli flag and memorial stickers for hostages and those killed on October 7, 2023, at the Nova Festival site in Re’im, Israel. (Photo: Daniel Balva)

The horrors of October 7, 2023, will forever be ingrained in our memories as one of the darkest, most horrific days in modern Jewish history—and the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Nearly 1,200 Jewish and Israeli civilians...

Sep 10, 2024, 8:52 AM

A Time For Jewish Unity: Revolutionizing After Day 330

After the atrocities of October 7, 2023, President Biden described Hamas' attack as “a campaign of pure cruelty — not just hate, but pure cruelty — against the Jewish people.” The harrowing accounts of the precious souls who were...

About Me

Daniel Balva is a Licensed Psychologist (FL), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC; FL), National Certified Counselor (NCC), and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). He serves on the Executive Board of Psychologists Against Antisemitism and is a Past President of the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association. In 2025, he was selected as a Council Member for the Voice of the People Global Cohort, led by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, where he collaborates with Jewish leaders across six continents to address urgent and long-term challenges facing Jewish communities worldwide.