Our story
Every journey begins with connection.
The Long Short Road is a nonprofit dedicated to mental health, suicide prevention, and resilience-building — founded on the belief that no one should have to navigate life’s most difficult moments alone.
How it began
From pain, a mission took root.
Founded by Leigh Ioffe in 2019, The Long Short Road began with a commitment to respond to a growing mental health crisis with both urgency and compassion.
We saw too many lives lost to suicide and too many moments when someone was suffering in silence because no one knew how to help. From that pain, a mission took root: to create spaces for healing and connection, and to empower communities to save lives.
What began as a mission to address the teen suicide epidemic has grown into a global healing community that supports people of all ages and stages.
Our name comes from a Chassidic parable: the “long short road” may not be the easiest path, but it is the one that truly leads home.
Our mission
Breaking the silence. Building connection.
Our mission is to break the silence around mental health and suicide, and to provide tools, education, and support so that individuals and families can navigate crisis and begin to heal.
Our programs range from proactive mental health support to crisis response and everything in between, because mental health is a spectrum, and we are here for you, through all of it.
What we do
Support for every step of the road.
Warmline
A free, confidential, non-emergency warmline offering a listening ear, empathetic support, and referrals.
Courses & workshops
Workshops that nurture emotional well-being, build resilience, and help us connect more deeply.
Suicide prevention
Training that helps laypeople and professionals recognize the signs and support someone in crisis.
Consultation & referral
Personalized guidance that helps individuals and families find the right support.
Subsidized support
Helping individuals access mental health support they might not otherwise be able to afford.
Our impact
1 life saved, 1 world saved.
10,500
people trained in suicide prevention and mental wellness skills
600
families supported through our consultation and referral service
50
individuals received subsidized mental health support
Meet our founder
Leigh Ioffe
Founder & Director · Crisis management specialist
Leigh Ioffe is a crisis management specialist and a passionate advocate for individuals navigating moments of deep distress.
As the founder and director of The Long Short Road, Leigh leads the development of psychoeducational programs, warmline services, and consultation offerings, supporting hundreds of individuals each year with personalized, compassionate mental health care.
Beyond her professional work, Leigh is a wife and mother of three girls, a published fiction author, a taco enthusiast, and an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO). She is currently pursuing certification as a mindfulness practitioner.
Advisory board
Guided by experienced voices.
Gara Steinfeld
LMHC, LPC, CSAT, EMDR Certified
Gara Steinfeld, LMHC, LPC, CSAT, EMDR Certified, is a Columbia University–trained licensed therapist and the founder of Real Healing Counseling, a group therapy practice specializing in complex trauma and process addictions. Passionate about helping clients resolve trauma and transform their lives and relationships, Gara integrates relational and experiential therapies, including psychodrama, somatic experiencing, EMDR, inner child work and reparenting. She feels deeply blessed to do this work and to witness both the authenticity of her clients and the profound transformations they achieve.
Rabbi Dr. Yosef Sokol
Doctor of Psychology
Rabbi Dr. Yosef Sokol is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor at Touro University, and VA research scientist specializing in suicide prevention and recovery. He developed Continuous Identity Cognitive Therapy (CI-CT), an innovative approach that supports healing and recovery from suicide attempts and ideation. He has numerous peer reviewed publications and leads major research grants from the VA and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Dr. Sokol earned his PhD from Hofstra University, received semichah from Yeshivas Bais Yosef Novardok, and is the author of Becoming Godly: Integrating Torah and Psychology to Guide Us in Emulating Hashem. He is dedicated to bringing recovery-oriented, identity-focused approaches to healing individuals struggling with suicide.
Divi Kamman
Psychiatric Medication Provider, PMHNP
Divi is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner passionate about transforming pain into power. A graduate of Yale University, Divi strives to help individuals use their sensitivity to heal themselves. Through her work with plant medicine, Divi empowers her clients to recognize their strengths as healers.
Limor Weinstein
MA, LMHC, FAED
Limor is a Licensed Psychotherapist and an Eating Disorder Specialist practicing in New York City. Limor received her first Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University and her second Master’s in Mental Health Counseling from the City University of New York. As a mother of three and psychotherapist, Limor has dedicated her life to helping others navigate their way through the personal challenges and behaviors that inhibit happiness and harmony in their lives.
Aliza Horowitz
Counselor, LMHC
Aliza is a licensed mental health counselor based in Brooklyn, New York. She is passionate about supporting young people in their journey towards achieving mental wellness. Aliza specializes in trauma work using EMDR and Ego State Therapy.
Sara Little
Psychologist, PhD
Sara has been practicing as a clinical psychologist for over 30 years. She is currently practicing with an emphasis on hypnotherapy. She has a goal to use her experience, as well as evolving research, to help her clients use their strengths to live a better, more effective, and peaceful life.
Alexandra Kaplan
CEO, Kaplan Interpreting Services
Alexandra is a distinguished entrepreneur, thought leader, and business consultant. As the CEO of Kaplan Interpreting Services, she leverages her expertise to drive strategic business decisions and enhance networking efforts for The Long Short Road.
Rabbi Menachem Schmidt
Chabad on Campus
Rabbi Menachem Schmidt is director of Chabad on Campus at The University of Pennsylvania, and the founder of Chabad on Campus International.
Our partners
Partners in building a more resilient world.
Meet the organizations that are stepping up and partnering with us to prevent suicide and foster a resilient world.
Be part of a community where healing takes root.
Join a workshop, reach out to our warmline, or help us bring support, education, and hope to more families.