FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterestemailPrintI know what you are thinking right now. Duh, I’m a therapist! All (terrible) joking aside: it’s a common sentiment regarding topics related to mental health, parenting, marriage, whatever- that anyone who tells you they know “the answers” to such complexity is lying or trying to sell you a bill of goods. Ah, but we …
FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterestemailPrintI noticed something new in 2016, and I know I’m not the only one: people began needing to use outpatient mental health therapy to help manage stress related to politics. Ever since, in nearly all of our clients regardless of political orientation, therapists have watched the need for this grow. Now, when clients speak about …
FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterestemailPrintI will not judge you for having opinions that are different from my own. With rare exception, people are good. Ideas, policies, behaviors can be bad. Curiosity instead of judgment. I will not dislike you as a person for having beliefs or convictions that are different from mine. I will not post, engage in, or …
FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterestemailPrintI turned on the television yesterday afternoon and about 30 minutes later I realized I’d been stress-eating an unfair amount of my 5-year-old’s Halloween candy. As any good therapist would, I took a deep breath and prompted myself to connect mindfully to the present moment. On display on the screen was a futuristic scene: a …
FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterestemailPrintIt’s January- that time of year when after a few snow storms cooped up inside, I can confidently say that I have the cleanest house ever… and borderline SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Really, though. Yesterday I noticed it creeping up on me. I recognized the urge to withdraw, realized that I’ve felt a little irritable …
FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterestemailPrintLet’s bring out into the open something that might be a bit uncomfortable and awkward, but that we all know is going on: beginning the instant that you contact a therapist, that person is assessing you. It’s this fact, that I think often stops people from going to therapy to begin with. There are fine …
FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterestemailPrintI ran parenting groups before I was a parent. Yes, somebody actually let me do that and believe it or not, it was not a disaster! In fact, the theory that guided my work then, remains the same 8 years and 2 children of my own later. The backbone of my theory for practice and …
FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterestemailPrintIt has always puzzled me when I hear of new research that asserts again, that a manualized or evidenced-based treatment model produces better outcomes than an eclectic practice. I, like many if not all who are actually providing therapy find myself thinking, how could this possibly be true? There are so many variables constantly impacting …
FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterestemailPrintOne of the most common topics that people want to discuss in therapy is parenting. In helping people process their thoughts and feelings in this realm, they are usually able to boil things down to one, what we call in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), hot thought: Am I messing up my kid(s)? What most of …
FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterestemailPrintFirst and foremost: congratulations! In therapist-speak, you have moved from the pre-contemplative stage of change to the contemplative stage of change and are making progress towards your goals already! Seriously though… good for you. It takes courage to look for and ask for help and this is an excellent first step. Secondly, take heart: the …