Although it is nearly impossible to break communication habits in the Internet age, I have had numerous therapeutic instances where clients only dig themselves deeper relational holes by attempting to resolve interpersonal issues by texting and messaging their partners. The nuances of tone, emotional body cues, facial expressions, and the imperfections of language that are a normal part of face-to-face interaction, are lost through these digital mediums. The result is often an exacerbation of ongoing communication difficulties. Through my informed voluntary consent at the outset of therapy, I ..read more

A Troubled and Troubling History Peter was four. He had just started Head Start programing when his mother announced she was pregnant. It seemed almost immediately after that Peter became non-compliant with any authority. He experienced a disturbance in sleep and appetite, withdrew socially, refused to wear a seatbelt in the car, and misbehaved in public until his mother had to bring him home. Peter hit, bit, threw things, broke toys, and screamed to get his way, and developed an excessive need to be in control. Like what you are reading? For more stimulating stories, thought-provoking article ..read more

As a practicing psychotherapist, I hear a lot of stories. These stories are, without fail, complex, nuanced, and multidimensional. But, often, clients come to therapy with a singular focus on only one element of their larger story. In narrative therapy, the term is “problem-saturated” story. Part of my work as a therapist is to guide clients to widen their lens beyond this problem story and recognize that many of their stories are actually a story within a story (within a story). The act of locating these missing story parts and creating an alternate narrative is a way to alter the problem-sat ..read more

She had lived in a major city for years and felt confident and secure in her ability to negotiate public transportation. During the pandemic, she worked from home, like a large portion of the global population. Emerging from that dark time, as people returned to work, so did she. Barely a month back on the job, she was pushed against the wall by a man in the subway, had her purse snatched by a man outside a drugstore, was physically assaulted by a man in a pedestrian walkway that connected her neighborhood to public transportation, and intimidated by a man standing behind her at the pharmacy ..read more

The classic image of a therapy session is a therapist, a patient, perhaps on a couch, in a small room with a box of tissues between them. But COVID-19 changed all of that. Now, more often, therapists and patients are on screens, each logging on from different locations. As COVID-19 restrictions ease in medical environments, it is time to ask if therapists and their patients need to be in the same room for therapy to be beneficial?  Like what you are reading? For more stimulating stories, thought-provoking articles and new video announcements, sign up for our monthly newsletter. Changing ..read more

One of the most common problems I see as a couples therapist is trouble with the in-laws and its impact on the couple relationship. It can be hard enough for clients to deal with their own parents, let alone their partner’s parents, who may disapprove of them (openly or covertly), be protective of their child (or the opposite, treat their child in ways that make clients want to protect their partner), or feel threatening to clients or the relationship in some other way. Relationships can be tough, and family dynamics especially can be challenging to navigate; combining intimate relationships a ..read more

A friend offered me the opportunity to join her in her practice, which I gladly did based on my knowledge of her values, beliefs, my love of what I do, and awareness of my weaknesses in marketing and billing. I brought my 20-plus years of clinical experience across inpatient, outpatient, and community mental health settings, which included my skills in assessment, documentation and play therapy into practice. Like what you are reading? For more stimulating stories, thought-provoking articles and new video announcements, sign up for our monthly newsletter. I was happy as a clam doing the clin ..read more

The Child’s Family Visit through the Therapist’s Eyes His eyes widened with welcome, and a quick smile flashed across his face when he saw me pull in. From that moment, Jason was a 55-pound human-guided missile speeding out the door when I came to transport him and his sister for their weekly family visit.   Like what you are reading? For more stimulating stories, thought-provoking articles and new video announcements, sign up for our monthly newsletter. Today he is dressed in a royal blue, short, sleeveless shirt rimmed with white. His shiny new soccer shoes and short white socks ..read more

“I call them the persons of my mind, my “pers,” Robin said, in reference to the split personalities she experiences due to trauma. “I talk out loud to them and I find it therapeutic, but I try to be careful because I know it can bother my roommate, and other people,” she said. Like what you are reading? For more stimulating stories, thought-provoking articles and new video announcements, sign up for our monthly newsletter. The Long-term Consequences of Trauma Robin had suffered severe trauma years earlier, and subsequently was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, with associated ps ..read more

I have a small antique sign that I bought long ago at a Goodwill store. Beside a whimsical illustration, it reads, “it’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice.” Medical doctors are important, there is no denying that. We rely on them to keep us healthy. But, at times, a purely clinical nature can cloud their ability to provide the empathy patients often require. Please understand that what you are about to read does not apply to every single doctor, specialist, and practitioner. This is not intended to be an indictment of the medical profession or a blanket statement of its ..read more