If you are considering therapy, I’d like to dispel a few myths and offer you some ideas to consider in finding the right therapist for you. Of the myths about therapy, probably the hardest one to overcome is that to be strong means to be able to solve problems on your own. Paradoxically, however, … [Read more...] about What to Expect When Entering Therapy

Know the Causes and Signs of Depression - Take the First Steps to Relief If you get depressed during the holidays, you should feel better when they're over, right? If you don't, January can be more depressing than the holidays. You think you should be feeling better and at least you had a reason for … [Read more...] about Know the Causes and Signs of Depression – Take the First Steps to Relief

During couples therapy, I often hear one partner turn to the other partner and say “I feel...” followed by things like “...you are not listening to me,” or “...you shouldn't do that.” “That isn’t a feeling, - that’s a thought,” I’d comment. They’d look at me, confused about the difference and why … [Read more...] about Emotions and Mental Wellness

Please allow me to first tell you what I mean by "coping strategy." Many professionals in the mental health field used to talk about how we develop "defenses" that need to be eradicated in order to lead fulfilling lives. For many of us in the field, that's changed. Why? Because a defense is … [Read more...] about Identifying and Changing your Coping Strategies

Five percent of men and 10% of women in the U.S. suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but many of them don't know they have it. That's partly because many of the symptoms of PTSD look like the symptoms of other conditions such as depression and anxiety. Also, it's because many people … [Read more...] about Post-traumatic Stress and PTSD

The term “self-esteem” means different things to different people. For this article, think about self-esteem as how you feel about yourself. With this definition, it is the same thing as what we call 'self-image.' Origins of your self-image One of the most important influences on how you see … [Read more...] about Improve your Self-esteem

Trying to determine if you're addicted to an activity or substance can be very difficult, and sometimes it can take years. Occasionally, people can overcome an addiction with little effort. For example, it takes time to build up an addiction to most drugs, and there is a window of time when you can … [Read more...] about Addiction and Recovery Primer

Let's say that you recently met this person who has become "The One" It's going great, and then unexpectedly you hit a bump in the road. Before long, this great person doesn't seem so great, and you wonder what happened. In this article, I explain why this might be happening to you, and I also talk … [Read more...] about Learn to Live with your Partner: Surviving the Most Difficult Times

Of all of the kinds of childhood abuse, sexual abuse is perhaps the most damaging to people's lives. In this article, I discuss sexual abuse, the impact on individuals and relationships, and some resources for learning how to cope. What is sexual abuse? Sexual abuse includes any sexual touching, … [Read more...] about Healing from Sexual Abuse

This is for those of you who don’t feel like you fit in or don’t feel good about yourself. My hope is that you will see where this way of thinking about yourself comes from and what you can do about it. Origins When you were born, were you welcomed into a family who had planned for your arrival … [Read more...] about Your Relationship with Yourself: The most Important One