by Elisha Goldstein, PhD

More and more it seems like life can be so hectic. It’s as if we purposely overload ourselves with more things than we could possibly ever accomplish. Sometimes as I’m going to sleep I think about all the things I need to get done and when I’m awake during the day I think about all the things that need to get done. Take a shower, make coffee, eat breakfast, brush my teeth, go to work, etc… It’s almost as if at the end of the day I can truly ask myself, “where did the day go?” Enough of these and I can ask myself the same questions in weeks, months, or even years!

So when I feel like these questions are coming up, I do some brief exercises that help bring me to the present moment and remind myself that I’m living. Read the rest of this entry

by Andrew Walen, LGSW

Click here to contact Andrew and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

When you look at your body in the mirror, two things occur. First, you see the body’s physical structure; its size, shape, texture, curves, and nuances – great and small. Then comes the part that’s hard to control – the thoughts and comments that swirl about our brains concerning the body in that mirror. Oh man, can those cause trouble!

It’s usually at this point when most of us look at our bodies and berate ourselves for not having that flat stomach, or shapely thighs and buttocks, or taut breasts and biceps that many of us crave. But these thoughts are not just passing emotional blows to the psyche. For nearly 60 percent of women and over 40 percent of men in the United States, they are constant barrages of hatred and self-loathing. They are statements that bend and distort the reality of our perceptions about the body and its abilities, and thus the core beliefs we have about our worth as human beings. Read the rest of this entry

GoodTherapy.org maintains a list of psychotherapy & counseling approaches for the purpose of informing people about different forms of therapy. We’re currently updating this list of therapy models and we’ve just finished our update to Adlerian Psychology & Psychotherapy. Alfred Adler (1870–1937), world renowned philosopher and psychiatrist, developed the first holistic theory of personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy that was intimately connected to a humanistic philosophy of living. You can view the update to our section on Adlerian Psychology & Psychotherapy. and/or view our entire list of psychotherapy & counseling models . Enjoy :)

© Copyright 2008 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Sarasota Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

written by Shari McEnery, LMHC

Click here to contact Shari and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

We spend a great deal of time as new parents making sure that we are up to date on the latest medical wonders and vaccines. We make sure that our little ones are at every physical, ensuring that they are reaching their milestones every step of the way. If our child is sick, we don’t hesitate to call the doctor. There are medicines to help soothe the ache or pain, to help cure it or to even prevent it. Chances are your cabinet has at least two of the three in it right now. However, many parents don’t have any information at all about what to do with their child’s emotional health needs. Read the rest of this entry

Dear Members and Visitors to GoodTherapy.org,

Today we were pleased to present the second teleconference in the GoodTherapy.org Winter Teleconference Series: An introduction to Somatic Experiencing presented by Steben Hoskinson, MA, MAT, a senior trainer with the Foundation for Human Enrichment. Much thanks to Steven who volunteered his time to present to GoodTherapy.org members this powerful approach to healing trauma.

To support those of you who attended today’s teleconference and who may have more questions or would enjoy having a forum to discuss Somatic Experiencing with others, we created this blog entry to serve as a forum where you can post your questions, leave comments, and engage in a dialogue about it. I hope all people will feel welcome, whether you attended the conference or not, to join us in the discussion. Steven has kindly agreed to visit the blog and answer questions about the SE model. So please feel free to post questions, concerns, feedback.

To view the comments or make your own, simply scroll to the bottom of this particular article and click on the “Comment” link.

For more information about Somatic Experiencing and their training programs, please visit the Foundation for Human Enrichment. For a quick overview of the SE model you can go to our list of psychotherapy & counseling models and click on the link for Somatic Experiencing.

Enjoy,

Noah :)

Noah Rubinstein, LMFT, LMHC
Co-Executive & Clinical Director
http://www.GoodTherapy.org

© Copyright 2008 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Nashville Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

GoodTherapy.org maintains a list of psychotherapy & counseling approaches for the purpose of informing people about different forms of therapy. We’re currently updating this list of therapy models and we’ve just finished our update to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is an empirically supported treatment for conduct-disordered young children that places emphasis on improving the quality of the parent-child relationship and changing parent-child interaction patterns. You can view the update to our section on Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and/or view our entire list of psychotherapy & counseling models . Enjoy :)

© Copyright 2008 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Carlsbad Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

written by Tara Guest Arnold, PhD, LCSW

Dialectical behavior therapy or DBT is an offspring of cognitive behavior therapy that incorporates Eastern meditative practices. The dialectic comes from the synthesis of opposites, particularly acceptance and change that is a tenet core to the DBT philosophy. We accept ourselves as good enough, and we recognize the need for all of us change and grow. These two concepts could seem contradictory, but through the persuasive dialogue, or dialectic, we can understand the seemingly opposing truths side by side.

DBT is taught as a series of skills in four modules: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance. The first of these modules is core mindfulness, and as the name implies it is the foundation of DBT. Core mindfulness is based in Eastern Zen philosophy, and it includes Western contemplative practices. Mindfulness is an awareness of thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and behavioral urges. By learning mindfulness, we are empowered to be in charge of ourselves in a different way. It has been proven that awareness assists in emotional regulation. As we understand ourselves, we accept ourselves and change ourselves. It is a practice of attention and intention. Read the rest of this entry

written by Janice Feuerhelm, LPC

Click here to contact Janice and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide. Chronic pain is different than acute pain. Chronic pain is pain that continues long after the original cause. Chronic pain also has a psychological component that affects every area of one’s life. The challenge of living with chronic pain can create depression, difficulty with family/friend relationships, loss of job, financial losses and a loss of self-worth.

During my counseling experiences with individuals living with chronic pain, I have discovered that there are key healthy attitudes that help someone learn how to cope and live with chronic pain. I teach persons’ with chronic pain how to adopt these attitudes and have had the pleasure of witnessing many reclaim their life again, in spite of chronic pain.

The following are three attitudes that CAN make a difference when living with chronic pain: Read the rest of this entry

written by Chris Reynolds, MS, LPC

Click here to contact Chris and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Sex therapy is simply therapy that specifically addresses sexual problems. A sex therapist can be considered a specialist in the general field of therapy in the same way that a urologist is considered a specialist in the general field of medicine. Though the practice of sex therapy varies widely, most of these specialists have the following in common.

Sex therapy is typically a short term (6 to 15 weeks) solution focused intervention. Solution focused means that there are concrete goals with which to gauge progress, that there is a conscious utilization of client’s strengths, and that homework assignments are utilized to encourage active steps toward one’s goals.

While more general relationship issues are an integral part of sex therapy, they are not the primary issue. Sex therapists treat the sexual problem directly as opposed to assuming that if a couple resolves their other relationship issues, their sexual functioning will eventually improve. Since relationship issues are an integral part of sex therapy, and often one of the dynamics that perpetuates the sexual problem, couples who meet their goals in sex therapy invariably improve functioning in other areas of their relationship as well. When relationship issues are the primary problem (difficulty negotiating conflict, difficulty negotiating value systems, difference in attachment styles, etc.), then more traditional couples therapy is more appropriate. Read the rest of this entry

Dear Members and Visitors to GoodTherapy.org,
Today we were pleased to present the first teleconference in the GoodTherapy.org Winter Teleconference Series: An introduction to the Internal Family Systems model (IFS) of Psychotherapy presented by Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D., the developer of the IFS model. Thanks to Richard who volunteered his time to present to GoodTherapy.org members this fascinating and beautiful approach to helping people heal.

To support those of you who attended today’s teleconference and who may have more questions or would enjoy having a forum to discuss the IFS model with others, we created this blog entry to serve as a forum where you can post your questions, leave comments, and engage in a dialogue about it. I hope all people will feel welcome, whether you attended the conference or not, to join us in the discussion. Having trained in the IFS model myself and being intimately familiar with it both inside and out, it will be pleasure to monitor the comments and answer as many questions as I can. I also welcome other IFS trained practitioners to join me in answering questions and taking part in the dialogue.

To view the comment or make your own, simply scroll to the bottom of this particular article and click on the “Comments” link.

For more information about the IFS model and their training programs, please visit the Center for Self-Leadership. For a quick overview of the IFS model you can go to our list of psychotherapy & counseling models and click on the link for Internal Family Systems Therapy.

Enjoy,

Noah :)

Noah Rubinstein, LMFT, LMHC
Co-Executive & Clinical Director
http://www.GoodTherapy.org

© Copyright 2008 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Oakland Bureau - All Rights Reserved.