What to Look for in an Addiction Therapist, Part 1
What exactly is an “addiction therapist” anyway? You may have decided to take a look at your drug and alcohol use to consider whether it’s a problem, or you may have already decided that it is a problem and want to stop or cut back. You’ve decided you want some professional feedback on your situation and want to know what, if anything, you might do about it. So you search the internet for “addiction therapist” or look on GoodTherapy.org or ask around, etc., and get a couple of numbers and set up a consultation or two. But then what?
Well, the first thing to consider is that an addiction... Read More
Therapy as a sacred ritual might sound a bit pompous to some. After all, therapy is often considered something of a “have to,” not a “want to.” I would like to consider that therapy is something other than a way out of struggle, depression, and pain. My clients teach me each week that something beautiful is explored, born, or manifested in our weekly get-togethers. As they make their weekly voyage to therapy, they pledge to themselves the opportunity to discover the full range of their experience.
Like a good cup of coffee in the morning, therapy is like a morning jog-so-you-can-get-going... 
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. -Mohandas Gandhi
“Richard” is 62 and was diagnosed with cancer a few days ago. The oncology social worker referred him for therapy because he was extremely anxious and distraught. He was convinced that he would be unable to work during treatment because he would be so sick. Further, as someone who was self-employed, he thought it meant he would lose the successful business he had built up over many years.
Richard’s doctor prescribed some Xanax to help him cope until he was able to start therapy. Richard... 
It is estimated that compulsive gambling affects 2% to 4% of Americans and disproportionately more men than women. Although men tend to develop gambling addictions at a younger age, women now make up more than one-quarter of all compulsive gamblers, and their symptoms tend to worsen faster once compulsive gambling develops.
Due to the advent of internet gambling and as states are increasingly legalizing gaming, betting, and slots, the field has changed, and adolescent gamblers are fast becoming a new generation of compulsive gamblers. In young people, gambling problems develop much like they... 
Let’s talk about what it’s like to start therapy. Starting anything new is scary, and therapy even more so. How do you know who you can you trust?
A personal recommendation is always best; otherwise look for someone who is located in a convenient place and ask to meet so you can get to know each other. Different approaches abound, and that can be confusing, but what matters most is your gut feeling when you meet the therapist. Is this someone who feels right to you? Chemistry is important, for both the therapist and the person looking for guidance. I usually know sometime during the first... 
Individuals in need of psychological help often do not seek the care they need because they are afraid of disclosing their mental health problems, are unsure of the outcome of treatment, or are concerned with the stigma associated with 
Abstinence self-efficacy (ASE) is one’s ability to abstain from alcohol or drug use and is a strong indicator of how an individual will respond to treatment. Although there are many factors that influence ASE, symptoms of 
Quick, would you prefer 100 million dollars right now or a penny that that doubles every day for a year? Next question, would you like to be cured of your depression, relationship problems, eating disorder, or addiction immediately or would you like to work on it?
On first glance, the answer to both questions seems obvious. I'll take the $100 million and I want to be cured of my mental illness, marital discord, and alcohol abuse, thank you.
Now do the math. If you take a penny and double it every day you'll have 5 million dollars in the first month. You'll have a billion dollars before the... 
Families need to be together. After all, the family as a group exists to provide support, nurturance, food, shelter, resources, and a stable future to each member. While most families have their ups and downs, even stressed, impoverished, chaotic families want to live with one another. When is it in the family’s best interest for members to separate from one another? Can leaving the family home for a short while ever bring healing to the relationships in the long run?
Family separations occur in American culture in formal and informal ways. Formally, families can legally be ordered to separate... 
Men, in general, are far less likely than women to seek professional help for mental health problems. But a new study, led by Joseph H. Hammer and David L. Vogel of the Department of Psychology at Iowa State University, suggests that men from rural communities are even more resistant than urban-dwelling men when it comes to getting 
As you would with any client, be sure to conduct a complete and comprehensive interview. Be sure to ask about what they thought life would be like, versus what reality is. Is there a loss of a dream? Any traumas? Are they ‘out’ or in process of coming out? It is wise to remember and even educate folks that ‘coming out’ is a lifetime process and not a discreet event. People may ‘come out’ at different levels in different settings (e.g. family, friends, work, etc). Be prepared to ask questions over time, as answers will change as clients feel more comfortable and safe.
LGBTQ clients... 
“Immediacy is the act of discussing in the here-and-now how the therapist is feeling about the patient, about himself/herself in relation to the patient, or about the patient-therapist relationship,” said A. Jill Clemence of the Department of Psychiatry at Albany Medical College. Immediacy has been shown to be a critical component of the 
I was counseling a couple recently and as the session was coming to a close I was asked point blank, “How many couples come to see you with infidelity?” I had to stop for a moment and think, “About 30% of the couples I treat work with infidelity issues,” I answered.
Then I thought: That’s what I see, but I bet most couples probably don’t even make it as far as the counseling room. Where cheating is involved, many couples likely break up after the affair is revealed.
I am thinking of tales from history — people I used to know before becoming a counselor, and just stories of... 
