Does Depression Influence Abstinence in Young Adults With Chemical Dependence?
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 major depressive disorder (MDD) are thought to be among the strongest factors that can impair one’s recovery. Existing research examining this relationship has focused on adults in general. But Brenna L. Greenfield of the Department of Psychology and Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions at... Read More
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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... 
The decision to contact a therapist, set up an appointment, interview the therapist and agree to move forward with treatment might seem to imply that a client is ready to pursue their goal of feeling better. Unfortunately, ambivalence surrounding the therapeutic process as well as its outcome occurs far more commonly than clarity around this pursuit. Healing would presumably be the obvious goal for all of us; why wouldn’t we want that, right? Clients have offered fairly good reasoning as to why not; if we hope to be able to move beyond the ambivalence and into confronting the trauma, providing... 
Hypnotism can be a useful and versatile tool for addressing sexual concerns, including several types of sexual problems (such as non-medically caused erectile dysfunction and low desire) and negative body image, shame, and sexual inhibitions. Hypnotism can help discover and correct inner obstacles to sexual health and pleasure. As a skill set, hypnotism is used in a complementary way by many types of helping professionals. Hypnotism also provides the foundation for a growing group of professional practitioners variously known as consulting hypnotists and hypnotherapists.
I spent a good portion... 
I just read in a newspaper article that health clubs see a nice jump in membership at this time of year, due to all those New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. Of course, many new members will make a concerted effort for a month or two, and then slowly drift away.
Why is so hard to change or break bad habits? For instance: snacking or nibbling in a way we know is not the healthiest for us but have trouble stopping (I’m guilty of this myself).
First, notice the word “guilty”. Why guilty? Is this a trial? What, exactly, am I guilty of? I imagine a giant finger wagging at me from above,... 
We all have this wall around us. It is a very defined wall that protects us from harm. At times, it prevents us from opening our eyes to something we might need but don’t necessarily want to hear. Resistance within us is very thick and it gets even thicker as we move along in our daily lives. Our daily routines become redundant, predictable and too comfortable until we become unknowingly complacent. We feel there are no other alternatives, the feelings of sadness, disappointment and annoyance creep. These emotions seem to not to want to go away even if and when we try to entertain ourselves,... 
Clinicians rely on varying factors to assess a client’s level of mental health. Past events, such as abuse or trauma, can help a clinician determine if the behavior a client exhibits in the present tense warrants psychological treatment. But exactly how does a clinician decide what is normal or abnormal behavior? “The concept of psychological abnormality has long been, and continues to be, a central concept in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and in a wide range of clinical evaluations,” said Nancy S. Kim of the Department of Psychology at Northeastern University.... 
