Category: Person Centered / Rogerian
The Good Therapy Blog
February 3rd, 2012 |
Toxic friends come in many forms—they can take much more than they add to the friendship; they can be a chronic complainer; they can tear you down—but the bottom line is that when you walk away from time spent with a toxic friend, you probably feel worse for the wear. If you think you might have a toxic friend in your life, take a moment to reflect on how you usually feel after being with this friend; if what you come up with includes words like drained, tired, unmotivated, worthless, or even downright depressed, you quite likely have a toxic friend. While it might be easy to identify the toxic... Read More
December 16th, 2011 |
Your home is festively decorated, exactly as you want it to be – every ornament is carefully positioned on the tree, and strings of garland and lights frame the doorways. The sweet smell of freshly baked cookies and the warmth from a crackling fire reach to every corner. Your children are filled with gleeful anticipation as they wonder what is inside the biggest packages under the tree. As you stand back to take it all in, you are filled with pride that you have created such an idyllic Christmas for your family to enjoy and cherish in their memories for years to come.
Unfortunately, many people... Read More
November 10th, 2011 |
Picture it: Thanksgiving Day, 2011. You’ve just joined your family at the table to feast on turkey and stuffing when suddenly, a festive, well-meaning relative suggests that everyone go around the table and share something that they are thankful for. Ugh. If you are one of the millions of Americans who is suffering with depression, this may feel like an impossible, unanswerable question. If you've been feeling such deep despair that you haven't been able to get out of bed for the last several days, then you probably feel that you don’t have anything to be thankful for. You’re probably just... Read More
September 19th, 2011 |
As marathon runners pass mile after mile, many reach a point where they suddenly feel that they cannot go on. They may feel an unimaginable weight come over their body and a depletion of mental and emotional resources so complete that they can't imagine taking another stride – they have hit the wall. A similar phenomenon can occur in therapy. You may enter therapy with the commitment and determination of a runner who has just begun to train for a marathon. Then, just as suddenly and inexplicably as a runner hits the wall, you may at some point feel unable to move forward in therapy. You may feel... Read More
July 29th, 2011 |
Imagine you have just been offered a promotion at work. This is great news, right? You'll be making more money, have more status and prestige within your industry and have a whole team of people working under you. Of course, you'll have to relocate to a new state, pulling your partner and children from their work and schools and you'll all be leaving a community where you have a strong support system of family and friends. Many people who find themselves in such a position... Read More
June 14th, 2011 |
Colleges and universities across the country have spent the months of May and June conferring degrees on eager, young graduates. There were ceremonies, parties, and tearful goodbyes to friends and professors. Now that all the fanfare has quieted down, many people in the class of 2011 are probably asking themselves – what now? It can be a daunting time, particularly if you were a “traditional” student who went straight from high school to college. You’ve probably never not... Read More
April 1st, 2011 |
May (1983) wrote that the most fundamental aspect of therapy is being and that, therefore, the value of the human encounter in therapy far outweighs complex understandings about a person’s psychological makeup or the technical skill of a guru.
He did not mean to diminish the value of insight, but wrote, “The data…learned about the patient may have been accurate and well worth learning. But the point, rather, is that the grasping of the other person occurs on a different level from our knowledge of specific things about him…
“Obviously a knowledge of the drives and mechanisms which... Read More
March 30th, 2011 |
Therapist: “Sounds like you’ve been busy.
Sonya: “I have. I feel like I'm always busy... too busy. I never have time to just enjoy life. I can't remember the last time my husband and I had any quality time together. I worry about our relationship sometimes, but we rarely find time to talk about anything other than our kids.
Therapist: “You're worried about your relationship, but you’re both more focused on your kids than each other.
Sonya: “Yeah. It scares me that we can't find any time to focus on each other. We just can’t seem to make our relationship a priority.
Therapist:... Read More
February 14th, 2011 |
Being single around Valentine's Day can kind of feel like getting picked last in gym class. The kid who gets picked last in gym class really lacks only athletic ability. Yet, as name after name is called on the playground, the kid whose name has yet to be called feels worse and worse about herself. By the time the team with the last pick finally has to take her, she feels like a totally worthless loser. Certainly, this kid is not a worthless loser. She’s just not a jock. Likewise, around Valentine's Day, single people who see bouquet after bouquet of flowers being delivered may feel worse and... Read More
January 18th, 2011 |
It's that time of year again – the gyms are packed, nicotine patches are flying off the shelves, and book shelves are loaded with titles that promise dramatic weight loss and a svelte new figure. The obligatory New Year's Resolutions are made, and all too often, are forgotten as quickly as they were made. By now, mid-January, many have already abandoned their resolutions. But, why? A new year seems like the perfect opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start fresh, right?
Let's take the following example, if you are a smoker, you already know that it is harmful to your health and you'll... Read More
December 7th, 2010 |
Home for the holidays– for some, this phrase evokes warm memories of family gathered together. For others, the phrase evokes a tremendous amount of anxiety, wondering how to manage complex and strained family relationships.
Family issues and conflicts are as varied as they are common. One of the most common sources of family stress are, the judgments that are, often expressed surrounding your life choices. Maybe it's a grandmother who can't understand your decision not to marry your partner and constantly asks you if you have any announcements to make. Or a father who openly comments on... Read More
December 2nd, 2010 |
A good place to begin a discussion of Relational Psychology might well be with the all too familiar experience of the “awkward silence”. At some point in the therapeutic process a moment occurs that seems out of context. A Kleenex box is dropped. An offhand comment gets drowned out by the wail of an ambulance siren. The squeaky chair makes another embarrassing sound. It is during such everyday gaffes as these that the two people in a room are reminded of their shared humanity. Nothing too dramatic has occurred yet, in this moment of meeting, the roles between that of helper and client may appear... Read More
October 15th, 2010 |
Have you ever been in a relationship that challenged your assumptions and beliefs about yourself and the world around you? If so, then you know how powerful and life changing some relationships can be. Imagine then, forming a relationship with a professional who is trained to develop relationships that encourage self-exploration, insight and positive change. Carl Rogers, founder of Person Centered Psychotherapy, outlined three essential ingredients of a just such a successful therapeutic relationship– unconditional positive regard, genuineness and empathy.
Therapy can be a difficult,... Read More
