Category: Adjusting to Change / Life Transitions
The Good Therapy Blog
November 22nd, 2010 |
I have two very different teenage clients who use drugs. The first we'll call Brittany, a seventeen year old girl whose parents are divorced but who both are kind and available to her. She gets good grades, hopes to become a marine biologist and smokes weed with friends on the weekends. The second we'll call Brett, a sixteen-year-old boy whose now-estranged father had been physically abusive to him and to his mother when Brett was small. His mother sees her husband in the boy and treats him erratically, sometimes with love, sometimes with harsh criticism. Brett smokes weed everyday, sometimes... Read More
November 19th, 2010 |
As surely as there are helpful ways to communicate with your partner, there are also unhelpful ways. Let’s begin with those:
Stonewalling (refusing to listen to or talk to their partner)
Making character attacks (“You’re lazy, stupid, …” rather than talking about the behavior that bothers you
Trying to be right rather than compromising (Would you rather be right or happy?)
Blaming others for your actions
Not listening
Thinking you know what your partner is thinking and feeling, rather than asking them
Saying “You always…” or “You never…”
Bringing... Read More
November 8th, 2010 |
Oh no – another couple you know is getting a divorce. Do you think it’s contagious? Are you worried that break-ups are like a virus you could catch?
It’s true - if you already have some little doubts inside you, someone else’s break-up could wake them up. And who doesn’t have doubts? After the romance fades, it’s natural to have some dissatisfaction brewing somewhere inside you. Don’t worry – there is an antidote. In fact, your doubts can be an opportunity for you to keep your own marriage choice alive and vital. Over time, your original clear, committed choice to be with your... Read More
November 3rd, 2010 |
People who have been in long marriages or relationships get to know each other rather well. They can often anticipate what the other person might say or do or think or want......you get the picture. In loving relationships, partners might sometimes have a reliance on each other to know what each other wants without having to tell or explain....and sometimes they can and do just that. It might help them to feel loved, recognized and appreciated. The “knowing” of the other person is experienced through a positive filter.
In a divorce, this feeling of knowing may get you into trouble. At a... Read More
October 29th, 2010 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Summary
Military suicides have been increasing in recent years, which has prompted the U.S. Army to re-assess the effectiveness of its mental health programs in understanding the support soldiers need, says a recent article published by NPR. With increased awareness of returning soldiers’ struggles with PTSD, one might think that more combat time and more time away from family makes soldiers increasingly vulnerable to mental health issues. But the Army has discovered that PTSD and suicide have... Read More
© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist San Diego Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
October 28th, 2010 |
It is very common for people diagnosed with chronic medical conditions to work with a therapist, counselor, or other support professional to come to terms with the condition and what it means for their life. These therapy sessions deal with the consequences of the disease as well as the patient’s own emotional and personal history. But researchers have identified an additional factor: the patient’s perception of his or her disease. Between lived experience, ‘common sense’ understandings of disease, and doctors’... Read More
© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Philadelphia Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
October 26th, 2010 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Summary
Psychologists and therapists nationwide, especially those who specialize in work-related counseling, report employee stress levels that are higher than any time in the past several decades. The mental health consequences of a fragile economy are significant. Often, those whose jobs have been cut are the focus of the recession-mental health discussion, and for good reason. The financial stress of living without income, especially with a family, can be both psychologically overwhelming and even physically harmful. But those who have retained employment are not immune... Read More
© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Rolling Hills Estates Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
October 23rd, 2010 |
Often, in the context of cultivating mindfulness, I heard people emphasize – “I don’t want to become a Pollyanna”. As someone who grew up loving Pollyanna – a child heroine of U.S. novelist Eleanor Hodgman Porter1 - I want to clear her name and claim that there is a lot to learn from her character in our efforts to be mindful.
The term Pollyanna is typically used as: unreasonably or illogically optimistic or an excessively or blindly optimistic person. If you read the book though2, you will find that Pollyanna developed a character, behaviors and an approach to life that touch on many... Read More
October 21st, 2010 |
Having a baby is a milestone occasion in many women’s lives. It is a time of profound role transition and development of reordering of priorities. For many women, motherhood brings joy, a sense of wonder, and tremendous fulfillment. And, for at least 20% of all child-bearing women, motherhood can bring about significant perinatal mood/anxiety concerns.
What is a perinatal mood/anxiety disorder (PMAD)? I would like to first underscore that in no way do I recommend labeling a woman as “disordered.” As a strengths-based therapist, I believe that empowering clients to work through challenges... Read More
October 20th, 2010 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Summary
Conventional wisdom dictates that the more tough times you’ve seen, the more psychological baggage you carry with you. So a long-term study, which culminated in 2004 and will soon be published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, sought to bear this out. The verdict? In some ways, the conventional wisdom is correct. People who have experienced a very high level of adversity throughout their lives generally end up with more mental health... Read More
© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Woodland Hills Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
October 19th, 2010 |
* This blog is a follow-to Richard's previous article, "Who's in Charge - Understanding Men Today"
Why do so many men sabotage relationships and careers? Current cultural stereotypes of men range from bumbling incompetence to aggressive, macho insensitivity. I’ve worked with men in therapy and personal growth workshops for over 25 years, and I’ve identified a type of adult man I call the LATE Men, Lost, Angry Teens, and they are often stuck in an adolescent level of development – literally,... Read More
October 11th, 2010 |
In Synchronicity and the Stories of our Lives, Robert H. Hopcke presents synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence, using examples that are written in every day language making this Jungian concept easier to relate to and understand. Paying attention and connecting the dots after a series of synchronistic events and dreams can be helpful in developing our awareness and intuition. Ultimately, by increasing our awareness of synchronicities in our lives we are able to connect more fully with our dreams, increase our feelings of trust and support, and prepare for and take action in creating the life... Read More
September 27th, 2010 |
Families appear to be solid when parents are working together with job, family, parenting, having fun and individual time. Things turn for the better but mostly for the worse when divorce tears apart a family. EVERYBODY suffers, EVERYBODY is in pain.
The kids from a small age to even adult children go through many difficult changes once divorce happens. One day their world was strong, no matter how the family appeared to others, there was stability. Divorce can weaken the family structure. Kids feel pain the most after parents divorce. Parents don’t get along. Kids’ stability and confidence... Read More
September 23rd, 2010 |
Thus far in this series, we’ve looked at the challenges people face in intimacy and sexuality when dealing with cancer. The first post provided a general overview of the topic and the second post provided more specifics regarding the effects of chemotherapy on sexuality. This post will focus on how a person’s perception of him/herself and their partner’s perception of them can influence their sexuality in the face of cancer. The majority of studies of sexuality in cancer only address those cancers involving sex organs, i.e., breast, prostate, and gynecologic cancers, hence the focus of this... Read More
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