How Art Heals Grief
Grief arises as a product of a loss that we have experienced. It is associated with losses that may include health, job, relationship, pet, family, and major events. We may not be able to describe the roller coaster of emotions, yet we do know that we are not ourselves. When we feel out of sorts, sensations surface such as low self-esteem, illness, depression, and confusion, which can manifest into thoughts that our feelings are out of our control. As a result, this full body experience may be difficult to process or verbalize. To mend this sorrow, the expressive arts can create a doorway to the... Read More
A man going to court with his family in Texas opens fire outside the courthouse, killing one and wounding three.
On the same day...a man armed with three knives stabs four people in Columbus, Ohio, before being shot by police.
Three days earlier...an American soldier kills 16 civilians in Afghanistan.
Stabbings. Shootings. So much violence. It's sad. Painful. Scary. Most of us point to those who commit the violence and judge them. Sometimes as crazy. Sometimes as bad.
But . . . where does the violence really come from?
Violence comes from our not having had the help to build... 
The most commonly used methods to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) are interpersonal 
Substance misuse among college students has been extensively researched. There is also limited research addressing the issue of substance (legal and illegal) misuse in college students with 
I treat couples, mainly coming in with sexual disorders, and much of the time I treat individuals also. In many cases, the person who comes in for the treatment is in a relationship, often times a long-term relationship. When a sexual malfunction pops up in a relationship or in the bedroom, it's easy to point the finger and assume the problem or blame lies within the person who exhibits the symptoms. For example, with arousal issues, such as excessive dryness or painful intercourse in females or rapid ejaculation or early termination of erections in males (when medical or organic causes have been... 
Hallucinations are a common symptom of 
In therapy, many issues are covered, but sex may still be an uncomfortable topic for many clients and even therapists to talk about. Yet many people have sexual issues that need to be resolved in order for life to be the most fulfilling that it can be.
In general therapy, there may be an uncomfortable attitude in regard to clients and therapists talking about sex, an uncertainty of what constitutes sexual issues (considering there is a wide range of acceptable sexual behaviors, experiences, and attitudes in the modern world), and possibly a lack of guidelines for how to address sexual issues... 
Batterers, individuals who commit 
There is a significantly high dropout rate among veterans who seek treatment for 
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a degenerative neurological condition that affects motor function. A large portion of people who have PD also struggle with psychological problems, including sleep impairment, psychotic episodes, learning deficiencies, anxiety, and even depression, with depression being the most common. The caregivers of individuals with PD are also at increased risk for emotional distress and psychological problems. Very little research has focused on how to reduce the symptoms of depression in PD (dPD). To address this obvious gap, Roseanne D. Dobkin of the Department of Psychiatry... 
There are several factors that have been shown to increase one’s chances of developing schizophrenia. Having a relative with schizophrenia or psychosis, experiencing auditory hallucinations, and exhibiting cognitive impairments are all markers that increase the risk of schizophrenia in children. Another less explored trait is dyskinesia, or involuntary physical movement or spasms. Children who show signs of dyskinesia often do so at a very young age. These characteristics, along with symptoms of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), could provide clinicians with very early signs that a child may... 
Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play
And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
-Florence & The Machine, “Shake it Off”
On the outer surface, compulsive shopping takes the form of acquiring objects with or without the means do to so. The next layer, what the shopper experiences in the moment just before a purchase, is a quickened heart rate, flushed adrenaline face,... 
I really appreciate the feedback about principles 1-4 from the GoodTherapy.org community. Your contributions enrich all our growth and learning. Here are principles 5-8.
Principle 5. Never call a bullfrog a giant without thinking about the reference group you use (better yet, just don’t compare or label).
If you don’t, this bullfrog might think you are judgmental and presuming (“haven’t you seen my little sister?”), you might hurt its feelings (“what do you mean?”), it may feel invalidated (“God knows about all the real giant frogs at school who kick me all day”), or hurt... 
This past weekend, I attended the 2012 Binge Eating Disorders Association (BEDA) national conference. The theme of this year’s conference was, “ Revolution Ahead: Illuminating the Path to Freedom from BED, Emotional Overeating, & Weight Stigma.” I, along with my friend and colleague Clare Stadlen, LCSW, gave a presentation on “Moving From an Addictions Model to an Integrative Approach to Eating Disorders Recovery.” We were one of many workshops and panels on topics relevant to binge eating disorder (BED).
BED is a latecomer to the table of eating disorders officially recognized... 
