How to Be With Someone Who Is Grieving
Your best friend’s beloved cat just died. Your favorite coworker was just laid off. Your elderly aunt, who suffered from cancer for many years, just died, and your cousin is bereft. In any one of these situations, you might likely be uncomfortable and not know what to do. You are certainly not alone with this dilemma.
The first thing to remember in being with someone who is grieving a loss is the word “be”—notice that the title of this article starts with “how to be,” not “what to do.” You may be tempted in the case of the death of your best friend’s cat to offer to take him... Read More
Power can cause even the most level-headed individuals to act in self-serving ways. Many individuals believe that power is a corruptive force and that most people who gain vast amounts of power inevitably use it for ill. However, a recent study, led by Katherine A. DeCelles of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto in Canada, suggests that power may have positive and negative effects. In work environments, disparities in power can cause a division in collaboration. People in positions of 
Now that you understand how codependency develops in a family surrounding a dysfunctional person, what are you supposed to do next? Many clients have said, “Joyce, now that I understand where my fear of abandonment comes from, how do I stop being so scared of it that I mess up my relationships?” You can learn to do this, but it certainly isn’t easy. As you go through this workbook, you may feel uneasy when you try on new behaviors. It’s okay. Try to give yourself permission to be awkward. You don’t have to do everything perfectly.
Ideally, you have a therapist available to you or,... 
Adolescents receive various messages from their mothers. But a new study, led by Laura Wray-Lake of the School of Behavioral and Organization Sciences at Claremont Graduate University, suggests that messages of caution and compassion have a particularly significant influence on the socialization and behaviors of teens. Compassion messages are inferences that people should all be treated with respect and value, whereas caution messages teach children to be wary of the world and people around them. Wray-Lake and her colleagues looked at several factors that influenced the value messages of the mothers,... 
“When two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part.”
― George Bernard Shaw
Ask any bride and groom on their wedding day, “Will your marriage last a lifetime?” They will look at you like you have three heads and reply, “Of course.” And that is truly what every bride and groom believes. As we know all too well, one out of two of them will be wrong.
There are three truths... 
Value affirmations, also known as self-affirmations, are positive assessments of one’s abilities, traits, and personality qualities. Value affirmations can increase 
What would you do? An important romantic figure from your past finds you on an internet social media site. Perhaps this was your first love. This renewed connection brings to mind the passion and enthusiasm of youth—before children, financial problems, and middle age. In your mind, you travel back to a time before career worries, mortgage problems, and thinning hair to a time of anticipation, optimism, and more energy. What would you do? Is it a wrong choice to maintain contact on-line? Is it wrong to have a texting relationship? Where do you draw the line? What is the line that would determine... 
Caring for an aging parent can cause increased stress and decreased mental health. In recent years, the number of people who provide 
According to a new study led by Bert N. Uchino of the Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program at the University of Utah, ambivalent interpersonal relationships cause telomeres, chromosomal structures that maintain a person’s biological balance, to shorten. Short telomeres have been linked with increased risk for heart disease, infection, and decreased cellular life. Research has supported the theory that negative relationships are directly related to increased 
Anthony kind of slumped into the office and comfortably settled himself into the easy chair. “Doc,” he said, “I’m here to find out if my marriage is over. To me, it seems like it really is.” He went on to explain that his wife, Julie, and he had been living two separate lives for as long as he could remember. She was very involved with the children’s activities; she worked full time and had a rather hectic schedule as a corporate attorney. They rarely ate together and their conversations, though cordial, were impersonal.
“She had a function at work and invited me to come,” he... 
Although 
Expressive Arts Therapy bridges the gap between the conscious and the unconscious. It can bring light to areas of therapy that are blocked, inhibited, and stuck, as well as bringing greater focus to those areas of concern. The primary focus is on the process, which allows the client to discover new insight and meaning that might not be achieved with traditional talk therapy. Appropriate for all ages, it can enhance each person’s emotional, spiritual, cognitive, and physical well-being. While no talent in the use of expressive arts is required, several modalities available to the client within... 
Suicide, or the intentional ending of one’s life, is a topic that often causes significant anxiety to both professionals and the general public. Often, knowing some of the key risk factors that elevate and lower suicide risk can assist in working with a suicidal person and help them stay alive. In addition, if you are a professional, it can help you feel more confident in making decisions related to treatment and referral.
According to SuicideOutreach.org, a program of the Veteran’s Administration, "Risk factors refer to an individual's characteristics, circumstances, history and experiences... 
Reality television depicts average people rising rapidly to instant fame. Other media outlets, including YouTube and Facebook, provide people with the opportunity to gain the attention of a virtual audience with the push of a button. Young people today are bombarded with images of fictional fame, as in the case of Hannah Montana and other television characters, and real fame, through reality programming and media coverage of athletes, musicians and actors. But how has this phenomenon affected the aspirations of our youth? Yalda T. Uhls, of the Department of Psychology at the University of California,... 
