Josh Tanenbaum,LICSW

My Approach to Helping

Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With

I have specific training and/or professional experience in the following areas:

Mood Disorders (Anxiety, Depression, etc.), Communication Skills, Adolescent Issues, Trauma, Parenting and Family Functioning, Chronic Medical Issues, Aging and Elder Issues.

My View on the Nature of 'Disorders'

Diagnosis of specific "disorders" serves two important functions: first, it serves as a kind of shorthand that professionals can use to communicate that a person has a set of symptoms that are commonly seen together (such as communicating with your psychiatrist that you're interested in medication for Major Depressive Disorder), and second, they allow us to bill health insurance companies so we can stay in business.

That being said, I always find it a little frustrating when someone who knows a little about psychiatric diagnosis asks me if I "fix" people's disorders when they find out what I do for a living. It's a frustrating question because it gets the premise wrong--no one is broken! A pattern of thoughts or behaviors rises to the level of "disorder" when it starts to cause harm or get in the way of your goals or functioning. It's an obstacle you have to face, not something that defines you.