Posted inSelf-Help
Treatment Corner: Anger Management
Anger is one of the hardest emotions to express in therapy. When I say to a client, “It sounds like you are pretty angry with so-and-so”, they often deny it.…
Posted inCBT in Action Students
Strength-Based Therapy v. Insight-Oriented Therapy
We practice Solution-Focused Therapy and use a lot of Cognitive Behavioral techniques. This kind of therapy is considered “strength-based” as opposed to “insight-oriented.” Strength-based therapy focuses on the present and…
Posted inHabit & Time Management Self-Help
Which Time Personality Are You?
I’ve been recommending this book a lot lately: “The Time Paradox” by Philip Zimbardo. The concepts are sound and extremely useful for instruction in counseling. There are three main “time…
Posted inCBT in Action Depression Students
Treatment Corner: Bipolar Disorder
We think of someone as being “bipolar” in quite casually these days; usually we’re describing someone who is moody. Be careful with that label: true bipolar symptoms are like no…
Posted inCBT in Action
What’s Therapy’s Most Popular Season?
I admit that I haven’t looked to see if there’s a particular month (or season) that brings more clients than others. (However, I can tell you that it is rare…
Posted inAnxiety Relationships Self-Help
Tips for Singles From a Couples Therapist
(Conquering What Ifs Part 2) Last year one of my columns addressed some of the common concerns that young couples have when they enter my office. They are asking the…
Posted inCBT in Action Self-Help Students
Treatment Corner: Binge Eating
We all overeat sometimes. So what is binge eating? Eating, in a discrete period of time, an amount that is definitely larger than most people would eat in a similar…
Posted inRelationships
Couples: Start Avoiding These Four Horsemen This Summer
Hopefully one day I will have the skills of Dr. John Gottman, who has been studying couples in his “Love Lab” up in Seattle for years. It is said that…
Posted inAnxiety CBT in Action Depression
It’s Not Medication v. Psychotherapy
An important disclaimer: The only type of mental health specialist who prescribes medication is a psychiatrist. As an MFT, I am very familiar with most psychoactive medications and I work…
What’s An “Addiction” Anyway?
Yikes, this is a big topic. Who isn’t “addicted” to something? What’s the difference between a habit and an addiction? How do you know if yours is a problem? In…