stress
No Bones About It: Dogs are good for our health, even in the therapy room!
"Please bring him back if you can, he makes such a positive difference." a client says to me at the end of the hour, much to my surprise, after the unexpected addition of my dog to a therapy session. This...
Medication-Free Management of Insomnia
It’s three a.m. and you need to be up by six a.m. to get to work on time. You’ve tried puzzles, music and warm milk, but nothing is working. The thought of facing the workday with aching muscles, a foggy...
Empathy and Mirror Neurons
Empathy differs from sympathy. Sympathy reflects an understanding of another person' situation- but viewed through your own eyes. In contrast, empathy is what you feel when you can step outside of yourself and enter the internal world of another person....
Getting to Optimum Health
There are many books written about overcoming depression and anxiety, most of which are excellent companions to helping us move forward out of these difficult experiences in our lives. However, if we learn to practice proactive habits of self care...
Using Pop Culture to Impact Positive Change – Part 2
Welcome back! In Pop Culture Part 1, I discussed how, when connecting with children/youth, I utilize pop culture to: 1) develop and enhance rapport, and 2) gather information in regard to values, traits and indicators of resiliency. Please go to...
How Are Strong Marriages Like Healthy Gardens?
This is a question that I often put to couples who attend the premarital workshops I present. I like the question because it requires what are called "higher order thinking skills" - a more effective way of engaging new information...
The Problem with Pursuing Your Passion
Christine was a 24 year old university student graduating with a liberal arts degree from a nearby university. She was in a state of anxiety over the need to urgently make decisions regarding her future career. At times her anxiety...
Using Pop Culture to Impact Positive Change
Seven years ago, a colleague and I attended an annual conference in Washington DC called the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium. We were excited about meeting one of the key note speakers, John Gottman, a marriage and relationship researcher and expert whom...
