The most frequent concern I’m hearing from clients right now is that they’re overwhelmed. Not just from work pressures or family commitments or financial stress (all very prevalent in the holiday season), but even the things they turn to for connection, recreation, and entertainment. They’re inundated by choices, from...
Therapy
When Triggers Lose Power
Trigger warning: Some of the triggers I describe in this article may be triggering to you. What triggers you to feel anxious, use an unwanted behavior, have your buttons pushed, or brings back uncomfortable or traumatic memories or feelings? In clearing trauma, we can also reduce or remove the...
Anxiety and the Power of Pause
According to the American Psychological Association, as many as 70% of primary care visits are driven by patients’ psychological problems. Though you may go to your primary care practitioner with physical health issues, anxiety is likely to be a contributing factor. The impact of anxiety is multi-faceted. It may...
Say Yes to Telephone Therapy
During the stay-at-home times of the pandemic, I was conducting video therapy sessions between six and eleven hours a day. I took yoga micro-practice breaks and short walks, and did fine with the workload. I’ve often said that I enjoy my work so much that it should be called...
Feeling Stuck?
You’ve read that pile of self-help books. You’ve attended therapy for a while. You’ve taken your meds without ever missing a dose. You’re making progress towards living your life in recovery, even if the biggest sign of that is the fact that you haven’t given up. But you still...
Lost. And Found.
My dear friend and colleague Dr. Judi Addelston was one of the best marriage and family therapists I’ve ever known. After 10 years of renting an office at my center, she opened her own counseling center. Also a professor of psychology, Judi was a natural teacher, a perfect match...
What Happens to Our Plans
Have you lost sight of your 2017 goals? Check for distorted thinking.
Resolution Disillusion? Try This Instead
Happy New Year! Or is it? By mid-January, we know that many people are feeling discouraged about the things they resolved to do or be this year. Negative self-talk is problematic enough without adding disappointment to the mix. So how can you pick yourself up? Here are three tools...
Anxiety as a Continuum
As I speak to clients these days, there is one thing almost everyone is needing help with, and that’s managing anxiety. Of course, COVID has put a whole other layer on top of it and we even have a new name for it, “COVID anxiety.” When you think of...
Can You Be Grateful For an Eating Disorder?
An eating disorder can serve many functions in your life, and recovery gives you that life back..