During the course of the country's economic crisis, countless numbers of people have lost their jobs. Many, fortunately, were able to become reemployed quickly and often in jobs comparable to their previous positions. There have been many, however, who have remained unemployed for months or even years. Some of them have expressed fears such as "I wonder if I am still employable," or "I'm afraid I may never work in my field again!" Sometimes continued unemployment leads to self-doubt – or worse, negative beliefs – that may have never been there before, e.g. "I wonder if I'm really not as good at my job as I thought," or "maybe I'm really lousy in interviews," or "perhaps I'm just not a desirable person."
Newsletter Articles
This category contains all articles that have been sent out in our monthly Newsletter.
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Water and Mental Well-Being
We do not generally think of water consumption as necessarily having anything to do with mental well-being, however if we fully understand the active interplay between mind and body, our appreciation for the importance of maintaining good hydration as a health and mental health issue deepens.
Having To Be Right
Some people, it seems, need to be 'right' more than they need almost anything else. I am frequently struck by the verbal lengths a person will go when they are very sure of themselves and someone challenges their belief, their memory, or their knowledge about something. This need takes many forms and is an interpersonal transaction often observed in the context of my work with couples.
Some Thoughts on What Makes a Relationship Successful
It is distressing when a client tells me that they have never observed – or themselves, experienced – what they would define as a successful romantic relationship.
Relief or Change
Jack, a 43 year old insurance executive, was referred to me by his family doctor for help with his "severe panic attacks" that had a sudden onset for reasons that were completely unclear to both of them. Jack's symptoms were disabling and resulted in his missing work for several days before his initial appointment with me.
Forgive and Forget
Many people are under the impression that in order to forgive someone for some offense, like a betrayal, for example, they must somehow forget what happened in order to forgive the offender. These people will sometimes argue that it is impossible to forgive a person for some wrongdoing unless the offending act is somehow exorcised from their system, "deleted from my hard drive," as one client stated it, or forgotten by some other means.
Marital Dating
In my ongoing work with couples, I have often listened to stories from clients about unfortunate developments in their relationship. They sound something like this: "we just don't have fun anymore," or "this marriage has been in a rut since our firstborn came along," or "there's no romance left," or "we're like a pair of comfortable old shoes…don't wear 'em much, but don't wanna throw 'em out, either," or "intimacy? are you kidding? what's that?!"
Listening Patience – Part 2
My work with Rachel was in the context of couples therapy with her and her husband, Ira. With Lila, an individual client, the work took place by using our relationship to help her work things out.
Marriage is a Verb, Not a Noun – Part I
As you can probably guess, the gist of the presentation was that marriage is an 'action' word…an action experience; or, should be if it already is not.
Listening Patience – Part 1
On several occasions, I have observed clients who seem to be listening when I am talking to them, but leave me doubtful about just how much they actually heard of what I said. When my doubt is high, I might ask for a response in order to test my impression, since this is obviously important to address.
