Topics

Therapy

Dissecting a Misleading Abstract

By James C. Coyne, Ph.D. on May 29, 2012 in The Skeptical Sleuth

Abstract puts positive spin on ineffective couple’s intervention for cancer patients. Read More

Writer's Block

By Phil Stutz and Barry Michels on May 29, 2012 in The Tools

I see a lot of writers in my practice and every one of them has gotten blocked at one time or another. It isn’t hard to figure out why. Imagine sitting in a room by yourself trying to create a whole new world populated with entertaining and original characters. Now imagine doing it day after day. It’s lonely, difficult work. Read More

Phobias and the Need to Be in Control

By Fredric Neuman, M.D. on May 28, 2012 in Fighting Fear

Most people feel that they are in control of themselves. They take being in control for granted. Read More

Stand Up To Self-Bullying

By Leslie Becker-Phelps, Ph.D. on May 28, 2012 in Making Change

Do you think of yourself as a nice and caring person to others; yet simultaneously criticize and push yourself mercilessly? Instead of continuing this self-destructive behavior, consider learning to treat yourself as well as you treat others; particularly when you are struggling or distressed. Read More

Homeless, Shoeless, Nameless

By Evelyn Sharenov on May 26, 2012 in Notes from the Frontline

My patients, myself—early lessons on the frontlines. Read More

Appreciating the Acts of Courage of Children with Special Needs

By Robert Brooks, Ph.D. on May 26, 2012 in Raising Resilient Children

In a number of workshops as well as writings, I have highlighted a concept that is closely aligned with that of resilience and one that I believe deserves our focus when raising or working with children with special needs, including those on the autism spectrum. That concept is "courage." Read More

When Your Therapist Divorces You

By Susan B. Winston, LMFT on May 25, 2012 in Shift Happens

When your therapist "divorces you" it is akin to chopping off a limb. Improper termination can trash years of good therapy. So how do you terminate a client? Read More

Normal Marital Sadism

By David Schnarch, Ph.D. on May 25, 2012 in Intimacy and Desire

The May 2012 edition of Psychology Today has an article featuring my work, describing how I deal with partners’ unacknowledged anger, hostility, and hatred. So I want to start off by telling you I’m actually a pretty nice guy. You can even ask my wife, daughter and parents. They are all honest, kind, decent people—arguably even more so than me—so they know the difference. Read More

Ode to a Besserwisser

By Robert D. Stolorow, Ph.D. on May 25, 2012 in Feeling, Relating, Existing

There are no objective or neutral analysts, no immaculate perceptions (Nietzsche), no God’s-eye views of anyone or anything. Read More

How To Get An Ex Back: 5 Essential Steps

By Susan Heitler, Ph.D. on May 25, 2012 in Resolution, Not Conflict

A large proportion of my clients are couples on the brink of a final ending. After drifting through years of distancing and fighting, the couple has separated. The couple is quickly heading downstream toward the waterfall of a permanent break-up or divorce. Is there any way at this point to save their love from splitting apart forever? Read More

Parenting Teen Girls

By Lucie Hemmen, Ph.D. on May 24, 2012 in Teen Girls: A Crash Course

It’s not easy being a teen girl and not easy parenting one. More than previous generations, today’s teen girls face a daunting range of stressors that put them at risk for serious issues including self-harming behaviors, substance abuse, eating disorders, anxiety and depression. Read More

Outlook Not Looking Good for "Conversion Therapy"

By Brian Mustanski, Ph.D. on May 24, 2012 in The Sexual Continuum

Job prospects are not looking good if you make your living doing pseudotherapy to try and change a person’s sexual orientation. Read More

Talk About the War

By Phil Stutz and Barry Michels on May 24, 2012 in The Tools

I could tell Elizabeth was a worrier before she opened her mouth: she had a haunted look and wrung her hands together so compulsively I thought the skin would come off. Read More

The End of a Panic Disorder

By Fredric Neuman, M.D. on May 23, 2012 in Fighting Fear

A panic disorder can continue for many years. Some people become housebound for decades. I have heard it said that a panic disorder can return at any time, even after years; but this is not true. Read More

A Theatre for Change: Drama Therapy Blog #2

By Robert J. Landy, Ph.D. on May 23, 2012 in Couch and Stage

I am a drama therapist who believes that people can change when engaging fully in a process of drama therapy. And I am a person who embraces the role of the perpetual beginner, ever in search of new ways to do old things. Read More

Psychotherapy Wars: The Long and the Short of It

By Robin Zarel, LCSW on May 23, 2012 in Mind Over Matter

An "opinion" piece in the New York Times creates controversy in the therapeutic community. Read More

Mental Hospitals in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

By Wind Goodfriend, Ph.D. on May 22, 2012 in A Psychologist at the Movies

How realistic is the portrayal of mental hospitals in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?" Read More

Human Beings Shining

By Robert D. Stolorow, Ph.D. on May 22, 2012 in Feeling, Relating, Existing

In therapeutic practice, emotional worlds are enabled to shine with a kind of sacredness that calls forth an ethical, respectful, and caring engagement. Read More

Young Persons and Extreme States of Mind

By Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D., B.C.S.A. on May 22, 2012 in Extreme States of Mind

How do we address the needs of our seriously distressed children and adolescents? Read More

Profiles in Courage

By Phil Stutz and Barry Michels on May 22, 2012 in The Tools

I’ve never understood why psychotherapy doesn’t deal with courage. Ask anybody what qualities they’d like more of and courage will be high up the list. Yet, like the rest of us, therapists tend to see courage as some sort of mythic power. Read More

Essential Reads: Editor's Picks

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The High Art of Handling Problem People

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Therapy Blogs

  • A Headshrinker's Guide to the Galaxy

    Psychoanalytic wisdom for everyday life.
    By Jennifer Kunst, Ph.D.
  • Bob-Edelstein

    Authentic Engagement

    A radical way of being.
    By Bob Edelstein, LMFT, MFT
  • Kirk J. Schneider, Ph.D.

    Awakening to Awe

    Existential therapy in action.
    By Kirk J. Schneider, Ph.D.
  • Robert J. Landy, Ph.D

    Couch and Stage

    Integrating words and action in psychotherapy.
    By Robert J. Landy, Ph.D.

  • Couch Meets World

    Popular culture and current events from a psychodynamic perspective.
    By Eric Sherman, LCSW

  • Counseling Keys

    How counseling and its mental health focus aids in faster healing, recovery, adaptation, and overall satisfaction in career, family, and other relationships in one’s life.
    By Kimberly Key, M.A.
  • Jasper Smits, Ph.D.

    Exercise and Mood

    Less stress, less anxiety, less depression.
    By Michael Otto, Ph.D. and Jasper Smits, Ph.D.
  • Dan Edmunds, Ed.D., D.D., B.C.S.A.

    Extreme States of Mind

    Helping the developmentally different.
    By Dan Edmunds, Ed.D., D.D., B.C.S.A.
  • Robert D. Stolorow, Ph.D.

    Feeling, Relating, Existing

    On emotion and the human dimension
    By Robert D. Stolorow, Ph.D.
  • Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen, Ph.D.

    Freud's Patients, A Serial

    A series of historical vignettes.
    By Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen, Ph.D.
  • Dennis Palumbo

    Hollywood on the Couch

    The inside scoop on Tinseltown, USA.
    By Dennis Palumbo
  • Ryan Howes

    In Therapy

    A user's guide to psychotherapy.
    By Ryan Howes

  • Ironshrink

    How to live with a human mind.
    By Shawn T. Smith, Psy.D.

  • Living with OCD

    Strategies and treatments for anxiety disorders and compulsive behaviors.
    By Dr. Allen Weg
  • Leslie Becker-Phelps

    Making Change

    A psychologist provides guidelines to help individuals define their best pathways to change.
    By Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps
  • Kristi Pikiewicz

    Meaningful You

    Voices of contemporary psychoanalysis
    By Kristi Pikiewicz
  • Robin Zarel, LCSW

    Mind Over Matter

    The power of clear thinking
    By Robin Zarel, LCSW
  • F. Diane Barth, LCSW

    Off the Couch

    An experienced psychotherapist shares thoughts about the therapeutic process, the dynamics of client-therapist interactions, and the thinking behind her therapeutic interventions.
    By F. Diane Barth, LCSW

  • Our Empathic Nature

    The Altruistic Side of Evolutionary Psychology
    By Lynn E. O'Connor

  • Psychoanalysis 3.0

    Building a Practical Philosophy of Self-Knowledge for the 21st Century
    By The Psychoanalysis 3.0 Writing Group
  • Dr. Prudence Gourguechon, MD

    Psychoanalytic Excavation

    A Look at What Lies beneath the Surface of Human Behavior and Motivation
    By Dr. Prudence Gourguechon, MD
  • Eric Maisel, Ph.D.

    Rethinking Psychology

    How to shed mental health labels and create personal meaning.
    By Eric Maisel, Ph.D.
  • George Makari, M.D.

    Revolution in Mind

    The creation of psychoanalysis.
    By George Makari, M.D.
  • Susan Winston, LMFT

    Shift Happens

    Musings on the mind and the perennial capacity for change
    By Susan Winston, LMFT
  • Sharon K. Anderson

    The Ethical Therapist

    A guide to right and wrong psychotherapist behavior.
    By Sharon K. Anderson
  • Peter Strong, Ph.D.

    The Mindfulness Approach

    Therapeutic Techniques that Work
    By Peter Strong, Ph.D.
  • Jared DeFife, Ph.D.

    The Shrink Tank

    Psychotherapy in practice, research, and pop culture.
    By Jared DeFife, Ph.D.
  • Allison Conner, Psy.D.

    Therapy in Mind

    Exploring ways to improve your life through practical behavioral therapy.
    By Allison Conner, Psy.D.
  • Tyger Latham, Psy.D.

    Therapy Matters

    Reflections of a young clinician
    By Tyger Latham, Psy.D.
  • Arnold Lazarus

    Think Well

    Act well, feel well, be well.
    By The Lazarus Institute
  • Kimberly Sena Moore

    Your Musical Self

    Using music to learn, heal, and live
    By Kimberly Sena Moore