Psychotherapy

"The Taking of Pelham 123" is your run of the mill action-packed, summer blockbuster. There are bullets, body counts, witty one-liners and, most significantly, a cat and a mouse. The cat is a bad guy played by John Travolta. He hijacks a NYC subway. The mouse is a good guy played by Denzel Washington. He is a civil service employee in the wrong place at the wrong time. Read More

So What's Wrong with Criticism, Anyway?

It's something absolutely crucial to grasp. Criticizing another makes them feel attacked. Not that it's our intention--at least consciously--to attack them, or even to make them feel bad. But the immediate experience for almost everyone being criticized is to feel "invaded," as though under assault. . . . Read More

The serenity prayer is more than how they close AA meetings. That thing is deep and speaks to the fundamentals of the human condition, including everything that drives psychology and the behavioral sciences in general--the pursuit of wisdom whereby we can make better decisions, trekking the winding mountain ridge of life in the dark about the future without sliding down the slippery slopes on either side of the ridge top. Here are some new variations on that greatest of prayers. Read More

I have a motto for this work:  To name it is to tame it.

I search for terms that enable us to label common mental “moves,” especially the faulty ones.  If you have a name for a move, you’re prepared to identify it when it flies by in thought and conversation. That way, you can catch others in weak reasoning, and indeed, keep your own weak reasoning in check. 
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For the past two seasons, a hit drama on HBO has been gathering steam. All the signs of a tipping point are present, as the show is being talked about everywhere, from the grocery store to online listservs to academic conferences. The show is, of course, In Treatment, a seven-week long drama that is giving therapy a miraculous facelift. In Treatment takes place almost exclusively in the therapy session between Paul, the psychologist, and his four patients and supervisor. Such an honest and sophisticated portrait of one of the most challenging and strange professions has piqued the interest of an avid and proliferating following. Read More

Millions of men and women have had absentee fathers, neglectful fathers, abusive fathers, distracted, confused or selfish fathers, but we are resilient human beings. Our fathers, no matter how imperfect, gave us all some skills, experience, and biological gifts which will always serve us in finding happiness and success. Here is how to make this your Father's Day too, even if you don't have a dad to meet with today. Read More

Poetry therapy is the intentional use of poetry and other forms of literature for healing and personal growth. The contributions and vision of poet and poetry therapist Ken Gorelick enhanced our knowledge about how personal insight is embodied in line and verse and just how poems can repair both body and mind. Most of all, his life's work helped both patients and colleagues listen to the powerful healing found in the "presences inside poems." Read More

A relative of mine, who is 52 years old and a frequent visitor in my home, told me last week that he is again out of work. His job was not phased out. He was not downsized, nor was his company placed in bankruptcy. Rather, he is different. He is a serially failed entrepreneur. The latest enterprise to sink: a school for gifted students. Read More

Do you procrastinate about making doctor’s appointments, forgo regular checkups, avoid diagnostic tests, or fail to get prescription medications because the money for these has gone to things you’ve bought obsessively? Have you allowed your shopping addiction to so damage your supportive human web of family and friends that it feels as if there’s no one to help you with your recovery or turn to in an emergency? Does the sheer amount of clutter in your home prevent you from having people over—or perhaps even present a serious risk to your health and safety? Read More