Free-Range Psychology

Why flexibility and therapeutic range are the future of practice

Becoming Tearful in Session with a Patient

Ever become tearful during a session with a patient? What did you do? If you are like me, you tried hard to inhibit any tearfulness. But I don't do that anymore.

A Tactical Analysis of the War on Hopelessness

Developing and deploying a tactical analysis of the war on hopelessness has profoundly shifted my work with veterans and first responders.

Career Transitions for NFL Players and Soldiers

In the career transitions of pro athletes and military veterans, the individual resilience factors targeted for interventions are not the dominant factors.

How Therapists Can Manage Their Own Anxiety

One thing that determines how much patients will open up is how much anxiety a therapist transmits to them.

The Aftermath of the Thousand Oaks Mass Shooting

In the wake of a tragedy like the Thousand Oaks mass shooting, fear rises up and distorts the truth. As someone who is close to many Marines, here is what I know to be true.

The Reason to Go On After Serving in the Military

After being asked by several warriors to comment on Britta Reque-Dragicevic’s article, “When You Can’t be a Warrior Anymore…Is There a Reason to Go On," this is what I think.

Suicide Risk Among Pastors and Clergy Members

Do pastors and others in ministry roles have some underappreciated suicide risk factors?

Is Suicide Selfish?

Those who survive suicide attempts often look back on their crisis with a different perspective.

The Power of Tribe

The power of Tribe works for veterans and civilians alike. When we reach a tipping point in understanding this, we will see changes in our rates of suicide.

Leaving an Entire Caseload of Patients

When therapists think about termination, they generally focus on minimizing the negative impact for patients. But what happens when you have to say goodbye to many of them at once?

Crack of Dawn Workouts

By getting up at 4:30 a.m., I have already made a powerful statement to myself that I am willing to work for what I want in a single-minded, extremely determined way.

Accountability With Physical Fitness Goals

If you do a review of what has worked for you in the past, what can you discover about how to set the stage for success with your goals?

What Works for Me May Not Work for You

When it comes to fitness goals, if you find a type of movement that feels both good and right to you, it’s much more likely to become a habit.

Success, the Slow-Cooked Way

There is no shortage of crash diet options, but what if our bodies need time to acclimate? What if they actually need a slow-cooked method of change over a long period of time?

A Decision-Making Hack for Life's Forks in the Road

As we wrap up 2016 and head into a new year, is there a fork in your own road that you need to see with greater clarity and focus? Here's a decision-making "hack" that may help.

Social Anxiety: A Single-Session Cure

My patient never returned. Her father called four days later, delighted to report that I had “worked a miracle.” Yet I see what happened as a failure on my part.

Crisis Response Models for Suicide Are Not Enough

The suicide rate is at a 30-year high, and rising. Crisis response models try to plug the dam, but the dam isn’t holding. We need a total re-envisioning of crisis response.

Reflections on Veteran Suicide, Veteran Resilience and Tribe

Trauma may not be the that thing catalyzes despair but rather the combination of trauma with gaping attachment wounds that service members feel when they separate from their tribe.

What Leads Us to See Our Addictions for What They Are?

What experiences shape the moment of recognition that addiction is bondage and that freedom is worth clawing towards with every molecule of strength and courage that we possess?

10 Reasons New Love Is Like Crack Cocaine

Off-putting though it may be to some, here are ten reasons why I am sticking with “cocaine rush phase” as the best way to capture the first phase of new relationships.

Can a Harvard Degree Actually Reduce Patient Trust?

I have made a conscious decision to forgo hanging my diplomas. Here’s why.

Setting Effective Treatment Targets for Angry Patients

The truth that I believe we must integrate is that people don’t change for their mental health counselors. They change because their behavior impacts those they love.

Working With Rageful Couples: A "Free-Range" Approach

My very angry patient was making great progress, applying a range of new insights. The problem was that his wife became very angry as a result of these changes.

What Angry Patients Need from Skilled Clinicians

The very nature of most anger management referrals contributes to the failure of meaningful skill development in managing anger.

Road Rage: A Second "Free-Range" Intervention

What is real power? It is acting like the biggest dog on the road.

Treating Road Rage: A Free-Range Approach

How a hawaiian shirt, the music of Gabby Pahinui, and a lump of coconut-scented surf wax helped cure a case of road rage

How to diagnose borderline personality disorder

In terms of knowing their diagnosis, borderline patients are often left in the dark. Here is a way to make a respectful approach.

A free-range approach to treating OCD

...I just knew that my job was to find a cockroach, support David as he challenged his fears, and hold the camera steady...

When Falling Brings About Great Work

In the blink of an eye, I found myself on the putty colored carpet surrounded by the shrapnel of scattered chair parts. And it was the best possible thing that could have happened.