May 22, 2017 I’LL BE HAPPY WHEN A couple of days ago, I was listening to an NPR radio interview with Sheryl Sandberg the COO of Facebook who co-wrote a book called Option B with psychologist Adam Grant. The book focuses on how to support people in states of grief. This book was written after …
May 24, 2017 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SHAME AND GUILT Many years ago, the late John Bradshaw wrote a wonderful book called “Healing The Shame That Binds You”. This book explored the complicated dynamics of shame and guilt as it pertained to addiction. Many of Bradshaw’s writings on substance abuse were considered groundbreaking and have had a …
May 26, 2017 ENERGIES OF INTROVERTS & EXTROVERTS Would you consider yourself an Introvert or an Extrovert? Depending on how you answer, this ultimately influences how you retain and expend emotional energy. When someone comes to my office complaining of being burned out emotionally, one of the first things I try to determine is “How …
June 07, 2017 WHEN WE COMPARE You are at the grocery store and you are buying dishwashing liquid. Brand A is more expensive but you like the way it works as opposed to Brand B which is cheaper. You like the packaging of Brand A, but prefer the fragrance of Brand B. That shopping trip …
June 21, 2017 WELCOME TO THE CLUB Recently, in my travels, I made a new acquaintance; a young woman with a 1-year old son. As our conversation progressed, I noted to her that my husband and I were going to have our own baby. Within minutes the two of us had bonded and she started …
June 27, 2017 IMAGINARY You are upset with a friend who has done something to you that feels so wrong. You haven’t talked with him yet about the situation and are unsure of what you’re going to tell him. What do you do? You rehearse the conversation in your mind. The rehearsal gets played out …
June 30, 2017 HARD TO SAY GOODBYE Whether you are the client or the therapist, saying goodbye can be really difficult. I have been in both roles and can honestly say that when there is a therapeutic bond between two people, ending treatment is often painful. Therapy can end for many reasons. We end treatment …
July 04, 2017 HAPPY INTERDEPENDENCE DAY! Yes, you read that right – interdependence.When I was a kid growing up in Wyoming, we were taught to be as self-sufficient and independent as possible. It was such a rural area of the country and there were not a lot of people, resources or services available. People were self-taught …
August 09, 2017 POSITIVE ENERGY ACCEPTED The other day a client shared a funny story with me. He said that one night there were two guys and a girl hanging out in Central Park. A group of tourists walked by the trio smiling and happily greeted them.One of the guys lifted his hand up …
September 01, 2017 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRIVACY & SECRETS A question I often ask clients in therapy is if they can tell me the difference between privacy and a secret. Why do I do this? Because I’ve noticed that people are losing the ability to create and maintain healthy boundaries in regards to their personal information, …