Bibliotherapy, the use of books in the treatment and management of psychological disorders, is one of the oldest and most well-known tools in a therapist’s toolbox. Most people who have not ever been to therapy or even known someone who has are familiar with this concept. Most clients are open to this as a method […]

If you have experienced PTSD, you know it is real. People with PTSD often have nightmares and flashbacks. They worry something bad will happen to them. They may see the world as a scary place and avoid reminders of their trauma–reminders we call “triggers.”

Depending on your age, different images may come to mind when you hear “PTSD” or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. When I hear “PTSD” I immediately think of Vietnam Veterans. There are two main reasons for this. The most recent reason is that for a few years at the beginning of my career I had the privilege […]

Pride is way more than the rainbow section at Target or just the 30 days pride month encompasses. Pride is for everyone and all the time. Pride elevates marginalized voices within the LGBTQ+ community. It’s important to remember that the LGBTQ+ plus community has not been acknowledged or affirmed by the general population until very […]

When I started my own mental health journey twenty years ago, I had my therapist ask what I was doing for self-care. I responded with showering, brushing teeth and hair, eating right. I remember her smiling and she said while it was good, I was taking care of my physical body, what was I doing […]

It has always interested me how different sources seem to have conflicting opinions on anxiety attacks and panic attacks. Some medical and psychological publications and sources treat them as synonyms, meaning the same thing and only being a matter of preferred name. Other sources that are legitimate treat them as separate experiences, with panic attacks […]

Years ago, I had the privilege of going into homes to provide support and therapy. I will spare you the specifics of the populations I served and the challenges I helped people face. However, there are some lessons from that career season that have stuck with me and been brought back to my mind since […]

At the end of 2020 I started listening to a podcast by a female therapist in another part of the country. In one of these episodes towards the end of last year she was talking about anxiety in general, but then made a specific prediction about how and why anxiety would be on the rise […]

If you have ever seen a therapist, watched a therapist on TV you have probably heard the term cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT for short. CBT is based on the cognitive model of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps people learn how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on […]

There are few things in life that are harder to deal with than chronic pain. Pain, chronic or not, is one of the most intense motivators of anxiety, frustration, anger, and depression. Chronic pain has been one of the most studied challenges that human’s face and yet, finding good ways to manage it has been […]