I wholeheartedly believe in the resiliency of the human spirit. I guess I kind of would not be a “good therapist” if I didn’t. I believe that human beings can experience terrible things and emerge wiser, stronger, kinder and braver than they ever knew possible. Also as a therapist, I know how awful trauma can […]
I remember hearing a story, many years ago, from a concerned mother about her very angry son. She recounted many outbursts, but one in particular has stuck with me because it showed how different people perceive anger. During an initial session, this elderly woman explained that she had been living with her son, his wife, […]
Hello from the other side. I must have called a thousand times… -Adele & Greg Kurstin I read somewhere that Adele sees this song as being as much about connecting with herself as anyone else. This is such a powerful song for me, because it reminds me of the relationship between therapist and client. When you make the […]
“Loving ourselves through the process of owning our story is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.” Brene Brown In their article “The journey of a lifetime: Group work with young women who have experienced sexual assault,” narrative therapists Lisa McPhie and Chris Chaffey explain the process they used to give witness to the stories of […]
“Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” –W. Clement Stone Fear. Anxiety. Panic. PTSD. Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Do you ever feel afraid? Do you ever feel uneasy and not know why? Does your mind race and create stories that cause further panic? Have you experienced a traumatic event that you find yourself frequently replaying in your mind?
Relationships where one can experience the freedom to explore and discover oneself through hope, love and acceptance provide security and space to grow. However, relationships where abuse is present can confuse the very core of one’s understanding and expectations of what makes a relationship healthy, and of who one is as well.
When I was in high school, one of my friends (let’s call her Laura) dated a guy who often abused her both physically and emotionally. She was tragically affected by domestic violence, but at the time I had no idea. All I knew was that her boyfriend (let’s call him Rob) did not seem very […]
Whether you watch football or just follow the news, you may by now have heard that the NFL has put new policy in place to crack down on players who commit acts of domestic violence. This policy comes on the heels of a domestic violence case involving Ravens running back Ray Rice. Rice has been […]
We therapists (or at least some in my circle) talk about how the “universe” sends you certain types of clients at certain times in your life. For whatever reason, over the years, the “universe” has sent me many, many people with PTSD.
Has something bad happened to you and you feel like you keep reliving the event? I do not mean you had a bad date and keep replaying what happened in your mind. I am talking about having nightmares and flashbacks of a negative life event or living in a state of anxiety because you feel […]
