Recently, I read a critique of negative societal patterns that result in illness, The Myth of Normal (Mate, 2022) . Towards the end of the book, Gabor Mate builds on a concept I read in a book ten years prior, You Are Not Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and …
Four Steps to Overcome Negative & Unhealthy Behaviors Read More »
As a therapist, even I get overwhelmed by the abundant amount of different therapies out there. CBT, DBT, ACT…so many acronyms, oh my! In this blog, I’ll offer an overview of some more common therapy modalities that you’ll see offered on sites like Psychology Today or Good Therapy as well as what conditions each type …
Mental health access in the 2000s– not only are there more films addressing mental health issues (i.e.: Silver Linings Playbook, The King of Staten Island, Shutter Island, Black Swan) but celebrities are also talking more openly about their difficulties with mental illness. Below are some examples of popular celeb disclosures, followed by some key insights …
Celebrity Exposure: Does It Help Destigmatize Mental Health? Read More »
“Therapy dogs! What about therapeutic cats, lizards, etc? Here’s an important author’s note- I’m partial towards dogs, so I’m writing about dogs. 🙂 I was so nervous about getting my dog, Biscuit. I work a lot and have a nasty habit of worrying about the future, so I wasn’t sure how I’d find the time …
“Boys will be boys” is a dangerous concept that I see effects many of my male clients, from boyhood through manhood. Masculinity is a social construct, and boys can be raised, by caretakers, communities, and society at large, to do better. Below are some of the ways convictions regarding predisposed masculinity creates harm. 1. …
Narcissism, as a concept, comes from the ancient Greek myth of Narcissus. It’s a beautiful story, actually. Narcissus was a hunter wanted by many admirers. Everyone wanted to be with him, but he refused to show an interest. He’d spend his days running through the woods alone, shining radiantly as he pranced amongst trees. One …
“I’m so negative,” my clients often say. “You’re so human,” is often my first response. The truth is, aside from illnesses like depression or someone’s naturally more easy going persona, all people’s minds are wired towards negative thinking patterns. Humans give more importance to negative experiences than positive ones, often referred to as a negativity …
Anxiety is used as a catch-all term today. Anxiety effects so many people in a variety of circumstances and across demographics, so a cogent argument could be made for the need to understand what the word actually means. The word anxiety comes from the Latin root word, angere, to choke or cause pain. What a …
Dr. Daniel Amen uses the pneumonic BRIGHT MINDS for 11 risk factors that can result in symptoms of anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions. Often, the DSM-V guides clinicians to assess solely from a psychiatric lens, but there is an abundance of evidence of physical illness, trauma, over medication, mimicking mental health …
BRIGHT MINDS: Neuroscience to decrease symptoms of mental illness? Read More »
Questions regarding boundaries have come up frequently lately with my therapy clients, so let’s see if I can help make sense of this. One client stated, “I feel weird that I don’t know much about you.” Another, “I’d like to be your friend.” Earlier in the month, “My girlfriends therapist talks about herself a lot. …
Therapists with Poor Boundaries + Why this Matters Read More »
