I saw a handsome, smart, and ambitious young man recently who unfortunately is suffering from anxiety and stuttering issues. His first assignment: watch The King’s Speech. I wanted to inspire him. And while you’re at it, please read my blog post on “Movie Therapy.” (“Feeling Sad, Anxious, or Just Out-of-Sorts? An Introduction to Movie Therapy,” February 19, 2013*) I wanted ... Read More »
Category Archives: Marriage
Gaslighting — What Is It and Why Should You Care? Hint: Your Sanity May Be At Stake
Let’s put it this way — If I were on a desert island and I could only have one mental health tool, it would be . . . an understanding of the term “gaslighting.” It is a pattern of psychological abuse wherein victims are manipulated into doubting their own reality. The tactics can involve rearranging or hiding objects to induce ... Read More »
What Does the Government Shutdown and Mental Health Have in Common?
My girlfriend Donna, the writer, is always coming up with ideas she wants me to write about on my blog. Last summer we were watching “Under the Dome” together and she said, “You should write about these crazy characters are on your blog.” OK, so that was last week’s post on psychopaths vs psychotics, and yes, it included a reference ... Read More »
Couples Counseling 101: Why Can’t Men Be More Like Women, and Women Be More Like Men?
I was at my Aunt Karen’s last week and I asked her how large her nice, ranch-style home was. She had to holler to her husband, Buz, who shouted back without hesitation: “2,650 square feet.” That got me thinking . . . that it would be pretty boring to be a man. Always thinking logically and knowing the square footage ... Read More »
What Fascists and Cheating Husbands Have in Common
A new client, in for marriage counseling, asked me if there was really right and wrong. “Isn’t it just each person’s opinion?” she asked. Or anyway, that’s what her cheating husband had insisted, she shared. I knew why she was seeking marriage counseling. “Yes,” I assured her, “there is right and wrong, and it’s not just one person’s opinion.” I said ... Read More »
The Mental Health Mantra Is . . .
You can’t change others; you can only change yourself. I was explaining this to a couple in for marital counseling. I shared with them that modern day therapy is not about wallowing around in the past. Instead it is about changing behavior. That’s why counseling is no longer referred to as mental health. It’s now called behavioral health. In listening ... Read More »
Change Happens
Embrace it! We humans run the gamut from avoiding change and fleeing from change, to wanting to change but not knowing how to change. As a result our bad habits stick to us like white on Republicans (to quote Stephen Colbert). In therapy, we learn to embrace change. We learn to face ourselves, take an objective look at our strengths ... Read More »