When I first heard the premise behind Flight: that alcoholic pilot Whip Whitaker, played by Denzel Washington lands a commercial plane in a bad storm and saves most of those on board, I was afraid to see it. Seeing first hand in therapy the tragic loss of family, relationships, careers, and peace of mind that alcoholics suffer from, I couldn’t ... Read More »
Just finished reading last week’s Time magazine article about the troubles at the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia, the world’s most famous ballet company. There is no doubt that the ballerinas at the Bolshoi are among the best dancers in the world and that they are awesome role models for dancers everywhere. It turns out they are not awesome role models ... Read More »
A client told me recently that she watches movies with the goal of “being moved.” I couldn’t agree more. I like my movies like I like my life: passionate, positive, with a message behind the madness. Film critic Judith Crist who recently passed away to that great theatre in the sky, famously remarked that the job requirement of a film ... Read More »
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 »
My client was upset by an email she got from her estranged husband. When she forwarded the email to her family law attorney, he counseled her to ignore it. He said, “He’s just trying to get your goat!” My client wisely backed off and didn’t make an issue of it. I made a mental note to check on the origin ... Read More »
One of my clients was researching her dysfunctional, emotionally abusive, narcissistic personality disordered ex-boyfriend in hopes of maintaining our agreed upon no contact rule, when she ran across an interesting comment. That the narcissistic male is attracted to emotionally generous women. They can smell them a mile away. They see their generosity as an easy mark. She admitted regretfully that ... Read More »
When you’re alone and life is making you lonely (Petula Clark) you can always try out a new therapy. Check out our Top 10 Best Therapies for 2012: 1) Talk Therapy. Well, duh! 2) Chocolate Therapy. Ben and Jerry’s has a trademarked flavor with this name. Chocolate ice cream with chocolate cookies and swirls of chocolate pudding ice cream. Seriously, the best chocolate ... Read More »
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 »
It had been a rough week and my husband, Bob and I were giving ourselves a well-deserved rest. After sleeping in–we decided no rules, no work, no commitments, and all the movies we wanted to watch beginning with an afternoon movie. For us, workaholics that we are, that would be like drinking in the middle of the day. Our DVD was ... Read More »
I can’t think of any subject that could use more harmony in this country than politics, so a story about finding harmony between people of different political persuasions. . . . I read an article in Time (December 17) by Rob Long, a rare conservative in liberal Hollywood. He wrote about how gentle and understanding his liberal friends were after ... Read More »
