Articles

Summer is a time of beginnings. Birds are re-building their nest in the maple tree out back. My son is planning activities with friends to make this the "best summer ever." We can venture to the farmers market again each weekend in our small downtown. My peony bush is...

Journaling is a common tool used to help clients make progress in therapy. Even if the idea of writing makes you cringe with memories of ninth grade English compositions, consider how chronicling your thoughts, feelings and memories can provide you with multiple...

When families encounter difficulties in communication, therapy can be helpful in providing skills and education to help members avoid further misunderstandings and negative dynamics. Sometimes, clients can benefit from learning to use "I-statements" to diffuse...

We've all known the type: the egotistical, self-centered lout who consistently trounces over the needs of others in his drive to be noticed and applauded. The abrasive scene-stealer who truly believes she is better than her peers, regardless of their characters or...

Most of us know that the quest for perfection is futile. Try as we might, we know we will make mistakes. We will blunder and fail. We will fall short of a goal. But recognizing that we cannot be perfect doesn't mean that we feel "good enough." From Good to Great? ...

Human beings today are living longer than ever before. Some experts say that people will soon be living healthily well into their hundreds. But the needs of aging parents can be a source of stress, guilt and resentment for adult children in our hurried modern society....

The mythology of family reads like a fairytale: loving parents who don't yell or scold; strong sibling bonds that are forged from mutual respect and a desire to protect one another; communication that's fluid; boundaries that are flexible but still strong enough to...

The concept of the "inner child" has been a near-constant focus of therapy since the 1970s . From psychiatrist Charles Whitfield to new age practitioner Louis Hay, helping professionals have advocated clients accessing their "inner child" to understand unresolved...

Addiction and the desire for recovery are common reasons people seek out counseling and twelve-step groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Due to public education, more laypeople and professionals are gaining understanding about the similarities...

One of the scariest risks we take is the choice to be authentic. Being real with others requires us to be vulnerable -- if we are rejected or misunderstood, we can't blame others' reactions on the mask we are wearing. We feel the pain more deeply when our truth is...