Women and Anxiety

A recent global study demonstrates that women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety than men, and that the risk for women and men increases after age 35. Researchers suggest that evolutionary biology may account for women’s increased vulnerability. Women play a...

Identity Theft

Like a tropical storm touching down on land, addiction leaves destruction and pain in its path, laying waste to lives, fortunes, health. But one of the most profound losses lies in our propensity to see the addict AS his addiction, a gruesome, scary force that holds...

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

New Year’s resolutions often focus on behaviors we’d like to change, negative habits we’d like to leave behind. How many of us have pledged that THIS would be the year we stop smoking, eat less fast food, stop making excuses and work out more often? These kinds of...

Happy Holidays!

“To many people, holidays are not voyages of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance.” - Philip Andrew Adams My favorite parts of the holiday season are the things I’ve done year after year: a sing-along holiday concert with my mom and her (now blue-haired) friends. ...

Comfy Cozy

I’m​ ​a ​woman​ ​ahead​ of​ ​my​ ​time.​ ​Reading​ ​and ​hearing​ ​​about​ ​“hygge”​ ​(pronounced​ ​​hoo-guh),​ ​the ​Danish ​concept​ of​ contentment​ ​and​ ​well-being​ achieved​ ​by​ ​the​ pursuit​ ​of​ ​comforting​ ​rituals, food ​and ​​clothing,​ ​I ​realized​...

Gratitude in the Dark Spaces

Let us give thanks for our shadows for they are there in the first place because of the presence of light. — Kamand Kojouri   Thanksgiving is a time for reflecting on the bounty of our lives, the gifts of friendships, health, opportunity. We are not as...

It’s Not About Them

We encourage our kids to focus on their effort more than the outcome when it comes to their grades, athletic competitions, learning a new skill. But when it comes to our own parenting, we often equate our “success” with how closely our children’s behavior matches our...

Secret Shame: Male Survivors of Sexual Assault

Since the FBI redefined its definitions of sexual assault nearly 10 year ago, the data on male victims of sexual assault has exploded, with some researchers suggesting men are victims of sexual crimes nearly as often as women. Taking into account childhood sexual...

Holding Out Hope

“There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that is our real disaster.” -- His Holiness, the Dalai Lama The shocking violence of the most...

The Gift of Our Flaws

If you throw out your neurosis, you throw out your wisdom. -- Pema Chodron As a therapist, I help clients learn how to silence their inner critics, to climb out of the pit of depression, to develop coping skills to manage panic attacks. And I truly do​ ​meet clients...