Case Study
“Be Yourself—But Don’t”: Mixed Messages from a Mother to Her Gay Son
What happens when loving mothers of gay sons unknowingly send them mixed messages about being themselves?
Magazine Article
When Your Supervisor's A Tough Crowd
Learning to Take the Lead
The moment before a client meets a therapist is not unlike sitting in a theater just before curtain. The drama about to unfold will inevitably pale in comparison to the anticipation of what could be.
Magazine Article
Should Therapists Go Back to an Office?
Deepening Our Work “Off Stage”
Seeing clients through the COVID-19 crisis has shown us not only that psychotherapy can be effective outside the traditional frame—complete with an office, couch, and a therapist who never breaks character—but also that shattering the frame when necessary, and allowing our humble humanness to be present, is actually necessary to connect with each unique client.
Daily Blog
What Therapists Can Learn from Actors
Using the Body as an Emotional Tuning Fork
By Mark O'Connell - Today, as a psychotherapist, I approach my work much as I did in my former vocation as an actor: with the faith that my instrument—my body, my self—can serve as an emotional tuning fork to locate the inner lives of each and every client, regardless of our exterior differences.
Daily Blog
Character Work
What Therapists Can Learn from Actors
Therapists can flop in their “performance” with clients, coming off as inauthentic or over the top. One former actor discovers how to embody the kind of “scene partner” his clients need him to be.
Magazine Article
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Page 1 of 1 (0 Items)
Should Therapists Go Back to an Office?
Deepening Our Work “Off Stage”
Seeing clients through the COVID-19 crisis has shown us not only that psychotherapy can be effective outside the traditional frame—complete with an office, couch, and a therapist who never breaks character—but also that shattering the frame when necessary, and allowing our humble humanness to be present, is actually necessary to connect with each unique client.
Daily Blog
What Therapists Can Learn from Actors
Using the Body as an Emotional Tuning Fork
By Mark O'Connell - Today, as a psychotherapist, I approach my work much as I did in my former vocation as an actor: with the faith that my instrument—my body, my self—can serve as an emotional tuning fork to locate the inner lives of each and every client, regardless of our exterior differences.
Daily Blog
Page 1 of 1 (2 Items)
Case Study
“Be Yourself—But Don’t”: Mixed Messages from a Mother to Her Gay Son
What happens when loving mothers of gay sons unknowingly send them mixed messages about being themselves?
Magazine Article
When Your Supervisor's A Tough Crowd
Learning to Take the Lead
The moment before a client meets a therapist is not unlike sitting in a theater just before curtain. The drama about to unfold will inevitably pale in comparison to the anticipation of what could be.
Magazine Article
Character Work
What Therapists Can Learn from Actors
Therapists can flop in their “performance” with clients, coming off as inauthentic or over the top. One former actor discovers how to embody the kind of “scene partner” his clients need him to be.
Magazine Article
Page 1 of 1 (4 Items)
Mark O’Connell, LCSW-R, MFA, is a psychotherapist and professional actor in New York City. He’s the author of the new book The Performing Art of Therapy: Acting Insights and Techniques for Clinicians, and writes for Psychology Today and The Huffington Post, as well as clinical journals.
