“Be Yourself—But Don’t”: Mixed Messages from a Mother to Her Gay Son
Mark O'Connell • 3/12/2022
What happens when loving mothers of gay sons unknowingly send them mixed messages about being themselves?
Magazine Article
Learning to Take the Lead
Mark O'Connell • 12/1/2021
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
Deepening Our Work “Off Stage”
Mark O'Connell • 8/24/2021
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
From Storytelling 2020
Mark O'Connell • 5/1/2020
What do you do when you're wrong for the part?
Magazine Article
Using the Body as an Emotional Tuning Fork
Mark O'Connell • 4/1/2019
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
What Therapists Can Learn from Actors
Mark O'Connell • 3/7/2019
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