We've gathered Psychotherapy Networkers most popular posts and arranged them here by topic.
Finding the Hero in Troubled Youth
Ken Hardy on Trauma Treatment that Taps into the Hero that Resides in All Youth
In the black-and-white popular view of trauma, people who have gone through life-threatening or injurious experiences either grow up to be innocent victims or damaged villains, with little room for the shades of gray therapists frequently encounter in their work.
Effectively Assessing the Risk of Suicide
Identifying the Inquiries to Make
I feel unprepared to make a proper suicide assessment with my clients. I’m nervous that I’ll neglect to ask, or the client won’t tell me, something vital to making the right clinical decision. Can you recommend an objective measure for reliably determining suicidality?
Moving Beyond the Brain
Dan Siegel on Why the Mind, More Than the Brain, Matters in Therapy
As the language of neuroscience sinks deeper into the public consciousness, the brain has become a scapegoat for explaining the mysterious behaviors, moods, and impulses that drive everyday life.
The Polyvagal Circuit in the Consulting Room
An Interview with Stephen Porges
As we all learned in school, we have two options in the face of perceived danger: fight or flight. But that was before neuroscientist Stephen Porges undertook his research into the relationship between human physiology and social engagement.
Can Compassion Be Trained?
Even as mindfulness gains mainstream acceptance as a therapeutic tool, the definition of what mindfulness actually is remains in flux.
Head-to-Head with Emotion
Susan Johnson on Why Labeling Clients’ Emotions Isn’t Enough
Emotions can be tricky—once they enter the consulting room, it’s easy for both therapists and clients to become stuck in, overwhelmed by, and embattled with strong emotions.
The Trouble with Trying to Heal Trauma Too Fast
Sometimes moving clients right into re-experiencing a traumatic event for cathartic effect works and clients feel some relief in the therapy hour. But according to Internal Family Systems developer Dick Schwartz, this type of therapy has costs.
Empowering Today's Parental Authority Figures
Ron Taffel on What Families Can't Function Without
The days of children being seen and not heard are long gone. Now, however, kids and teens are increasingly expressing themselves through extensive online social networks, which open them up to new spheres of influence that challenge parental authority in an unprecedented way.
Does Neuroscience Really Matter?
Given the responses that continue to come in to Steve Andreas’ critique of the therapeutic relevance of neuroscience, we asked two leaders in the development of more brain-based approaches to therapy to weigh in and further the discussion for State of the Art 2013.
Rethinking the Autonomic Nervous System
Stephen Porges on a Popular Neuroscientific Misconception
For decades therapists have been taught that there are two sides of the autonomic nervous system complementing each other. But according to Stephen Porges—developer of the Polyvagal Theory—this teaching is off the mark.
