Contributed by David Treadway

21 Results
Family Matters September 1, 2023

Just This, Nothing Next

Facing Old Age with Trepidation and Grace

Getting old is often a surprise, even when we’ve spent decades trying to get comfortable with the vicissitudes of aging. Read more

Case Study September 14, 2022

"Why Won’t You Like Sports?"

The Father–Son Struggle with Gender Expectations

As young people move forward with new, more flexible frameworks for thinking about gender, it’s not always easy to bring parents along. Read more

Shattered by Suicide

Helping Families in the Aftermath

Suicide isn't simply the tragedy of someone taking their own life: it's also the long, excruciating nightmare of being left behind. Read more

When Adult Siblings Struggle

Three Steps Toward Repair

The session was supposed to be a consultation between two middle-aged sisters—my client, Annie, and her sister, Carol—about sharing their multigenerational... Read more

Borrowed Tears

A Therapist Reclaims His Buried Past—and Upends His Practice

When a therapist finally confronts his tendency to dissociate, his work takes a life-changing turn. Read more

Finding the Balance

How to Meet Stress with Tenderness during COVID-19

During the pandemic, our clients’ relationships need special attention and nurturing. Sometimes that means helping them recalibrate what they can hold for... Read more

Case Study May 1, 2020

It takes creativity to apply basic therapy tools, especially when depression has set in and negative cognitions have taken over. Read more

Our Calling

A Wounded Healer’s Journey

As therapists, our job is to do our best for our clients. But even our best efforts can’t always ensure that therapy will help, or even that we don’t do... Read more

Symposium Highlight May 9, 2018

Jimmy

From an Evening of Storytelling 2018

What happens to a buttoned-up young therapist when things get out of hand in his office? Read more

In Consultation November 1, 2017

Taking Therapy Home

Motivating Couples to Do Their Homework

Motivating couples to do their therapy homework may be the key to successful outcomes. Read more

Writing on Water

A Diary of Riding Out the Storm

December 29, 2013. It was still dark as I was walking the unlit path to my friend’s house for our weekly meditation meeting. Suddenly, my feet went out from... Read more

Case Study September 11, 2014

Questions of Gender

A therapist struggles with the clinical choices he’s made

A therapist takes an unflinching look at a puzzling case that spanned 14 years, wondering if he made a wrong turn. Read more

Case Study May 1, 2013

Women Who Cheat

Understanding the Message of the Affair

Far from being evidence of marital bankruptcy, a woman’s affair can be a way of expressing a desire for a different self and an opportunity to breathe life... Read more

Case Study October 18, 2008

Gay Guise

When Straight Men Sleep with Men

A case study examines the differences between sexual orientation and behavior and what really happens when straight men sleep with men. Read more

Any Day Above Ground

After Recovery, What Then?

Letting go of our childlike fascination with the promise of the future is one of the hardest challenges of truly being in the moment. Read more

Case Study September 1, 2006

A Complicated Grieving

Death, guilt, and anger are an explosive mix

"Complicated grief" resulting from unresolved guilt, anger, shame, and regret can fester on for many years. Read more

Case Study November 1, 2005

Sexual Heroin

Variant Arousal Patterns are an Obstacle to Intimacy

An erotic fetish disrupts a man's sexual history as well as his current relationship Read more

I nod numbly as I try to absorb the image of building a coffin for one's child. [Eric]'s son, Paul, is 15 years old. He's slowly dying from a brain tumor. n... Read more

Case Study May 2, 2004

Beyond Viagra

Why the Promise of Cure Far Exceeds the Reality

Despite all the hoopla, the dropout rate for Viagra exceeds 40 percent. A case explores the aspects of middle-aged sexuality that no drug can address. Read more

Riding Out the Storm

A therapist's guide to surviving burnout

Everything you ever wanted to know about surviving burnout Read more

Miniature Roses

A therapist finally makes the long journey home

"Mom, I think it's time to really forgive you, and maybe even me. But I'm still mad. I just don't know how to let go of it. Believe it or not, I've been trying... Read more

David Treadway

David Treadway, PhD, is a therapist and trainer of 40 years.  His latest book is Treating Couples Well: A Practical Guide to Collaborative Couple Therapy. He’s also the author of Home Before Dark: A Family Portrait of Cancer and three other books.