Editor's Note
May/June 2019
In the true tales published in this issue, the storytellers made a leap of faith, dropping all pretense of professional omniscience and trusting their colleagues to listen from the heart.
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When Therapy Changes the Therapist
Five Tales of Self-Discovery
May/June 2019
Although it’s not usually acknowledged, change in the consulting room goes both ways. Even as they help clients wrestle with their issues, it’s the rare therapist who hasn’t experienced his or her own eureka moments. Five therapists share their tales of personal transformation.
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Piercing the Illusion of Intimacy
From Symposium Storytelling Evening 2019
May/June 2019
“Whoops,” I said, thinking this was a lighthearted moment. “Looks like you should’ve gone with that other psychologist.” But Ted didn’t joke back.
Learning to Draw the Line
From Symposium Storytelling Evening 2019
May/June 2019
"In one session, she said that her life outside of therapy was going great, and seeing me was her main problem."
Claiming Center Stage
From Symposium Storytelling Evening 2019
May/June 2019
"Night after night, I’d wait for my father to shout, 'Who’s it gonna be, folks? Who’ll be the lucky girl to come on down and ride the elephant tonight?'”
What Greg Taught Me
From Symposium Storytelling Evening 2019
May/June 2019
"Even though I’d been out as a gay man for decades, I still felt disgust at my erotic interests. Although several therapists over the years had told me I wasn’t a sex addict, I fired all of them until I found one who agreed with my self-diagnosis."
Embracing the Other
From Symposium Storytelling Evening 2019
May/June 2019
“Jeremy, we’ve never talked about it, but I cover my head for many reasons,” I told him. “One of them is to keep the energy contained—the heat doesn’t escape."
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Therapy in a Challenging World
Highlights from Symposium 2019
May/June 2019
Rich Simon, Networker editor, tried to highlight the role therapists can play in a world so turned upside down that "crazy has become the new normal."
Healing as a Subversive Act
Highlights from Symposium 2019
May/June 2019
In his opening keynote, Canadian physician Gabor Maté called on therapists to expand their frame of reference and recognize how their job is too often a kind of mopping up after the cruelties and injustices of the larger systems that shape our lives.
The Politics of Mental Health
Highlights from Symposium 2019
May/June 2019
Pioneering trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk took aim not only at the politics within the therapy field that determine what diagnoses get into the DSM, but the politics in the larger arena that lead people to ignore the prevalence of trauma in society.
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Flourishing as We Age
Highlights from Symposium 2019
May/June 2019
Mary Pipher, author of the classic Reviving Ophelia and nine subsequent books, was this year’s recipient of the Networker’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her many contributions to broadening the perspective of the field and expanding its moral imagination.
Consciousness and Connection
Highlights from Symposium 2019
May/June 2019
It’s hard to think of anyone who's had more influence on our field than neuropsychiatrist Dan Siegel. His far-ranging keynote proposed that the integration of knowledge from such diverse disciplines as interpersonal neurobiology, psychotherapy, neuroscience, quantum physics, and mindfulness practice may offer hope for the future of the planet.
The Best Love Story Ever
Highlights from Symposium 2019
May/June 2019
Clinical psychologist, researcher, and developer of Emotionally Focused Therapy, Sue Johnson—challenging the idea that commitment and exclusive relationships have become passé in a world skeptical of traditional values—made an impassioned case for the deeply healing power of intimate connection.
Suicide and the Golden Gate Bridge
BONUS Video: Watch Malcolm's full keynote from Symposium 2019
May/June 2019
In his many bestselling books, author Malcolm Gladwell has achieved renown for upending conventional thinking about the forces that shape people’s lives. His keynote, beginning with a surprising look at poet Sylvia Plath's suicide, underscored the Symposium theme of the interplay of social and personal issues.
The Inheritance Within
Coming Face to Face with Our Ancestors
May/June 2019
For decades, Bert Hellinger and his Family Constellations approach have been a lightning rod for controversy. But the latest research on epigenetics and the multigenerational impact of trauma have given new credibility to some of the underlying principles of this work.
Clinician's Digest
Ketamine: The Latest Wonder Drug?
May/June 2019
Even as ketamine’s popularity continues to rise for depression treatment, it’s still fighting an uphill battle for clinical acceptance.
In Consultation
Truths and Consequences: Helping Teens Make Good Decisions
May/June 2019
When it comes to high-risk behaviors, therapists can find themselves caught between boundary-testing teens and their concerned parents.
Case Study
In the Aftermath of Suicide: The Long Journey to Healing
May/June 2019
In the wake of a loved one’s suicide, therapists must have the patience to sit with clients as the slow and painful process of healing unfolds. CASE COMMENTARY by Douglas Flemons.
Point of View
A Therapist Switches Chairs: From Clinician to Client to Author
May/June 2019
In her latest bestselling book, Lori Gottlieb offers an unusually intimate look at her experience as both a therapist and a client.
Bookmarks
Who Am I to Judge? The Question of the "Good Enough" Parent
May/June 2019
A child-custody consultant wrestles with the question of what is a good enough mother.
Family Matters
An Apple Seed and Trained Monkeys: Growing Up Under the Influence of My Big Sister's Imagination
May/June 2019
Whether as playmate, protector, or tormentor, a big sister looms large in the imagination of her younger sibling.
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