In The Therapy Room

It’s now clear that much of what therapists do for people suffering from OCD actually worsens the problem. Providing empathic reassurance, rational... Read more

OCD in children can operate like a kind of cult leader, demanding acceptance of an extreme view of a perilous reality and offering solutions that can’t be... Read more

As a therapist, how do you work with conservative parents struggling to parent their trans child? Psychotherapist Jean Malpas shares three keys to acceptance. Read more

Parents typically view their children in the largely gendered terms society lays out for them. Rearranging that internal mind map requires tremendous effort... Read more

Until very recently, most families with transgender children had never met another family like theirs. Now parents and children from the trailblazing Ackerman... Read more

An innovative way of working with people who are hypersensitive to criticism. Read more

A school counselor’s patient work with a sad, uncommunicative young boy demonstrates what a difference just being there can make. * Commentary by Janet... Read more

A sex-starved marriage isn’t about the number of times per week or per month people are actually having sex. It’s one in which one spouse is longing for... Read more

Therapists too often ignore the importance of the longstanding, often unconscious stories that partners carry with them into their sexual relationship. Helping... Read more

If you’re like most couples therapists, you know how to help partners communicate more clearly, handle conflict with less uproar, and connect more... Read more

It’s long been the conventional wisdom among couples therapists that if couples fix the emotional issues in their relationship, their sexual lives will... Read more

If you’re going to help a couple get closer and really learn to work harmoniously with one another, whether in bed or anywhere else, the key is helping... Read more

Porn is polarizing. Porn is confusing. Porn can be alarming. For therapists, porn can push us out of our comfort zone and trigger negative countertransference... Read more

How do you strike a balance between validation and empowerment in helping those afflicted with chronic resentment? Read more

Achieving a genuine state of self-compassion is a more challenging undertaking than many realize. Far from a little feel-better incantation you offer yourself... Read more

As the mindfulness movement sweeps through our field, many therapists are discovering that traditional contemplative practices grounded in detached... Read more

How to help the concerned parents of aggressive kids understand the complexities of moral development. Read more

Too often both clinicians and clients fall into the trap of pursuing weight loss as a therapeutic goal. Read more

A therapist shares how to walk with a client couple through to their divorce and then let them go. Read more

Helping the traditionalist generation care for their aging partners. Read more

While many therapists are skeptical of open relationships, some believe that, with the right couple, they can work. Read more

After a brutal winter that would’ve given Ernest Shackleton pause, more than 3,700 therapists welcomed the opportunity to escape cabin fever, get out of the... Read more

To create deep change, we need to help people mine the sources of intense pleasure in their lives, wherever they may find them. Read more

To move forward, our profession needs a more consistent message about what we have to offer. Read more

In our profession, it’s often more alluring to explore new gimmicks than to acknowledge that our success largely hinges on simple, commonsense factors. Read more

When a client has been sexually abused, it can be difficult to find the balance between creating safety and challenging old patterns. Read more

Intense emotion in the consulting room can leave some clients overwhelmed; others shut down. Either response can derail your session. Now here’s some help... Read more

Clients with ADHD often know the coping skills that can improve their lives—the problem is applying them in daily life. Read more

The case of a young man hearing voices shows how even problems that first appear to be extreme can be resolved by empowering clients to alter subtle aspects of... Read more

What’s the true nature of your feelings for your lover? An honest answer to that question is what a therapist needs in order to help a couple decide how to... Read more