Clinical Skills & Experience

Conditioned by the experience of life on the screen, clients today find it harder to concentrate on face-to-face conversation. They may not even see its value... Read more

To date, virtual reality’s most visible therapeutic role has been in the treatment of phobias and other conditions where it’s served as an adjunct to... Read more

Every day, every moment, we must wade through the flood of incoming alerts and emails urgently demanding our time and attention, all the while knowing that... Read more

It’s difficult enough to offer an apology when we see the need for it and believe it’s the right thing to do. It’s far more difficult when we’re... Read more

Therapists wade into the controversy about trigger warnings for potentially disturbing college course material. Read more

How an understanding of the brain can inform our trauma interventions. Read more

While research indicates that most anti-bullying projects don’t work, a disarmingly simple approach has shown promising results. Read more

When it comes to eating disorders, therapy can be a matter of life and death. Read more

With millions of people having seen her TED talks and read her books, researcher and bestselling author Brené Brown is a phenomenon. But aside from her... Read more

In the early days of the trauma field, clients were seen as one-dimensional bundles of dysfunction and pain, who needed to relive their trauma before progress... Read more

Clearly, therapists must always respond with empathy, understanding, and attuned clinical expertise to clients’ suffering. But the theme of this issue is... Read more

As therapists, we’re taught to be master detectives who methodically investigate our clients’ symptoms in search of a “culprit”—the source of their... Read more

It used to be an axiom for clinicians that therapeutic conversation and politics don’t mix. But in this high-stakes presidential election, some therapists... Read more

Could eliminating blocks in couples therapy be as simple as learning where to tap? Read more

Today, with all the presumed advances therapists have made in reducing mental suffering from previously untreatable conditions, is there a solution, a cure, a... Read more

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

How Kübler-Ross’s stage model of dealing with loss can help grieving clients heal. Read more

Sometimes there’s no need for a detailed assessment of a client’s entire life history and their family relationships, especially when the desired outcome... Read more

An young woman with autism celebrates a very special night. Read more

The brain endlessly churns out predictions about what will happen next, and when it comes to therapy outcomes, these expectations matter. Read more

What do the rules of comedy have to do with the practice of psychotherapy? More than you think. Read more

An interview with the author of The 5 Love Languages, a book that's sold over 8 million copies, explains its remarkable success. Read more

At a time in which our society seems immersed in a toxic stew of fear and anger, this year's Symposium provided a celebration of human values and ideas that... Read more

At this year's Symposium, we invited veteran therapists to tell their true stories of their “most unforgettable session,” and those stories are the focus... Read more

Of all the meaningful sessions that take place in a therapists's career, what makes certain ones stand out? We asked six widely respected clinicians to tell... Read more

Have you ever wondered if some men in your practice are simply unable to listen, connect, and empathize with their partners? According to Pat Love, it’s more... 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

The increasingly accessible and inexpensive technology of virtual reality now enables us to incorporate digital Skinner boxes in our practices that can enhance... Read more