Clinical Skills & Experience

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 conversation with motivation expert Carol Dweck on the importance of the “growth mindset” and how to enhance people’s ability to tackle adversity and... Read more

A young child’s bedroom is a place for magic and enchantment. Read more

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

The therapist's job is to help client couples close one door and open another. Read more

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

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

Jim and I just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary by taking a trip to the Pacific Northwest. We travel differently than many of our friends, avoiding... Read more

When clients get immersed in their problems, they often suffer from a kind of tunnel vision, focused on a small range of experiences, with their bad feelings... Read more

It’s not exactly a state secret: most of us become therapists because we want to help people. We want to help them feel less alone with their pain and find... 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

Jessica, a counselor in her mid-30’s, works at a large, public mental health clinic in a major metropolitan area. Her workday begins early, the alarm... Read more

Today I attended a workshop called “Working with Black Couples: Overcoming Myths and Stereotypes,” led by Dr. Christiana Awosan. Being an African American... Read more

John Kabat-Zinn sparked my interest when he recounted the time Oprah asked him, "Is there life after death?" His reply to her: "Oprah, I'm interested in the... Read more

As a family therapist, I know the power of thinking relationally, collaborating, and working across difference to find the many places where we actually share... Read more

I had the pleasure of attending the Brainspotting seminar with David Grand today. What fresh and amazing information! I am drawn to anything that involves the... Read more

As therapists, we must recognize the complexity and ambivalence at the core of human experience. People run into problems when their lives are dictated by... Read more

Shame is an emotion that isn’t healthy. Unlike guilt–which causes remorse for something you did wrong–shame can cause someone to feel as... Read more

It’s time we address the psychological toll of the daily bombardment of information that permeates our lives. Read more

Therapists are far more impressed with clinical fads than they should be. 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

Seven myths about meditation for clinicians to ponder. 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

Review: The Man Who Couldn’t Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in ThoughtFinding an exit from the bewildering maze of a disorder that confounds... Read more

When an adult is in your consulting room, it’s understandable if you use adult language and logic. But at certain points in the healing process, you may need... 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

From the moment I met the Correys in my waiting room, I was baffled about why they were together. Frank was tall, good looking and suave; Donna dowdy and... Read more

Therapists aren't supposed to discuss personal problems, or even acknowledge having any. While preaching congruence, who among us has never pretended fondness... Read more

Openness to the larger mystery of our lives can deepen the therapeutic encounter. Read more