Clinical Skills & Experience

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

For the first time in history, we’re mainly experiencing nature through intermediary technology that paradoxically provides more detail while flattening our... 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

It’s never too late to change your story Read more

 A few decades ago, when young therapists like myself watched Salvador Minuchin, Virginia Satir, Carl Whitaker, or other leading lights, it was like... Read more

Do therapists have a responsibility to educate people about society's role in generating unprecedented levels of depression? Read more

It’s time to get beyond simplistic notions about “chemical imbalances” and finally reckon with how deeply rooted depression is in the uncertainties and... Read more

Life today is, in many ways, easier than it used to be. Therefore, shouldn’t we be less anxious than we once were? Read more