Depression is one of the most debilitating states we can find ourselves in. In our society, sadly, we tend to accept “being depressed” as somewhat of a normal state. After working close to a half-century as a Marriage and Family Therapist based in California, I’ve had the opportunity to help people relieve themselves of depression. […]
Help for Easing Depression Around the Holidays Read More »
My daughter, Daisy, was three and showed interest in making her lunch for school. We decided to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich together. Placing a chair next to the counter, I put her on it and put a new jar of peanut butter and the jelly on the counter. Then I realized we
5 Ways You Are Perfect Just the Way You Are Read More »
Unexpected news can be positive or negative, depending upon its nature, and whether it’s the news we want. Unexpected news arrives when we’re least ready, takes us by surprise, and asks us to accommodate to change we didn’t ask for and may not want. In 50 years as a psychotherapist, I’ve found most people don’t
Dealing with Unexpected News Read More »
As a Marriage and Family Therapist more than 40 years ago, I was invited to participate in a conference on Domestic Violence. Without the internet and eager to network, I accepted. I knew little about Domestic Violence and had not encountered it as a therapist. Pioneers in the Domestic Violence Awareness movement, such as Lenore
Our Understanding of Domestic Violence Is Still Evolving Read More »
Becoming an Older Person in America: How to Reset Your Age Thermometer When I was 40, I took a trip by air and found an article in the airline magazine that piqued my curiosity. It was about setting your “age thermometer.” The author said most of us have an “age thermometer” in our brain, which
How to Reset Your Age Thermometer Read More »
It certainly is! And do you know how? Recently, more research has been reported on the link between anger and illness. Anger management coach John Schinnerer, a consultant to the Pixar movie “Inside Out,” reports this: “It’s [anger’s] been linked to obesity, low self-esteem, migraines, drug and alcohol addiction, depression, sexual performance problems, increased heart
Is Anger Affecting Your Health? Read More »
Have you noticed? Our world, the people in it, nature, everything is either falling apart or changing! During the first six months of 2020, we can all see things have been moving at breakneck speed. Despite self-quarantining and sheltering in place, almost everything has been lurching ahead, quickly. Self-quarantine has pushed huge numbers of people
Resistance: The One Thing We Need to Change Read More »
Responsibility has been given a bad name. It began to happen when we were teenagers, with parents reminding us of all the ways weren’t being responsible. We violated curfew, forgot to pick something up to bring home, didn’t call. When I’ve talked with groups of adults and mentioned this word, asking them how they feel
Have You Tried Taking Full Responsibility? Read More »
This title suggests that too many people have difficulty recognizing when they come into contact with poison! Is that true of you? We’re talking about interaction patterns, of course, and not a substance that can be identified or has a distinct taste. My next book is Ending Manipulation; I’m almost finished with the writing. It’s
Manipulation: Recognizing A Toxic Relationship Read More »
It was the spring of 1984. I attended my first National Speakers Association meeting. I was destined to become a professional member, to serve two terms on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Chapter, and to speak (not main stage) at a National Convention. San Francisco Chapter meetings were very popular then, hosting
How I Learned to Be More Outgoing Read More »
