By: Barrington H. Brennen

Click here to contact Barrington and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Question: Dear Sir: I have a wonderful mother. She and my father are now retirees, each having worked for more than 40 years for the Government. My mother is always kind and helpful. She has a warm heart and gentle spirit. However, I’ve discovered that she finds it difficult to say no, especially when it comes to taking care of her grand children. Some of my siblings are taking advantage of her generosity by using her as their full-time baby sitter, which I notice makes her overly tired at times. At the age of 78, those energetic grand children are running around her in circles, leaving her breathless at times. I’ve noticed that she is more tired during the week than rested. But mom would not give up. It this right? Should we over work our grand mothers? Should we use our grand parents as full-time baby sitters? I want my parents to enjoy their retirement to the fullest, but I believe that the baby sitting is getting in the way. Read the rest of this entry »

By: David Raughton, MFT

Often in psychotherapy there is an emphasis on current problems, the therapy relationship, emotional expression, or exploring the origins of emotional or behavioral patterns. Sometimes overlooked is the importance of beliefs about one’s self and others in the healing process. Three approaches to healing with an explicit focus on thoughts and beliefs are Cognitive Therapy, Hakomi Therapy, and A Course in Miracles. In this article I will summarize each of these approaches, and describe the importance of changing beliefs to heal the heart. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Derek Ayre

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One of the biggest barriers to success I find when consulting with new clients is there tends to be a difficulty in committing to transforming the way they handle their problems and my first task is establishing a commitment to make the changes necessary, especially where phobias are concerned. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Diana Frank

Many of us are faced with challenges in our lives. Some of us are challenged with emotional struggles, some of us are faced each day with reminders of our physical ailments, and some of us are reminded daily of limiting beliefs that have controlled our lives.  Regardless of how great or small these challenges may be, our quality of life can not only be improved, but it should be more pleasurable as well. An amazing way to improve your life is through an exceptional technique called Theta Healing. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Dore E. Frances, M.A.

The following article was solely written and edited by the author named above.  The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org.

Teenage Cutting and Other Self-Harm Often Done to Control Emotions, Draw a Reaction

Teen self-injury, such as cutting, may be more common than previously thought. Cutting is the practice of teens who purposely injure themselves by using a sharp object to scratch or cut their skin deep enough to draw blood. It’s a type of self-injury behavior typically seen more often among younger teen girls, although older teens and boys can also engage in cutting. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Teresa Ann Foxworthy

There are so many profound reasons to hire a Professional Life Coach today. As our global reality becomes increasingly complex, men and women from every walk of life are juggling a myriad of tasks and aspirations as they take on their pursuit of happiness. A proficient life coach will not only help with the mundane logistics of goal management, he or she will also guide you through the inner landscape of values clarification, emotional intelligence, and spiritual awakening. A really great life coach will give you the basics on sorting out the current dilemmas of transitional tasks, but also connect the dots between where you have been, where you are, and your ultimate destination. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Melissa C Miller, LCSW

“Back to school” means a lot of things to parents – getting the kids used to going to bed earlier, saying ‘no’ to extra TV and computer time, giving older kids weeknight curfews again, arranging after school day-care. For some parents it means packing up hopes, dreams, clothes and dorm room furnishings and taking a child off to college. Read the rest of this entry »

By: D.J. Diebold, LISAC

Did you know that 70 percent of those incarcerated in state prisons and local jails have abused drugs regularly, compared with 9 percent of the general population? Would you like a workable, common sense alternative to paying an arm and a leg to incarcerate these individuals? Here are some facts. Drug abuse is involved in more than half of all violent crimes and 70 percent of child abuse and neglect cases. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Beth S. Patterson, MA

Click here to contact Beth and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

“The only way to get to the other side is to go through the door”

–Helen Keller

Feelings of pain from the loss of a loved one can be hard on our emotions, but are a normal and healthy part of life. Feelings of grief from even small losses in day-to-day life transitions at home or work can also make us feel overwhelmed, but are also normal. The hard part is to get through the door that leads to a place of healing and peace. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Sam Schaperow, MSMFT, LMFT

Psychotherapy has some of the highest no-show and cancellation rates in the healthcare industry. People often have anxiety going to therapy because they fear being judged, or they feel that they can or should solve their problems on their own. It may take a major crisis or many years of problems that won’t go away before making that initial call to a therapist. Many people then will go only if the therapist can accommodate special times, such as only early evenings, and take their insurance, even if it means that the quality of service might be compromised by the insurer’s policies. Additionally, the therapist’s location, gender, phone friendliness, and age can be factors that people use to determine who to see. All these criteria can severely limit the prospective client’s chances of even starting therapy, never mind continuing. Read the rest of this entry »