I’ve Got Some Emotional Baggage Here… “I’m sorry I’m dumping all of my problems on you.” How many times have I heard this from a client?…

Do you think that you’ll be happy when you finally lose those 15-20+ pounds? Do you think that when you find the perfect man/woman, that’s when…

Happy Mother’s Day! “If it’s not one thing, it’s your Mother!” There’s a saying in psychotherapy that goes “If it’s not one thing, it’s your Mother.”…

So you’ve been trying to eat healthier, lose those last 10 pounds, get an exercise program going, learn how to meditate or golf or parent, and…

I’m Not IN LOVE Anymore I know you’ve heard this. You might have said it. “I LOVE her, but I’m not IN LOVE with her anymore.”…

“We are our choices.” ~Jean Paul Sartre Do you have trouble making decisions? Is it hard for you to choose between options? Or are you great…

Most people think using a life planner just helps you to remember dentist appointments and when your kid has soccer practice. But there are some great…

Ho, Ho, Ho? It is January 21st today and my Christmas tree is still up. A hectic holiday season that included 2 bouts of the flu,…

Love the concept of living off the grid? A home that creates its own energy and water supply, so that there is no need to pay…

Are You In “Project Purgatory?” You want to get your garage organized but you know you will never get an entire weekend to get it all…

I know there’s no such thing as a “happy 🙂 pill.”  But for some people, there are some medications that come close. The issue of psychotropic…

We’re Off to See the Therapist! Clients come to therapy with many different expectations, wants, and needs. Some people want their therapist to just be there…

Marina Abramovic This week I am compelled to tell you about an amazing documentary I recently watched on HBO of the performance artist, Marina Abramovic, titled The…

Pets for Mental Health Pets add immeasurably to the quality of life…. so much so that I have often advised clients to get one in order…

As a psychologist, I’ve given this a lot of thought, because no matter what someone coming into therapy says they want to work on, eventually, the…

Many people feel shame and want to know what they can do about that awful black feeling inside, with good reason. Feeling shame is toxic. It…

A Controlled Burn I live in Florida and lately, we’ve been in a drought. In order to decrease the likelihood of serious forest and brush fires…

“So, how was your day?” Fine. “What happened in school today?” Nothing. You’re trying to connect. You’re trying to get them to open up. But even…

Finding the balance is what we are all trying to do… whether we are talking about the balance between work and play, taking care of others…

Being Sick Sucks The greatest wealth is health.  ~Virgil Whether it’s a bad chest cold, or a serious diagnosis of a cancer tumor, being sick is just the worst….

I have been using a Life Planner for decades, switching between different types to see which one worked best for me. You may have done the…

Graduating from a school, college, or program is supposed to be one of those “happy” events we celebrate, falling in the same category of major life…

If you spend much time online, especially on social networking sites, you’ll get a chance to meet a troll. Okay, not a “real” troll. But in…

Not everyone makes New Year’s Resolutions… there are some people who don’t see the new year as a time for reinvention, recharging, reconditioning, reenergizing, reinvigorating, and…

If you already know how to successfully use a life planner, then I don’t need to tell you how it’s changed your life. How it keeps…

If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, then that first cool hint of air untinged by the humidity of summer doesn’t make you feel excited for the…

Being able to heal past wounds and move on to live a happy, healthy life is a goal of many people who enter therapy. But what…

Have you ever decided you were going to make a change in how you eat or how active you are and you make a plan and…

Filtering Difficult Experiences I’m a big fan of the emotional equivalent of “emptying the trash.” By writing in a journal people get in touch with their…

Still, gearing up for the holidays or dealing with the aftermath of them? Either way, it can be stressful. Here are some tried-and-true tips for getting…

COMFY? How Stable is Your Relationship? Take your typical 4-legged wooden stool. It’s nice and stable…if it’s got all 4 legs. You can probably even manage…

Say you are fighting with your significant other. I know.  It’s not fun, but it happens. What do you think your partner wants the most from…

Elusive Sleep Insomnia for many people has become a frustrating fact of life.  30% of the population suffers from it, and more than half of Americans…

I’ve been seeing a lot of couples lately who are in the death throes of the process leading ultimately to divorce. There is no doubt in…