Articles & Interviews

Barry Duncan and Scott Miller provide a comprehensive summary of the Outcome-Informed, Client-Directed approach and a detailed, practical overview of its application in clinical practice.

We weren't expected to have any words of wisdom... and nobody did.

A challenging client plunges a beginning therapist into a state of anxiety.

A satiric take on the Mental Status Exam.

Dr. Kolmes offers firsthand insights into the uses of social media as a professional tool.

A psychologist's poignant account of a challenging case referred by Child Protective Services while working on a mobile mental health crisis team.

Learn how to spot the often subtle signs of partner abuse in couples therapy, and how to take effective action. This article includes the author's Abusive Behavior Inventory as a free download.

A review of existential psychologist and author Kirk Schneider’s latest work, which explores the nature and power of awe through interviews of people personally transformed by an emotion which has been much neglected by psychology.

Dr. Martin shares his reasons for leaving the insurance game.

An American psychology student reflects on her year of research at an ethnopsychiatric clinic in Paris, France.

"Today's most enterprising therapists are realizing that the most promising opportunities for new business lie outside of the healthcare system."

Positive thinking isn't everything; life has a rhythm we must honor for our own mental health.

Dr. Rabin shares lessons culled from 40 years of psychotherapy teaching and practice.

Couch Fiction allows you to peep through the key-hole of the therapy room door and read the mind of the protagonists.

Empathy and compassion generally serve us well with our clients, but aren't necessarily the skills we need to navigate the world of running a practice. This story, excerpted from Duped: Lies and Deception in Psychotherapy serves as a cautionary tale.

ACT trainer Russell Harris distills the essential components of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) into a simple framework, with case studies to help illustrate the theory and practice of ACT.

Pete Walker provides a convincing argument for the recognition and proper treatment of emotional flashbacks and complex PTSD, which result from childhood neglect and emotional abuse.

A psychotherapist treating a suicidal client struggles with memories--and forgetting--of suicide in her own family.

Lyrical reflections on psychotherapy.

When do we shift from trying to work within the parent-child relationship to seeing the child as a separate entity needing to cope with a destructive parent?

Dr. Coffey discusses common challenges and interventions for families coping with terminal illness.

Dr. Heery travels to Russia at the summoning of her soul, and rediscovers the living moment.

Dr. Bader, a renowned couples therapist, gives an overview of essential first steps in therapy with every couple.

One is the gold standard; the other the gold earner. Take a wild guess which is which.

After suffering from a stroke herself, a therapist recounts her journey from patient to professional, culminating in her leading  groups for other stroke survivors.

Dr. Aboujaode provides an engaging and informative account of hair-pulling, in this exclusive excerpt from his book, Compulsive Acts: A Psychiatrist's Tales of Ritual and Obsession.

Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing Approach is brought to life in this in-depth case study of body oriented therapy.

An entertaining look behind the the scenes of the entertainment industry.

If we could learn from all of our less-than-optimal therapy outcomes, we'd really acquire some true clinical wisdom.  Here are some practical tips to increase your odds of success.

People don't become grown-ups until they realize that their parents, however wonderful, were badly misinformed and sometimes stark, raving mad.

A psychotherapy student assembles her dream team for guidance toward self-actualization.

Using a case study with a disconnected client, a contemporary Gestalt therapist debunks myths that have lingered from the heyday of Fritz Perls. 

A therapist explores the complex feelings that arise when a client terminates abruptly.

An insightful look into working with typical male concerns in therapy, including pride, shame, armoring, and competitiveness.

Jamison reviews highlights of Yalom's new book, The Gift of Therapy. focusing on his willingness to engage fully and reveal himself in the therapeutic relationship.

Yalom is confronted to live up to his ideals of therapist self-disclosure and authenticity. Excerpted from the recently updated version of The Gift of Therapy.

One therapist's good, hard look at the question of negotiating therapy fees with clients.

A social work intern grapples with a situation that would challenge even an experienced clinician: helping a loving wife decide whether to stop feeding her dying husband of 64 years.

Renowned family therapist Sue Johnson discusses Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) in light of new research on attachment in adult love relationships.

Famed feminist and psychotherapist, Kim Chernin, discusses the her work with women, body image and eating disorders over the past 40 years. Not surprisingly, eating disorders are at an all time high in our culture. She discusses what has changed and what seemingly never will.

Renik argues that psychoanalysis must move beyond theory and focus instead on effectiveness.

One beginning therapist shares his success with the Session Rating Scale in improving his practice.

Dr. Rice offers a new perspective on oppositional-defiant children based on temperament, and suggests effective therapeutic interventions for both parent and child.

In this exclusive excerpt from his book, renowned existential-humanistic psychologist Jim Bugental reflects on his philosophy of psychotherapy.

A specialist in cults discusses a real-life example of a former cult member's struggle to recover from his traumatic experiences within the group, and offers treatment advice for this unusual and challenging population.

Working with clients who are medically ill not only requires us to learn more about the seemingly distant and disembodied relational aspects of medicine, but also forces us to confront painful existential realities on a daily basis.

A geriatric clinical psychologist debunks the stereotypes about working with elderly populations, and shares his discovery of the joy and gratitude that come from intimate contact with wise elders.

Encountering resistance is likely evidence that therapy is taking place. In fact, successful psychotherapy is highly related to increases in resistance, and low resistance corresponds with negative outcomes.

A psychologist's skeptical look at the science (or lack thereof) behind much of the self-help industry,

When are we far enough down the path of our own healing that we can safely go back and help someone else along? A therapist shares the story of confronting this urgent question with a traumatized client suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder.

A therapist poetically chronicles an underreported occupational hazard.

in this exclusive excerpt from his latest book, Irvin Yalom delves into the ultimate existential concern, and how therapists can help clients in facing death anxiety.

Clients of the best therapists improve at a rate at least 50-percent higher and drop out at a rate at least 50-percent lower than those of average clinicians. What is the key to superior performance?

Anxiety Disorder expert Reid Wilson, PhD, offers a unique twist on traditional cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders. 

What happens when a therapist becomes ill or dies? Dr. Steiner provides a valuable blueprint for therapists to prepare for unexpected absence and termination.

Renowned substance-abuse specialist Stephanie Brown discusses effective therapeutic interventions for families of alcoholics during the recovery process.

Existential psychotherapist Irv Yalom offers insights into the therapist's role as an obstacle remover and fellow traveler. Excerpted from his book The Gift of Therapy.

How often does a proto-Goth heavy metal rock star become a psychotherapist?

A psychotherapist shares the agonies and ecstasies of being in psychoanalytic group therapy and asks: Is psychoanalysis a religion after all?

Using three different case studies with clients, a British therapist describes his personal journey from his early career as a behavioral psychologist, to his later years, where he embraced a more intuitive and reflective psychodynamic approach.

Lillian Rubin's moving account of her challenging psychotherapy with a man struggling with his disability. Reprinted from the book of the same title.

Therapist Natalie Rogers shares an overview of this growing field of humanistic psychotherapy.

Psychiatrist Ron Leifer gives a compelling account of the historical context of Thomas Szasz's career as the leading critic of the medical model of psychiatry, along with its implications for the profession of psychiatry and for free thought and speech in the United States.

An excerpted introduction to psychiatrist Irv Yalom's new novel about the challenging reunion between a therapist and his long-ago patient, who is now a philosophical counselor.

By imagining the unexpected intersection of Jewish philosopher Spinoza’s life with that of powerful Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg, bestselling novelist Irvin Yalom explores the mindsets of two men separated by 300 years. Psychotherapy.net is pleased to publish this exclusive excerpt, as well as offer signed copies of this book.

Anger management expert, Christian Conte, PhD, describes his unique and highly effective approach to teaching and counseling violent offenders.

Therapist Jay Reeve offers advice on balancing structured, direct instruction and process-oriented exploration in supervision sessions with new therapists.

Therapist Bob Livingstone offers grieving therapists advice about the effects of mourning upon therapeutic practice.

A therapist reflects upon the dark side of the profession—stress, anxiety, and burnout—and offers helpful insights as well as activities for combating these negative states using professional community building and art making.

The main elements of successful therapy include a positive therapeutic alliance, a clear focus, a coherent problem formulation, and improvised techniques—not a particular theoretical orientation.

A therapist explores her experiences of racism by investigating her family's history of racist trauma.

Psychoanalyst and Zen master, Joseph Bobrow, PhD, describes his groundbreaking work providing healing retreats for traumatized veterans and their families. 

Dr. Steidinger discusses the benefits of joining the growing field of sports psychology.

Clinical Psychologist and Buddhism expert Tara Brach, PhD, shares her insights about working with pain and suffering, meeting our edge and softening, and the simple but profound technique she uses with clients to bring mindful awareness into their daily lives.

Reflections on the client's capacity for change, including a case study of a successful single-session therapeutic intervention.

Poems by Esther Wright-Wilson about those unsettling moments in therapy that we can all relate to.

Dr. Sommers discusses the prevalent problem of cultural silencing called "niceness," and offers case studies and advice for addressing associated client issues of anxiety and helplessness.

Hardy brings family therapy to life with this compelling and instructive case vignette of his work with an African-American family.

A no-holds-barred account from the front lines of the psychiatric emergency room at America's oldest public hospital.

We all know that clients may withhold critical information, but what do we do when they deliberately lie? Jeffrey Kottler explores this in an excerpt from his latest book, The Assassin and the Therapist: An Exploration of Truth in Psychotherapy and in Life.

Richard Halgin shares the story of a long-term client's unexpected death, and how he managed his professional boundaries around this tragic event.

A psychotherapist explores client-therapist boundaries and termination issues in a particularly intensive course of therapy.

Marriage and family therapist Susan Hardy explains the usefulness of "acting as if" in changing emotions and behavior.

Humorous yet profound musings on psychotherapy and the human condition, excerpted from his recent book, Words Against the Void.

In a discussion of the growing problem of work-life balance in American culture, Dr. Philipson shares the stories of clients whose overidentification with work ended in disaster.

Working in the here-and-now of the therapeutic relationship requires therapists to be fully engaged, and take risks in revealing themselves. But utilizing the transference and counter-transference makes for rewarding and powerful therapy.