Career counseling expert, Spencer Niles, offers poignant insights from his more than three decades helping people find their calling.
A Little Girl in a Dark Corner
Some mornings Nora would wake up, and the little girl would be there. She would always be curled up in the darkest corner of the room, concealed behind the curtains. Her un-natural white skin, her bare feet, and a part of her burgundy-red dress would be clearly visible in the early morning light. She looked wicked, and the very fact of her presence in the room seemed uncanny. But at the same time, Nora felt a compelling desire, almost a necessity,…
Whiteness Matters: Exploring White Privilege, Color Blindness and Racism in Psychotherapy
Explore White privilege in the psychology profession and the importance of confronting it with education, curiosity & humility.
Nothing To Say
Clair* walks into my office this morning as she does every week. She sits downs and looks up. “I’ve got nothing to say today,” she tells me. Sometimes, I say nothing. I just sit and wait. Something will come. The unconscious mind can often be counted on to send something forward into the silence. But sometimes I feel the need to help things along. “Well,” I say, “What’s most on your mind?” Clair has been with me for a little over…
The Secret to Getting More Therapy Referrals from Smartphone Users
The shift from desktop/laptop computers to mobile devices—especially smartphones—has progressed faster than anyone predicted. In most parts of the United States, it is now typical for over 50% of searches for therapists to happen on iPhones or Android phones. Google itself admitted in May 2015 that there are now more searches on mobile than desktop/laptop computers. And while Google commands only about 67% of desktop/laptop searches, they control over 80% of searches on smartphones. On the surface this would seem like…
Jill Scharff on Object Relations Therapy with Couples
Psychotherapist and object relations expert, Jill Scharff, distills pearls of wisdom from her extensive career working with couples and families.
Hide-and-Seek in Online Therapy
I thought we had our session today… My client Jane was right, I had just missed the therapy session we had booked. It had not happened to me before, and I felt guilty. Online therapists know how the virtual and body-less nature of the encounter makes it easier to fail each other, be it for the client, or for the therapist. The precious relational tissue seems even more fragile. I always attend to mending these ruptures as well as I can, but…
Statistics Don’t Lie…Except When They Do
As I was working on my doctorate I became interested in home stereo amplifiers. Armed with a fellow doctorate student who possessed infinite knowledge in this area I began the search for the perfect amplifier. My interest rapidly escalated into what could arguably have been diagnosed as a full-blown obsession. I visited stereo stores near and far. I read an endless stream of articles in the stereo magazines. I spoke with salesmen, saleswomen, and manufacturer’s representatives. I attended stereo conventions. But…
Lynn Grodzki on Building a Successful Private Practice
Psychotherapist and business coach Lynn Grodski describes the challenges that many clinicians face in private practice, and the necessary steps to building a flourishing business.
Losing Faith: Arguing for a New Way to Think About Therapy
Psychologist Scott Miller, who has spent years researching what works in psychotherapy, details the dark days after losing his faith in the profession, and his long journey back to loving and believing in his vocation once again.