In a recent debate about mental health services in Britain’s House of Commons, a Member of Parliament paused and laid aside his prepared notes, departing from the abstractions of rhetoric, the lingua franca of all legislative bodies since antiquity, and spoke at length in concrete terms of his own past experience with debilitating depression. The very next speaker, possibly prompted by his colleague’s candor, decided to see and raise the ante on a past history of mental health challenges, revealing…
Who Cares About Creativity?
“Who cares about creativity? I have real problems to deal with!” This is a common reply that I get from clients (and sometimes from colleagues!) when I bring up the topic of creativity. However, the more I have a chance to write and reflect on the subject of creativity, the more convinced I become that creativity is an essential part of the healing process. I recently had an opportunity to interview Dennis Palumbo, a therapist and writer in private practice in…
Reid Wilson on Strategic Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
Leading anxiety disorder expert Reid Wilson, PhD, discusses strategic cognitive therapy and his paradoxical interventions and exposure techniques that target some of the most vexing and treatment-resistant anxiety disorders.
Emotional Healing Through Creativity (Or: How Creativity Got a Bad Name and What We Can Do About It)
As a therapist and theatre instructor, I hear many stories about creativity. It usually goes something like this: Creativity is something you either have or don’t have, and if you have it, you’re probably manic, anxious and neurotic. Certainly, very few clients come to me complaining that they don’t have enough creativity in their lives. However, I’ve come to experience that healthy creativity (and yes, I believe that this exists!) can help in the process of emotional healing. For the past…
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Last Sunday night I dropped a pot of boiling water on my hand. My quick thinking teen aged son who was standing near by promptly grabbed me, led me to the sink and held my burned wrist under perfectly tepid running water. Shortly there after we took a quick trip to the ER where they wrapped me up and sent me back home. I’m healing nicely. But the white bandage around my left hand has been good fodder all week in…
Who Else Wants To Know Why Americans Spell Counseling With A Single “L”?
A while back, when I opened my afternoon snail mail I received a card from Dr. Thomas W. Clawson, CEO of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). Dr. Clawson asked in his correspondence if I knew why the words counseling and counselor are spelled with a single “L” in the U.S., while in England and Canada the words are correctly spelled with two “Ls” (i.e., counselling or counsellor). He then went on to answer his own question. The mystery, he…
Albert Ellis and the Traveling Road Show
As a master’s level graduate student at the University of Missouri, St. Louis I was very fortunate to have Dr. Patricia Jakubowski as my advisor. Pat was not only a recognized behaviorist, but she was also a pioneer in the assertiveness training movement. Best of all, she had befriended a psychotherapist who was very close to Dr. Albert Ellis. That’s right the Dr. Albert Ellis. At the time, it was virtually impossible for a student such as myself who didn’t own…
Philip Kendall on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT scholar and expert Dr. Philip Kendall discusses the evolution of CBT theory over the years, his work with Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck and his empirically validated treatment program for kids and adolescents with anxiety.
The Joy of Small Miracles in Psychotherapy
I admit that I really do like to see breakthroughs now and again. I suppose they help me hang in better when all those feelings come through my door, whipping up my own like a wind gust on dry leaves…
Grief and Gratitude: Working with Stroke Survivors
After suffering from a stroke herself, a therapist recounts her journey from patient to professional, culminating in her leading groups for other stroke survivors.