Learning to Talk

/
Learning to Talk

I have a client right now, let’s call him Brian, who’s been teaching me a lot of lessons about agency and patience.  He’s quite young - under 15, over 10, right in the middle of things - and he’s quite sensitive.  His parents have been quick to tell me that he’s been having a lot of trouble lately and like to give me little updates about him whenever we see each other.  To ask him, there’s nothing to worry about.  And though I agree with him, I do know that there’s a lot going on in his world that’s pretty troubling - the sort of thing that could be cause for worry if ignored over the long term...

Read More

Origins of Adulthood

/
Origins of Adulthood

Growing up is a difficult thing to do, but there’s not a lot of choice about it.  When I was a teen I was basically a good kid, though I managed to get into a lot of trouble anyway.  My parents didn’t know why this was happening, my sister didn’t know why this was happening, and I certainly didn’t know why this was happening.  And while I think I know now, the best I can say is I have an educated guess that has helpfully contextualized my own struggle through adolescence and into adulthood...

Read More

The Myth of Therapy

/
The Myth of Therapy

In honor of a dear old friend who visited me over the weekend, I’m choosing to write about something a little more esoteric than usual this week.  His visit reminded me of why and how I got on track to become a psychotherapist in the first place; he called to memory the philosophical grounds of the work I try to do in every session with my clients...

Read More

The Strategy of Addiction

/
The Strategy of Addiction

On the home page of this site, I claim that everyone is a addicted to something, and I want to clarify such a big claim.  I understand addiction as a behavior, not a motivation.  While there is a lot of genetic and social nuance to consider, no one is addicted because they’re an addict - that’s simply not how people or logic work...

Read More

The Holiday Therapy Post

/
The Holiday Therapy Post

It’s pretty much a given; there are a lot of therapy blogs out there, and we all write about the holidays.  Most posts fall on either side of a line: are the holidays good or bad for a person’s emotional health?  They have a point, since solstice holidays are family holidays, whether genetic or chosen, and family is intense for everyone. That said, this idea of an event (or anything!) being simply good or bad is a falsehood...

Read More