- Abuse
- Addictions
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Autism Spectrum
- Borderline Personality
- Bullying
- Children
- Communication
- Conflict Resolution
- Couples Therapy
- Cultural Factors
- Depression
- Divorce
- Elder Care
- Energy Therapy
- Family
- Grief
- Habit Change
- Happiness
- Health
- Infidelity
- Jealousy
- Life Transitions
- Loneliness
- Love
- Marriage
- Narcissism
- Organizational Psychology
- Panic Attacks
- Parental Alienation
- Parenting
- Political Psychology
- Ptsd
- Relationships
- Self-Help
- Sex
- Sleep
- Social Skills
- Sports Psychology
- Suicide
- Teenagers
- Therapy
Family, Love, Marriage, Relationships
Here's a way you can catch a glimpse of the future. Take a look at what you've been doing in four arenas of your life to view the kinds of connections that are likely to lie ahead for you in your elder years....
Life Transitions, Self-Help
Felicia, who sat next to me on a recent airplane flight, is a powerful tall, strongly built Black woman who has worked for eleven years as a guard in the US federal prison system. I liked Felicia immediately, and learned a lot about jail and life from talking with her....
Anxiety, Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
People may call worried, nervous, or anxious feelings "stress" or "tension." Understanding these emotions can launch you on a pathway toward feeling better....
Borderline Personality, Self-Help, Therapy
The anger that the borderline individual thinks is helpful in fact pushes folks away....
Children, Narcissism, Parenting, Sports Psychology
When he had been young, Paul easily rose to the top of the world of junior tennis by winning many junior tennis tournaments. Throughout his high school years he ranked at the top not only in his city but in the state, the region and the country. What was the price?...
Self-Help, Therapy
How far back do you look when you want to learn from the past? Your monkey ancestors actually can teach you much about why you do what you do now....
Energy Therapy, Self-Help, Therapy
There’s a revolution going on in the world of healing emotional and also physical distress. The revolution hinges on a remarkable discovery. We all can access far more knowledge, including self-knowledge of what we need to heal, than most of us ever have believed we can know....
Depression, Energy Therapy, Therapy
Wouldn't it be amazing if you could left depression with a simple five or ten minute treatment? The new techniques in the videos in this article may come close!...
Bullying, Children, Energy Therapy, Therapy
Bullying can induce phobias and emotional hyper-sensitivy. This new treatment method can erase potential lifelong damage from traumatic events....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Studies continue to show that relationship education courses significantly upgrade a couple's chances of enjoying a long and strong bond together. With effective apology, emotional self-regulation, communication and conflict resolution skills, partnerships of all sorts are more likely to thrive....
Family, Marriage, Parenting, Self-Help
When is an ideal time to have children? And what are the consequences for your future life of that decision?...
Borderline Personality, Family, Parenting
A parent's borderline personality disorder can have lifelong devastating effects on sons and daughters. What can help children who have a parent who rages at them?...
Infidelity, Marriage
Most affairs occur because naïve partners slide into sexual situations they can't handle. Learn about gerbils to understand why....
Love, Relationships, Self-Help
What can you do to increase the odds that you will succeed in selecting a mate and sealing the deal?...
Anxiety, Health
Feeling anxious? Concerned about high blood pressure? It's possible that certain alternative treatments may ease the symptoms of both. Here are over a dozen options....
Couples Therapy, Marriage, Sex, Therapy
Surprisingly few marriage therapists inquire in sufficient detail about ttheir couples' sexual activity, or focus enough on sexual issues during treatment....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
It's frustrating—and disempowering—when someone ignores what you say. Why do they do it?...
Health, Narcissism
What is it about narcissistic habits that may put individuals with these habits at increased risk for COVID?...
Family, Parenting, Relationships
As your parents age into the autumn years of their lives, what kind of relationship do you want to create with them?...
Communication, Couples Therapy, Relationships
Before you think of committing to marriage, be sure that you and your potential partner have the communication skills to build a marriage that will be forever loving and lasting....
Family, Political Psychology, Relationships
Democrats and Republicans tend to see each other through the prisms of rigid negative beliefs. Could a more mutually respectful perspective enable us all to get along better?...
Self-Help, Therapy
Try this quick three-question visualization to learn the essence of the kind of work you most enjoy doing....
Marriage, Therapy
Is web-based therapy the way of the future? And is the future already here now?...
Family, Parental Alienation, Parenting
What common misunderstandings about alienation can hinder parents in the struggle to reconnect with an alienated child?...
Communication, Conflict Resolution, Relationships
Conflicts can create irritation, anger, anxiety, or depression. This 3-step pathway from conflict to resolution will make your life feel easier, happier, and more peaceful....
Communication, Conflict Resolution, Sports Psychology
Cluelessness about the skills that sustain cooperative dialogue puts people at risk for difficulties in their relationships—in friendships, at work, and at home....
Communication, Conflict Resolution, Therapy
Five emotional-self-regulation techniques that can help put an end to arguing....
Conflict Resolution, Depression, Sports Psychology
Tennis players need to become masters of managing disappointment. Winning is an addictive upper. Yet by the end of every tournament, all the players but one have lost....
Family, Happiness, Parenting
A one-day-old newborn can teach a major lesson about happiness....
Life Transitions, Teenagers, Therapy
Why are anxiety, anger, depression and addictive habits plaguing so many college students? It may have to do in part with the prescriptions for pills that they bring with them....
Self-Help, Therapy
What exactly do therapists do that enables their clients to feel better? Here are some of my favorite therapy techniques....
Conflict Resolution, Depression, Relationships
Psychologists have long pondered what is the cause, and the evolutionary purpose, of depressed feelings. Dogs have the answer....
Abuse, Political Psychology
Families with skills for healthy parenting and cooperative partnering raise people who value cooperation. Cultures that allow violence at home produce terrorists. What can we do?...
Resilience, Self-Help
Check out these multiple vital strategies for resiliently responding to coronavirus-related concerns, parental alienation, relationship challenges, economic disasters, and more....
Autism Spectrum
Can children with autism and other mental and physical handicaps grow into adults who can sing, dance, build friendships and enjoy life? Take a look at this video and find out....
Communication, Happiness, Marriage, Relationships, Sex
Does perfect love result in a perfect marriage of two spouses who “live happily ever after?” Not so says forthright and funny journalist Elizabeth Weil, author of the newly released marriage-upgrade saga No Cheating, No Dying. And according to recent marriage research, that kind of perfection is not even desirable....
Political Psychology
When the term "mentally ill" is used to describe President Trump, is the term being used appropriately?...
Narcissism, Self-Help, Therapy
Are you aware of the one habit that can prove most vexing if there's a narcissist whom you often deal with in your life?...
Anger, Borderline Personality, Family, Parenting
Parents' harsh anger can emotionally disable a son or daughter—child or adult....
Abuse, Family, Parenting
What can be done when parents, who are supposed to nurture their children, instead treat them destructively?...
Communication, Marriage, Relationships
Odds are that if you have a tendency to criticize your spouse, you mistakenly have been expecting perfection. Big mistake....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Want people to like you when you correspond with them via email? Pay attention to these two factors. One or two moments of checking can have huge impact....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
All people from time to time find themselves in a situation in which they want someone to see it their way. To be maximally persuasive, skip the sweet-talking, forget being insistent, and avoid all debating. Instead......
Depression, Happiness, Self-Help
Try this formula to ease mild to moderate depressed moods....
Habit Change, Health, Self-Help
Now is the best time to get effective at building new routines of exercise, healthier eating, and more....
Children, Parental Alienation
Adversarial divorce courts mostly fail miserably in cases of parental alienation. Here's what family courts could do instead to genuinely serve the best interests of children....
Love, Marriage, Relationships
Weddings may appear to be for the folks who are marrying. Yet they also offer potent messages to those who share the moment....
Anger, Family, Parenting
People who rage generally get diagnosed as having a borderline or a narcissistic personality disorder. Who is responsible for protecting their children?...
Self-Help
Why do smart people sometimes feel attracted to absurdly dangerous activities? Why do winter Olympic athletes for instance devote their lives to putting their lives in danger?...
Happiness, Health, Self-Help
Want to feel more upbeat? More enthusiastic about the day ahead when you wake up in the morning? Try this surprising remedy....
Communication, Family, Relationships
Notice your reactions when someone in your household growls or barks at you. Do you want others in your household to feel that way toward you?...
Parental Alienation, Therapy
Finding therapists who know how to help alienated children can be a nightmare....
Depression, Energy Therapy, Therapy
For about a third of folks who try antidepressant medications, pills do not alleviate the depression. Here's a good news round-up of alternative theories and treatments....
Family, Parental Alienation
The court system can let children, parents, and grandparents down. How can judges, lawyers, and advisory mental health professionals better protect them?...
Love, Marriage, Relationships
There's no time like Valentine's Day to think about what you can do to make your love relationship all the more positive....
Autism Spectrum, Narcissism, Therapy
Narcissism may simply indicate a not-yet-fully-developed capacity that some of us have more than others. Psychologists refer to this capability as "theory of mind."...
Health
Feeling discouraged about the havoc being wreaked by COVID-19? These new products and treatments could bring the pandemic to a halt....
Children, Family, Parenting
Parenting, they say, is the art of getting kids to do what you want them to do, and getting them to stop doing what you don't want them to do. How can play help with both?...
Anger, Political Psychology, Relationships
The phenomenon of parental alienation offers clues to understanding the rising tide of hatred currently flooding our country....
Communication, Love, Relationships
Infatuation feels great. Enjoy it. Just be sure to go beyond initial chemistry to a thoughtful decision before you say "I do."...
Anxiety, Depression, Health, Teenagers
Why do college students experience so much anxiety and depression? One young man discovered the causes for his distress plus an inspiring cure....
Happiness, Self-Help
On the relationship between bloggers and readers that makes readership better than fame....
Abuse, Political Psychology
Was Sochhi built with forced labor? Is sex trafficking real? Are you a slave?...
Communication, Political Psychology
Do you, or people you know, get too passionate when it comes to politics? If so, this experience is likely to sound familiar....
Anxiety, Health, Self-Help
Many say that modern life stimulates inordinate amounts of stress. How can you best combat the undue tensions and pressures in your life?...
Children, Family, Parenting, Teenagers
One factor may matter more than you might expect for kids in their teenage years. A recent study from Brazil and Romania has important implications for American teenagers....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Want to give gifts with impacts that will last year-round?...
Communication, Marriage, Therapy
One woman's dedication to the idea of marriage education reversed America's rising divorce rates and may have saved the institution of marriage....
Communication, Marriage
Trying to get your husband to help more at home? Forget it. Getting him to help you with housework implies that the work belongs to you to begin with. Change the paradigm to determining division of labor in your shared business of running a family. Deciding who does what at home then becomes a subject for cooperative problem-solving....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
How would you rate yourself as a listener? Rate yourself on this quiz to assess how well you connect with others....
Depression, Self-Help, Therapy
Diagnosing depression as an illness and treating it with medication may create new difficulties. What if you treat depression instead as indicating a problem in your life?...
Anxiety, Communication, Relationships
Stressful circumstances inevitably, from time to time, land on every couple's doorstep. It's what happens next that makes stress either shrink or grow....
Borderline Personality, Energy Therapy, Therapy
How do you feel toward yourself or someone you know whose emotions are stormy and sometimes frightening? Anger and hatred, anxiety, compassion—or all of the above?...
Communication, Narcissism, Relationships, Self-Help
Craving attention? Addicted to being the best? Why do folks who are extra-smart, tall, athletic, good-looking, or wealthy have higher rates of behaving like narcissists?...
Health, Parenting, Suicide, Teenagers
Teenage depression can lead to suicide. How can a parent be proactive?...
Organizational Psychology, Self-Help
Well-functioning organizations from businesses to governments to families, generally share two common traits. My votes for the two golden guidelines for are ......
Communication, Family, Parenting, Teenagers
Teens nowadays like to have fashionable clothes, high tech electronics, and sports equipment. But here are the gifts they value more and truly need....
Communication, Conflict Resolution, Relationships
Do you avoid conflict? This strategy can enable you to share your differing view in a way that keeps your relationships harmonious....
Counseling, Family, Parental Alienation
Long legal battles prolong and intensify alienation. The longer the courts take to intervene, the worse the alienation is likely to become, and the harder to reverse....
Marriage, Sex
A sexless marriage is a vulnerable marriage. Here are some strategies if yours looks to be in jeopardy....
Communication, Marriage, Relationships, Sex
What could sex and talking together possibly have in common? Lots.......
Divorce, Family, Parenting
Do father and mother know best? Will kids feel caught in the middle? Or are kids the experts in what will be best for them?...
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
There is a common yet all-too-potent word that can profoundly undermine you. It also can antagonize others. Fortunately, there's tricks for eliminating it from your vocabulary....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
The notion of constructive criticism is bogus. Criticism stings. Instead, give feedback. That's more useful and generally painless. Can you tell the difference? Here's three examples to test out your ear....
Health, Self-Help
What could a lowly organism like slime mold teach us about handling the challenges of this time of both medical and financial potential disasters?...
Communication, Conflict Resolution, Self-Help
To settle conflicts with resolutions you both feel good about, use this worksheet to guide you through the three steps of the "win-win waltz." You can both always be right....
Self-Help, Sports Psychology
What separates world-class performers from everyone else is how they practice. Here are the keys to becoming far better at whatever you love doing....
Anxiety, Depression, Happiness, Self-Help
Your self-talk can keep you feeling good—or can make you prone to depression, anger, or anxiety. Take this quiz to clarify if your self-talk habits are helping or hurting you....
Self-Help, Therapy
Assigning a psychological diagnostic label can harm your emotional health and your relationships. At the same time, diagnostic clarity can be a benefit. Proceed with caution!...
Addictions, Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Therapy
Bump Theory explains why you feel bad and how to feel better. The theory offers a map for self-help, and also for integrative therapists—those who use many techniques....
Children, Family, Parenting
Want to raise good kids? Avoid two harmful discipline techniques, and use instead four far more positive options....
Infidelity, Marriage
Prevention of affairs beats recovery. But after the damage has been done, what makes recovery possible? Can the breach of trust from lying ever heal?...
Cultural Factors, Energy Therapy, Self-Help
Ever wonder why you turn people off? Or why someone you know is so hard to be around?...
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
When all looks lost in a relationship, what resources can you turn to that are likely to make a difference? And which kinds of help are most useful when?...
Health, Resilience, Self-Help
Tennis players must recover from frustrating points within 25 seconds. Tennis players are just humans. If they do resilience so quickly, you can learn to do it too....
Addictions, Anger, Infidelity, Marriage
I call them the three A's. Beware, unless you want a divorce, as they are the behaviors most likely to become marriage deal-breakers. You may be more susceptible than you think....
Depression, Health, Therapy
A depressive collapse can leave you feeling powerless, self-critical and discouraged. What popped your inner self-confidence balloon however can feel like a mystery....
Couples Therapy, Marriage, Self-Help
Eric Clapton's famed song suggests "Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself." To diagnose and fix problems that come up in your marriage, sit down and look inward instead of pointing fingers at your spouse's errors....
Family, Parental Alienation, Therapy
Parental alienation is a form of child abuse—and recognizing, diagnosing, and treating it can be tricky. Here's how therapists can handle these challenging cases....
Children, Family, Parenting
What do students need from their parents? Freud had a surprisingly solid definition many years ago. With tough economic times likely to lie ahead, it's worth paying attention to what Freud said....
Anger, Anxiety, Depression
Much has been written of late of the downsides of taking medications for emotional difficulties. Try these alternative options....
Family, Parental Alienation
A family court judge has suggested a three-pronged parental alienation prevention strategy. Learn what you can do to help....
Conflict Resolution, Political Psychology
"You have to fight to feel good." In my twenties, when I was living in New York with a group of post-college friends, Bob was a tall handsome young man in our cadre who took this slogan about protests as his raison d'etre. But is it true? When are protests and fights good for you?...
Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Self-Help
No need to panic about panic attacks. Anxiety surges happen to many folks. The good news though is that butterflies explain how panic attacks can prove helpful for you....
Cultural Factors, Parental Alienation, Political Psychology
Recognition of false narratives and projection can help protect you from people who genuinely do want to harm you....
Family, Parental Alienation, Therapy
Does a couple have to be divorced for parental alienation to occur?...
Family, Parental Alienation, Parenting, Therapy
One challenge with parental alienation is finding professionals informed enough to provide effective help, especially with regard to dealing with the legal system....
Couples Therapy, Marriage, Relationships
Are coping with a tough marriage, or getting through a divorce, inevitably painful? Here's two factors that can alleviate much of the sting....
Anger, Communication, Therapy
Whether it's low-level irritation or high-intensity rage, speaking or acting in anger can poison relationships. Fortunately, this simple system can end needless anger....
Communication, Relationships, Therapy
There's many ways to get marriage help, with or without the participation of your spouse. Here's three options for fixing marriage problems on your own....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Want to become more effective when someone you love, or someone you work with, keeps doing something that bugs you?...
Communication, Family, Love, Marriage, Relationships
"If I should get sick, who would take care of me?" It's a good question—and one that could lead to positive life changes....
Couples Therapy, Marriage, Self-Help
Country music group Pistol Annies poignantly sings about how marriage can become a trap. At the same time, the words suggest ways to open the trap and find routes to happiness,...
Health, Political Psychology
Faulty thinking by decision-makers may be preventing better results in fighting the pandemic....
Borderline Personality, Parenting, Teenagers
What can you do if one or more of your children, young or grown, shows the emotional hyper-reactivity and excessive anger that characterize borderline personality disorder?...
Family, Relationships
Use this guide to managing negative feelings if you are expecting that emotional challenges lie ahead....
Conflict Resolution, Political Psychology
A Pakistani scholar of international relations has proposed a strategy for helping her country shift from a culture of violence to a culture of collaborative dialogue and cooperative conflict resolution. The program she proposes is remarkably similar to the work I do as a therapist with couples in conflict....
Autism Spectrum, Narcissism
What do you think: narcissism, Asperger's, both, or neither?...
Life Transitions, Self-Help
Aiming for personal happiness and positive relationships, yet having trouble finding your way?...
Couples Therapy, Marriage, Relationships, Self-Help
Mistaken advice about marriage can have potent impacts. Beware especially of these relationship-wreckers....
Communication, Marriage, Relationships
Love may find its ultimate expression in the decision of two people to live their lives in permanent collaborative partnership. Why does this decision sometimes lead to misery instead of joyful collaboration?...
Conflict Resolution, Family, Relationships
Families can be fountains of strength. At the same time, all families are fragile. Internal factors like a parent with mental health issues, and also outside factors like job loss or economic stresses, can overwhelm a couple's abilities to cope in good humor. One temporarily fractured couple has written profound advice relevant to all parents....
Abuse, Family, Parenting
Have you ever seen what emotional abuse looks like? Here's a live example from a story that broke just this past week. What would you do if you saw someone doing this to a teenager?...
Communication, Family, Relationships
When and why did you experience sibling rivalry? With hindsight, what do you know now that you didn't understand then that makes the rivalry vanish?...
Borderline Personality, Family, Relationships
These comments from readers of my earlier postings on borderline personality disorder have useful suggestions for understanding and coping with family members who rage....
Family, Parenting, Relationships
I dread Mothers Day because I deeply miss my Mom. That's her with me in this picture. If your mom has a borderline personality disorder, however, there's other reasons why Mothers' Day may be no fun....
Family, Narcissism, Parental Alienation
An alienating parent who behaves narcissistically may do lasting harm....
Children, Family, Marriage
Gaining an adult’s perspective on the childhood relationships that formed templates for your marriage relationship can be very helpful. Journalist Elizabeth Weil's candid new book No Cheating, No Dying relates how she and her husband learned from their pasts to enhance their love in the present....
Life Transitions, Love, Relationships
Looking for someone to hug? To hold? To cherish and to cherish you?...
Love, Marriage, Relationships, Self-Help
Statistics and speculations on the causes of the epidemic of singleness spreading over our country, and how to combat it....
Anger, Communication, Relationships
Lo and behold, the old expression of anger ‘Go take a hike!’ turns out to be good advice....
Addictions, Children, Health, Parenting, Teenagers
Beware....Whether you call it pot, weed or marijuana, the long-term impacts of this mind-altering drug, especially for kids and teenagers, spells danger....
Conflict Resolution, Marriage, Therapy
Can all marriage conflicts be resolved? Two leading marriage psychologists, Dr. Gottman and Dr. Heitler, attempt to resolve their opposing views on this issue....
Marriage, Self-Help, Therapy
Is your marriage hitting bumps? Feeling hopeless? This self-help version of couples counseling can put you on smoother and more solid ground....
Cultural Factors, Marriage
Texts from 1500 years ago abound with teachings about how to create healthy marriage partnerships. Here's a sampling of six....
Loneliness, Relationships, Self-Help
Needing to break free of social isolation and to begin forming gratifying connections?...
Ptsd, Therapy
Psychotherapy for PTSD tends to be lengthy and only somewhat effective. Upcoming neuropsychological treatments may offer survivors new hope....
Health, Self-Help
A new book sheds light on the question of whether natural approaches to diet, childbirth, healing and the environment really keep us healthier and happier....
Anger, Communication, Family
Abuse of family members can be emotional (too much anger), verbal (telling others what to do, criticizing, blame, name-calling, swearing) or physical. How can you stop it?...
Jealousy, Relationships, Self-Help
Jealousy eats you up inside and causes you to pick fights with the one you love. How could this distressing feeling be a helpful solution to a real-life dilemma? Here's how....
Life Transitions, Self-Help
Job loss can empty your pockets and your self-confidence as well. Here's strategies to help you recover from this and other emotional wounds....
Depression, Health, Therapy
An interview with former CNN medical correspondent Jeff Levine helps answer if ketamine really conquers depression....
Communication, Family, Parenting
Try reading this story to your children if they sometimes make too much noise. The story was written by a five-year-old boy who was trying to learn to tame his volume....
Communication, Relationships, Sports Psychology
Maybe football is more than "just a game." Maybe football reminds us about what is best about American culture....
Communication, Divorce, Marriage
Katie Holmes' divorce from Tom Cruise caught many folks by surprise. Here's one analysis of how marriages come apart....
Children, Health, Parenting
What helps kids to cease sucking their thumbs? The same principles can prove useful for grownups with problematic habits....
Life Transitions
What can you do if the past is too much in your present, blocking you from enjoying the now?...
Infidelity, Marriage
Does the threat of an infidelity sound scarey to you? It should. Affairs are among the most greedy and selfish things a spouse can do. They can wreak havoc with personal happiness and with marital bonds. At the same time, the best antidote to anxiety is information. Here's a batch....
Health, Ptsd, Therapy
A just-released psychological journal article can help you understand why bad memories and images may not leave your mind ... and what can help you to send them away....
Depression, Elder Care, Health
Research has confirmed the potency of this remarkable antidepressant....
Emotional Intelligence, Self-Help
The flush of cheeks could look like happiness. Or is it really shame or even humiliation?...
Cultural Factors, Marriage, Relationships
Did you notice how strong a role marriage played in so many of the Oscar winners?...
Self-Help, Therapy
Not all therapy proves to be helpful. How can you assess if the particular therapist and treatment you are involved with are likely to succeed in helping you to solve your problems? Here are two perspectives and a set of nine guiding questions....
Communication, Self-Help
Three speech patterns, which I call the 3-D's, are especially likely to trigger depressed feelings in a receiver. Do any of these sound familiar to you?...
Adhd, Self-Help
Children with attention deficits tend to be recognized by parents, pediatricians and teachers. Adult ADD sufferers by contrast often go undiagnosed. Yet adult ADD can destroy relationships at home and at work....
Family, Grief
What would you do if you suddenly found that you had to care for a depressed and grieving parent?...
Couples Therapy, Marriage, Therapy
In my view, it may be a very mistaken—albeit common—practice to treat individuals without assessing their relationship and family life....
Anxiety, Parenting, Teenagers
Anxiety is rising to epidemic levels among teens. These strategies can help....
Communication, Relationships, Technology
What is the role of smartphones and apps in blocking the development of relationship connections?...
Conflict Resolution, Political Psychology, Relationships
With emotions running high, will anger, anxiety and depression cause all sides of this divorce to be losers?...
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Effectively expressing feelings enables us to move on from troubling negative emotions. It also brings us closer to those with whom we share these feelings....
Counseling, Depression, Self-Help
When you feel down, discouraged or frustrated, Buddhist concepts and techniques that focus you in the immediate present can offer surprising relief. Here's an accessible guide....
Love, Relationships, Self-Help
After years of distancing and fighting, the couple has separated. Is there any way to save their love from splitting apart forever?...
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Mad at someone? Healing dialogues that lead to learning from a past upset can turn what felt like a curse into a blessing....
Love, Relationships, Self-Help
Falling in love is passive. Sustaining love takes actions. Do you take these actions? often enough?...
Communication, Relationships, Social Skills
I can vouch for this getting-to-know-folks strategy having just returned from my husband's 45th college reunion where I knew virtually no one....
Depression, Marriage, Relationships
Can marriage cause depression? These 9 findings can help you understand the connection....
Communication, Conflict Resolution, Relationships
What is it about snide remarks and dismissive listening that make these habits so potently destructive?...
Narcissism, Self-Help, Therapy
As one narcissistic fellow said, "I feel like I'm a knight on a giant white steed while others are just tiny beings below my feet... Still, if I knew better, I'd do better."...
Conflict Resolution, Political Psychology, Relationships
What are the deeper motives underlying some jihadists' attraction to terrorism? It turns out that sex and power, used abusively, lie at the heart of Islamic terrorism....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Communication is the flow of information in relationships. Information flows between people just like water flows in nature's streams. Smooth laminar flow is good. Bumpy turbulence causes problems....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Water, traffic and words all flow. When the flow is laminar, that is, smooth, the interactions feel cooperative. Blockage and turbulence in the flow of speech signal that cooperation has broken down, replaced by listening blockages and adversarilal stances....
Children, Health, Parenting
Having difficulty getting your child to bed down in the evenings? Check out this new book for frazzled families....
Couples Therapy, Marriage, Therapy
If you and your spouse have had some tough times and turned for help to a couples counselor, how can you assess if the therapy is genuinely helping? Many folks in couples counseling are uncertain as to what to use as a measuring stick. Whether the therapist is "a nice person" is not sufficient. Try this quiz instead....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Men rush for the finish line. Women explore, communicating about various underlying concerns. And therein lies the struggle. What can you do about it?...
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
What makes a good conversationalist? These 10 key factors may surprise you....
Happiness, Marriage
Have you ever wondered how your relationship or intimate partnership would score on a quiz rating marriage happiness? Beware! Some quizzes can hurt you instead of helping....
Anxiety, Health, Therapy
Some years ago a woman came to my office seeking psychotherapy for suicidal thoughts in response to extreme pain in the vulvar area. The pain waxed and waned, but when it was on, any movement or contact with clothes or seating prvoked intolerable stabbing, shooting, fiery pain. "Talking therapy can't do anything for physical agony!" I thought to myself. I was wrong....
Anxiety, Parenting
Do you know a high school or college student struggling with anxiety? While most teenagers worry from time to time, anxiety that's too frequent and too intense can be dreadful....
Family, Parenting, Relationships
So many moms, and dads as well now, have too much to do with juggling work and home life. Ever thought your family could use a nanny? A nanny may also need you!...
Communication, Family, Relationships
How aware are you of potential emotional hazards in your household?...
Cultural Factors, Family, Relationships
Big families are relatively rare these days. It's even rarer for multiple generations to live in the same city. Even if they do, odds are that the family members rarely get together beyond weddings and major holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving. My secretary's family succeeds. How do they do it?...
Communication, Parenting, Relationships
What can a children's game teach us about sustaining positive relationships and being a winner in life?...
Narcissism, Relationships, Self-Help
Poetry can prove surprisingly beneficial for healing from a toxic relationship. The images in these poems can help guide the way through the five challenging steps of recovery....
Communication, Love, Relationships
What are the risks and potential solutions to nourishing both time together and time apart? Here's seven guidelines to think about....
Health, Relationships
If someone you love leaves you, you are likely to suffer potent urges to bring them back. Neuro-imaging studies are beginning to clarify why....
Anger, Children, Parenting
When children learn that throwing angry fits gets them what they want, why should they change? Likewise for lovers and spouses who find that anger works to control their mate....
Communication, Couples Therapy, Relationships
Are you and your loved one living the opposite of happily ever after? If your partnership is yielding fear, resentment or anger, maybe it's time to reverse the trend....
Anger, Borderline Personality, Narcissism
How much of a role does gender play in diagnostic labeling of people who rage?...
Happiness, Self-Help
Darren was furious. Claudia too couldn't understand why her new husband Darren's family hadn't invited them to their recent dinner party. Worse, her in-laws had tried to keep the party a secret from them. Darren was so upset, he couldn't stop talking about it. It would ruin his Christmas. How could they get even?...
Narcissism, Self-Help
Do you or someone you know has narcissistic habits? If so, check out these resources....
Anger, Therapy
There's diagnostic categories in the DSM for anxiety disorders, and also for depression. Why not for anger? What a peculiar blind spot!...
Anxiety, Depression, Political Psychology
The election and its aftermath has precipitated post-election depression—plus anger and anxiety—for many voters. Here's a strategy for returning to a state of well-being, asap....
Family, Parenting, Relationships
Grandchildren are the privilege and delight of increasingly fewer seniors. Those who do have grandkids too often live at too far a distance to reach out and hug them....
Political Psychology, Relationships
Want to know the secret to what makes a group tick or tumble? Look to Freud....
Anger, Communication, Health
Preventive action can address low blood sugar from creating irritability....
Communication, Marriage, Relationships
What level of achievement do you aim for in your marriage? Are you satisfied with a good enough relationship or do you aim to become a dream-team?...
Counseling, Political Psychology, Relationships
Freud's brilliant insight, "Groups take on the personality of the leader," is worth taking to heart. Policy matters, but so does personality. What Presidential personality traits do Americans seek in these treacherous economic times?...
Borderline Personality, Family, Narcissism
Do people with borderline personality patterns fear abandonment because they know that they can be difficult to live with? And if so, why do they often act so unpleasantly?...
Health, Sleep
When does feeling tired during the day become a sign of a significant underlying problem? And what are the treatment options?...
Life Transitions, Relationships, Self-Help
Decision-making is especially challenging when the stakes are high. Here's a 3-step pathway to guide you along your way....
Health, Self-Help, Therapy
How much good feeling have you been experiencing? Would you like more? Check out these 5 factors....
Communication, Conflict Resolution, Relationships
When couples fight about money, they are moving forward on a high risk road. Danger ahead....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Babies have needs. Are you a baby? If not, better find alternative words to "need" for expressing preferences....
Communication, Relationships
A former Miss America was molested for 15 years, from age 3 until she was 18, by her father. Does she forgive him? Should she? What is the nature of forgiveness?...
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
What patterns characterize productive and satisfying conversations?...
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Here's four ways that are likey to create bad feelings with work colleagues. They can also help you lose your job, end your love relationships, and wreck your holidays....
Counseling, Family, Political Psychology
Terrorism from abroad scares us, and yet the larger danger may be the terrorists we inadvertently are breeding within our own families and communities. Over 1000 research studies have clarified a frightening reality. Fortunately, there's lots you can do about it....
Counseling, Self-Help, Stress
Everyone from time to time gets worried thoughts. What's a way to put these thoughts to good use? And if you are a chronic worrier, what's an alternative path you might take?...
Communication, Relationships, Sports Psychology
Doubles tennis requires perfect partnership and mental skills as well as highest level athletic training. How did two strong individual players become world champions?...
Counseling, Health, Stress
How can healthcare professionals' dilemmas when they cope with medical epidemics offer a vital lesson to all of us about sustaining well-being?...
Family, Parenting, Relationships
Sustaining traditions is key to what the Maccabees, the Jewish freedom fighters of 2000 years ago, fought to preserve....
Communication, Marriage, Relationships
Does talent alone lead to great performance as a husband or wife? Or do you also need to learn strong marriage communication and conflict resolution skills....
Depression, Health, Therapy
If you or someone you know has been feeling uncharacteristically irritable, discouraged, self-critical, or down, help is available....
Energy Therapy, Health, Therapy
Can energy therapy treatment help a young boy with reading disabilities? Seems to be a resounding yes in this case. And help with his too-quiet voice as well. Here's how....
Depression, Health, Parenting
A new study suggests that depression during pregnancy can harm the baby's brain. Yet pregnant moms are advised not to take antidepressants. Fortunately, here's other options....
Borderline Personality, Narcissism
Why do folks with borderline personality disorder sometimes act in such astoundingly selfish and hurtful ways?...
Communication, Conflict Resolution, Parenting
What you do and don't do determines whether you will enjoy or battle your teen....
Anger, Communication
What pervasive psychological disorder was left out of the new diagnostic manual? Here's some hints: It's the habit most likely to make you look bad, and make you dislike others....
Abuse, Family, Parenting
Adrian Peterson's suspension from the NFL is offering an opportunity for learning for all football fans. Is discipline of children the same as punishment? What can this situation teach other parents?...
Children, Communication, Parenting
Even the most endearing of babies manage from time to time to do things that are provocative. It's best though to eliminate punishing them or even getting mad. There's less stressful, less hurtful, and far more effective ways to take charge....
Anxiety, Self-Help, Therapy
Help for perpetual anxiety can be difficult to find. Maybe exploring your genomic blueprint will enable you to discover the treatments you need....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Recent research suggests that stylish clothes and a big house may indicate that the person inside the showy clothes and home is at risk for narcissism, marriage problems, and less happiness. It may be though that upgrading your marriage communication skills can let you have it all....
Autism Spectrum, Narcissism, Relationships
“Of course not!” you might say dismissively. Not so quick. Better think again. And check the similarities that others are noticing....
Communication, Marriage, Relationships
Research has made it clear that who shall stay married and who shall divorce depends on skills for staying cooperative. If instead you get argumentative........
Marriage, Relationships, Self-Help
More thanks, praise and appreciation make for a more gratifying relationship. Here's how and why....
Counseling, Family, Political Psychology
Do your kids watch violence in movies, tv shows, on the internet or in video games? Do they observe violence in your home?...
Health, Marriage, Relationships
Recent European studies have been clarifying the impacts, good and bad, of marriage on heart health....
Self-Help, Therapy
Why, even more than physical health care, does mental health care go to so few of the folks who need it? Of those who do get help, what do they want the help for?...
Health, Self-Help, Therapy
What would your reaction be if your therapist asked you to close your eyes in a treatment session? A recent journal article supports eyes-closed mental imagery therapy techniques....
Communication, Couples Therapy, Relationships
If you are a therapist, to what extent do you follow these guidelines? If you are choosing a therapist, or evaluating whether to stay with one you've been with, here's help....
Family, Parental Alienation, Relationships
Does alienation exist only in post-divorce families? No. Look for population alienation as well as parental alienation. Both do massive harm....
Communication, Couples Therapy, Relationships
Leonardo Niño Rodríguez, a journalist in Colombia South America, recently asked me for a state-of-the-art assessment of couples therapy....
Borderline Personality, Counseling, Therapy
What happens in the lives of women and men who have a borderline personality disorder?...
Communication, Couples Therapy, Relationships
Does your couples therapist provide these essentials? If not, what can you do about it?...
Chronic Pain, Health, Therapy
New psychological tools are offering relief from long-term suffering from chronic pain....
Couples Therapy, Marriage, Relationships
Marriage is a high-skills activity. Without the skills, people get hurt. But what if only one partner is willing to seek help?...
Health, Therapy
Suffering from back pain? New research comparing a problem-specific version of CBT talk therapy with conventional back pain treatment yielded dramatic outcomes....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
People-pleasing has its up-sides. Generosity tends to uplift the giver as well as the receiver. Yet for the times when you really do not want to do something that someone has requested of you, here's a gracious way to say a clear no....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Do you have the emotional maturity of a young child—or spend time with a particularly childlike adult?...
Anger, Communication, Conflict Resolution
Did anyone ever tell you to think before you act? If your amygdala is hyperactive, you're at risk for "going back brain" and acting out anger before you think....
Counseling, Habit Change, Self-Help
Whether it's sports, anger, or eating that you want to manage well, knowing how to re-program your habits sets you up for success when you need it....
Communication, Family, Parenting
Fights about chores demoralize everyone in a family. At the same time, children's participation in the tasks that keep life going is vital to their become self-sustaining adults....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Clearing your language of these five needlessly provocative words and short phrases can have a surprisingly positive impact on your relationships....
Chronic Pain, Health, Therapy
Applications of a surprising technique may offer relief from the memory and thinking losses that we call dementia....
Communication, Conflict Resolution, Relationships
How does a sudden outbreak of war amongst civilized people in a sophisticated world-class city impact the life of a child? A psychologytoday.com reader shares her experiences....
Abuse, Children, Family, Parenting
6 Signs that indicate that a young person could be heading down a dangerous pathway. Helping that child, teen or young man to find a therapist to talk with could make all the difference between tragedy and a kid who turns out fine....
Counseling, Self-Help, Stress
Are you your own worst enemy? You may suffer from a subconscious phenomenon that therapists are just at the very beginning stages of recognizing and treating....
Family, Parenting, Relationships
First, folks who love children aim to be great parents. As seniors, they get the chance to aim also for being great grandparents. What's often their biggest challenge?...
Communication, Parenting, Relationships
Haim Ginott's parenting book revolutionized our ideas of how to talk with children....
Communication, Marriage, Relationships
Beware of marriage advice that suggests that all couples fight. They don't. Successful couples also don't sweep their differences under the rug. Here's an alternative....
Couples Therapy, Marriage, Therapy
Looking for help from a therapist? Ask for help from the right kind of pro! Ask for help from the wrong kind of therapy professional and your problems may get worse....
Counseling, Self-Help, Stress
Sports psychologists teach athletes to visualize making a winning basketball free throw or an effective tennis serve before doing the action. That’s because thinking prepares you for doing. When you think about something, the odds zoom upwards that you will do just what your mind was picturing. The lesson: be careful what you think about!...
Borderline Personality, Counseling, Therapy
When a man or woman with borderline personality patterns erupts in strong emotions, loved ones can feel under fire. At the same time, the person with BPD also suffers....
Borderline Personality, Relationships, Therapy
One aspect of the cluster of traits that lead to a borderline personality diagnosis lies at the core of this disorder. Hint: it's NOT anger....
Communication, Cultural Factors, Relationships
When couples start with different cultural backgrounds, their his-way, her-way expectations of intimacy, of what is private and what can be shared, can be confusing....
Conflict Resolution, Divorce, Relationships
Relationship endings can be difficult. This strategy works whether you are the one who initiates the breakup or the one who receives the bad news....
Bullying, Children, Parenting
Bullying happens to adults as well as to kids. And whether it happens when you are young or old, bullying can trigger long-term physical health consequences....
Relationships, Self-Help, Therapy
Therapists use this technique to help their clients gain insight and feel better. Can it also relieve upset feelings if you use it as a self-help technique?...
Love, Relationships, Self-Help
"Falling out of love" has become the most common cause of divorce, trumping even affairs and abuse. The good news is that it can be prevented....
Conflict Resolution, Relationships, Sex
This is the 7th post in a series addressing the question of whether and how all conflicts can be resolved. Sexual differences can be particularly sensitive to discuss....
Counseling, Self-Help, Therapy
How comfortable do you feel with yourself? The time-tested ideas of Donald Winnicott suggest that feeling good enough fosters acceptance from others....
Energy Therapy, Health, Self-Help
New energy psychology techniques may revolutionize the way psychologists and physicians treat pain. They sure have helped me....
Communication, Love, Relationships
Sexual enjoyment together helps to keep marital affection warmly loving. What mutual actions can couples take to ignite their sexual energies?...
Couples Therapy, Energy Therapy, Relationships
I'm a conventional therapist who has become convinced that some of the new energy therapy techniques need to become a standard part of every psychotherapist's repertoir. Here's why....
Health, Stress, Therapy
Try these strategies to relieve your chronic pain. They are safe so at the least they will give you no negative side effects. And at best, you could become pain free....
Communication, Love, Relationships
Use these five short tests to help you assess if a person who feels like a marriage candidate would be a good choice for sealing the deal as husband and wife....
Anxiety, Health, Therapy
Feeling anxious? There's lots of ways to ease the jitters, but be wary of some of them!...
Anxiety, Therapy
What therapy options are there if you are struggling with anxiety? Is the goal to get rid of the anxious feelings, or to address the problems triggering your worries?...
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
How can you repay emotional debts incurred by hurtful mistakes? Effective apologies can wipe the debt clean, and even turn your mistake into a nourishing relationship moment....
Love, Narcissism, Relationships
Excessive altruism can be problematic just like narcissism, its opposite. My client Mary explains how....
Depression, Health, Therapy
Congress has passed legislation to slow the epidemic of pain-killer addiction. What about the epidemic of drug use for treating the emotional pain of depression?...
Borderline Personality, Counseling, Narcissism
High intensity emotions are costly. They make interactions stressful, upsetting, emotionally draining, and demoralizing....
Conflict Resolution, Political Psychology, Relationships
Do's and don'ts for dialogue lest political differences wreck your relationships....
Communication, Marriage, Relationships
Many couples now spend more of their home time with their screens than with each other....
Love, Marriage, Relationships
Couples with a large chronilogical age difference may initially feel very similar in terms of emotional age. Still, they are likely to face logistical challenges vis a vis their life-stage differences. She may be eager for children, when he's wanting to visit the grandkids. How will the age differences affect them twenty years later?...
Narcissism, Self-Help, Therapy
Low on compassion? Take this quick six-factor quiz to gauge your narcissistic tendencies....
Counseling, Marriage, Relationships
If only my spouse would change... Or is that a mistaken path to follow?...
Addictions, Health, Self-Help
Whether you love or feel bad about what you do too much of, you may be great at ......
Communication, Infidelity, Relationships
TV's Matt Lauer today joined the club of men in high positions who are being accused of sexual improprieties with women at work. What could he have been thinking? Here's what....
Communication, Self-Help
How is it that some people seem to be able to think through problems in a way that leads to creative solutions while others just get increasingly agitated and anxious? The key may lie in one little three-letter word....
Communication, Self-Help
Impatience and irritability can increase with the stresses brought on by the Chanukah-Christmas season--or you can wash away your negative emotional reactions by dissolving them in this powerful antidote.........
Anger, Communication, Conflict Resolution
Anger chemicals ready you for action. When you "see red," beware. Red means stop. Stop, look, and listen....
Depression, Health, Therapy
What experiences do people have if they take antidepressants?...
Counseling, Self-Help
Boredom comes from too much sameness. Shopping—for new things, new friends or new love—can, by contrast, feel fun. Newness is invigorating. Why?...
Anxiety, Self-Help, Stress
What is usually the fastest and most thorough route to ending fearful feelings? It's not necessarily distraction....
Depression, Health, Therapy
Extensive medical research has established that when people feel a sense of well-being there is more energy in their left than their right prefrontal lobe. Their brain, by contrast, has more energy in the right prefrontal lobe when depression is present....
Depression, Narcissism, Therapy
Too much narcissism in your life? Too much depression? Here's an action plan to fix both of these two very different problems, and to end narcissistic-depressive interactions....
Borderline Personality, Narcissism, Self-Help
For people with narcissistic or borderline tendencies, a few skill upgrades can go a long way....
Health, Self-Help, Therapy
What does recent research suggest about how chronic pain sufferers can use placebos (fake pills) to reduce real pain? Might this psychological technique reduce opioid use as well?...
Couples Therapy, Divorce, Relationships
Many folks who launch divorce proceedings would really prefer to repair their marriage. What could they—and their partner—do differently?...
Anxiety, Self-Help, Stress
Feeling low? While this technique will not end a major depressive episode, it can lift your energies when you are feeling down....
Communication, Divorce, Relationships
Divorce results from emotional distress. Anger, resentment, shame, guilt, and anxiety can tempt folks to want to get back at their spouse. Yet instead of healing emotional pain or easing resentments, divorce battling typically just adds to the emotional damage of everyone involved. Here's a guide to a more constructive pathway for marital disengagement....
Communication, Counseling, Self-Help
Sometimes the hardest part of writing is getting started. Here's a highly effective launch strategy....
Self-Help, Therapy
A newly released study by the American Psychological Association has confirmed the benefits of psychotherapy and how it can be preferable to treatment with drugs....
Autism Spectrum, Health, Parenting
Do these signs and symptoms describe you? Or someone you love? And if so, were Mom's meds the culprit?...
Anger, Communication, Relationships
What are your options when someone berates or hates you? How do you protect yourself?...
Family, Parental Alienation, Relationships
Lawyers, beware! Is an alienating sibling behind your caretaker or inheritance case?...
Abuse, Narcissism, Relationships
Good friendships, bad friendships—there are problems ahead if you can't recognize which is which....
Communication, Political Psychology, Relationships
Republicans and Democrats have become enemies. A political discussion between members of these enemy camps can lead to the ending of friendships and even marriages....
Divorce, Family, Relationships
A recent study suggests an interesting relationship between the size of the family a child grows up within and the likelihood that in adulthood that child will end up divorced....
Political Psychology, Relationships, Therapy
Our government leaders' animosities toward each other could be steering us toward national disaster. From a family therapist’s perspective, what they need to change is clear....
Autism Spectrum, Family, Narcissism
Does narcissism share commonalities with autism? What are the implications of the observation that the two often co-occur in families?...
Depression, Health, Therapy
A new study has found that Esketamine works for treating chronic serious depression, but ......
Depression, Self-Help, Therapy
Use one, some, or all of these innovative strategies to lift depression's dark cloud. Do it yourself, or ask a therapist to help....
Communication, Conflict Resolution, Relationships
Too many emotionally upsetting interactions? Cease having these upsets with a plan for prevention. Here's how....
Communication, Health, Narcissism
Do you know someone who has trouble admitting when they have made mistakes? Or acknowledging hostile behavior, such as speaking in an irritated tone and even outright anger? This may be why....
Communication, Parenting
Be the dumbest one in the room — plus four more surprising but highly effective parenting strategies....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
This advice may be common but it's still bad advice. Here's what folks really want when they try to talk over a problem with a friend, spouse or even a therapist....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Feeling like your voice does not get taken seriously? It's frustrating to feel ignored. Here's six effective sentence-starters, for use at home or work....
Energy Therapy, Self-Help, Therapy
Dale Peterson was a masterful energy therapist. In honor of his death, I am sharing some of his powerful techniques and innovations....
Communication, Marriage, Relationships, Self-Help
Do you squirm when you've made mistakes and now see criticism coming your way? Tighten up with anxiety? Feel tempted to counterpunch? Here's five better post-mistake strategies....
Self-Help, Therapy
Are these 10 psychological understandings enhancing your well-being?...
Abuse, Communication, Parental Alienation, Relationships
Ignorance about forms of abuse can block a partner from taking effective action to protect themselves, and their children, from harm....
Marriage, Relationships, Self-Help
These principles can help you stay sane in tough circumstances, including parental alienation....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Pay attention to how much you radiate good vibes. Like sunshine on flowers, positivity makes you feel better and makes you more attractive to others....
Communication, Relationships, Self-Help
Want to feel more connected with your friends, kids and partner? First, cut out any negatives you do like criticizing or getting irritable. Then ......
Communication, Parenting, Relationships
How would you answer this student journalist's relationship questions?...
Relationships, Self-Help
While some folks find gift-giving choices easy to make, many people find it stressful to find just the right gift for each person on their lists....
Anxiety, Health, Self-Help
Feeling anxious? Use these 23 strategies to combat those feelings....
Anxiety, Self-Help, Sports Psychology
Even athletes who are ranked amongst the top in the world sometimes find their level of performance cramped by anxious feelings. Yet most anxiety episodes occur in response to one of just 3 triggering thoughts. Train yourself to avoid these triggering thoughts and anxiety is far less likely to bubble up....
Relationships, Therapy
A strong therapeutic alliance is to therapy what a secure attachment is between parent and child. What ingredients enable a therapy client to trust a therapist?...
Infidelity, Marriage, Relationships
Best to know and to heed the warning signs that indicate you're heading for an affair if you don't want an infidelity to put you and your loved ones through agony....
Communication, Couples Therapy, Relationships, Self-Help
Specific attitudes predict success in friendships, couples, and families. The same attitudes, if utilized by leaders, can build strong cities and countries....
Depression, Health, Therapy
Depression has five main attributes. Each of these five factors adds to making depression a particularly communicable condition....
Family, Parental Alienation, Parenting, Therapy
For starters, information is power. Posted Feb 27, 2018 In my recent blogpost entitled “Parental Alienation: What Is It? Who Does It?” I mentioned that in my clinical practice, I recently have had a run on cases of parental alienation syndrome. A common theme has emerged: the lack of support or justice that these individuals receive from family [...]...
Family, Parental Alienation, Therapy
Diagnosis and treatment can both be tricky. Here’s a guide to traps and tips. Posted Sep 20, 2019 Parental alienation is child abuse. We must do better at protecting these children and helping them to heal.Source: (c) HaywireMedia/fotosearch A distraught divorced mother reports that when her formerly loving daughter returns from vacations at her father’s house, the [...]...
Family, Parental Alienation, Relationships
Alienating individuals and groups can wreak havoc on friends, nations, and more. Posted Jun 07, 2019 When three becomes two against one, beware of alienation.Source: (c) AntonioGuillem/fotosearch Usually I focus in my blog posts, books, and clinical work on how couples can build healthy relationships. However, since I have been focusing of late on the sad and too-seldom-recognized [...]...
Children, Parental Alienation
What about “therapeutic jurisprudence”? Posted Jun 06, 2019 Source: MR.Yanukit/Shutterstock When one parent alienates children from the other parent, the outcome can so seriously harm the child that alienation is now considered child abuse. Yet the courts in many instances misunderstand these cases and fail to protect either the children or the targeted parent. What changes to the courts’ system [...]...
Family, Parental Alienation, Therapy
No need for divorce for one parent to selfishly turn the kids against the other. Posted Feb 19, 2019 When one parent speaks harshly to the other, the kids suffer. My area of specialty focuses on teaching the collaborative dialogue and conflict resolution skills that enable couples to enjoy a life-enhancing and loving partnership. This [...]...
Borderline Personality, Narcissism, Parental Alienation
Parental Alienation Syndrome: What is it, and Who does it What kind of parent lies to turn their kids against the other parent? Posted Feb 01, 2018 Recently, in my clinical practice, I’ve seen a huge uptick in cases of parental alienation. Instead of talking cooperatively in the manner I teach in my book The Power of Two, these [...]...
Conflict Resolution, Political Psychology
In politics, and in relationships, can protests make us feel good? “You have to fight to feel good.” In my twenties, when I was living in New York with a group of post-college friends, Bob was a tall handsome young man in our cadre who took this slogan about protests as his raison d’etre. Bob [...]...