By Mitchell Milch, LCSW

Click here to contact Mitchell and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Introduction

When we thoughtlessly and impulsively react to feelings of anger, anger becomes a weapon. It is as if we are running red lights at intersections and putting ourselves and others in grave danger. Many of us are emotionally color blind at the intersection between feeling, thought and action precisely because like any intersection these events appear connected in a logical sequence. When we take out our experiences of anger on others we tend not to slow down long enough to recognize that what seems logical may not be. Furthermore, what we want to see as a green light is really an impulse running through what under calmer and cooler circumstances ought to be our consciences and reality testing/judgment flashing red lights. If the red light is flashing we are moving too quickly and relentlessly to slow down and pay attention. The consequences of our actions once the dust settles are most often injurious to both parties individually, and their relationship. Having worked as a social worker in a criminal court in Connecticut I know from experience that the jails and prisons in this country are populated by folks who have both used anger as a weapon as well as by those who sincerely believe they were victims of such aggression and were acting in self defense. (more…)

By: Jennifer B Baxt, LMFT, LMHC

Binge eating affects way too many people across North America. It is a way for people to deal with their stress, depression or with low self-esteem. Food can be a real comfort, but when it turns into a binge every couple of days that causes a major gain in weight, it might be time to stop and ask one’s self if this binging habit is becoming a problem. (more…)

By: Jennifer B Baxt, LMFT, LMHC

It is not uncommon for a family to have a history of depression. There are many cases where an individual who is suffering from depression does not appear to have an actual reason for suffering the depression. This is where this person’s family history can help them out. There are some people who appear to be genetically depressed, meaning that their family history shows that previous generations appear to have suffered the same problems. Genetic depression is still far from being fully understood. Studies are still being done in order to understand how genetic depression is passed down and how it can be treated in people before it becomes a real problem. (more…)

By: Mary Ellen Barnes, Ph.D. & Edward W. Wilson, Ph.D

Click here to contact Mary and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

There are many types of alcohol consumption ranging from the healthy to the deadly. Some people of the prohibitionist persuasion will ague that any use is destructive, but neither medical research nor personal experience supports that conclusion. Unhappily, most “screening” protocols are heavily weighted towards a diagnosis of addiction justifying punitive treatment approaches and “abstinence only” outcomes. In reality, many different degrees of alcohol use exist, and the following thumbnail guide can be helpful in deciding what category is appropriate, and in predicating various – as well as usual – outcomes. (more…)

By: Edward W. Wilson, Ph.D., MAC

Click here to contact Edward and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Outside of the U.S. the concept of “Harm Reduction” is frequently the first step in addressing problems related to alcohol abuse, dependence or addiction. The concept is easy to understand: any reduction in a problem behavior is progress. Put together enough reductions and the problem will be eliminated or at least moderated. (more…)

By Jeanine Austin, Ph.D.

“Because they are human, they suffer. Those who have a better story, a “healthier” childhood, a more impressive résumé, better looks, connections, or education, suffer. Those who are less fortunate than “me” also suffer. Those who are able or good suffer as do those who are weak or mean.”

(Laurence Boldt The Tao of Abundance 94)

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By Jeanine Austin, Ph.D.

Recently, a friend jokingly said to me “I’d be such a great mother if I didn’t have kids!” The picture of being a great mother wasn’t one she was relating to at the moment, she felt derailed by her children.

If we never went off the track we felt we should always be coasting gleefully on, we might not be available to the gifts that we learn when we careen off the road. I once heard Marianne Williamson say that our greatest spiritual learning don’t happen on the days where we cruise through life. Certainly, I would always (consciously at least) prefer to learn through joy rather than suffering, most of us (myself included) probably still learn the most through challenge. (more…)

By Jeanine Austin, Ph.D.

A coaching session I recently had led me to do some thinking about the how we are addicted as a culture to gossip and drama. Because we are a culture that seems to love celebrity, we may spend more or least as much of our day gossiping about Paris Hilton, Britney Spears or Anna Nicole, than we do being deliberate about having the life we really want. (more…)

By Jeanine Austin, Ph.D.

Recently, I did a several favors for a woman in my community. Because she is in a similar line of work as I am, I also offered to help her when she expressed frustration about her success. Seemingly abruptly she mentioned a recent accomplishment I had and said curtly, “You attributed ____ to the wrong person. There was a person that said it before.” Shocked, I changed the subject. (more…)

By Jeanine Austin, Ph.D.

Last night, while contemplating the merits of microdermibrasion versus the photo facial with my Polish friend Justyna, I began to think about how her culture probably isn’t seduced by the quick fix as easily as we are in the United States. The conversation called to mind for me a time when I was attending a parenting class when I was pregnant. During each class, I asked a myriad of questions of my instructor about the efficacy of all the baby accoutrement from the portable bottle warmer (“Why would you need that if you’re breastfeeding?” she asked), to which diaper bag was the most streamlined and spacious and which high tech crib was the most comprehensive and effective. She told the class in response to my crib questions that she and her boyfriend had used a plastic 5 dollar laundry basket as a bassinet and this suited her baby perfectly. Then she looked at me directly and sliced and diced me like a hundred television knives that hold that promise of revolutionizing your world and said, “You like gimmicks, don’t you?” (more…)