Depression Treatment

We live in the age of longer lives and possibilities. An age greatly affected by “boomer” culture, TV talk shows, and self-help gurus who encourage us to change, revamp, and make ourselves over. Enrichment classes encourage us to come by the community center and learn 25 ways to change this and 9 steps to remake…

Dear depressed parents, You are in a hard place. Sharing, relating, and engaging are often the last things you feel like doing. Yet, your child needs all those things. Every day. It must be exhausting for you to work up the energy for all the hugs, the will to pay attention, or the desire to…

Take a moment to consider your friendly neighborhood narcissists. Whoever they are. Your barber. Your boss. Your best friend’s mom. Your actual neighbor. Imagine the conversation you’re likely to have with him or her the next time you run into each other. He or she may say things like: “Hey, look what I bought… it’s…

“Just follow your heart.” “Man, use your head!” It’s not uncommon to use the words “heart” and “head” in a metaphorical sense, right? Usually, when we hear references to heart and head in figures of speech, we think that the heart represents our emotions and the head our reasoning. So, where is your true self…

How many times have you grown irritated, frustrated, or even fearful because you can’t be or become who someone else imagines you should be? You may be experiencing what’s called the “fear of man.” Not the fear of men… that’s something else! This is an overriding concern with what people are thinking or saying about…

If you are a person who consumes alcohol, how many alcoholic drinks did you drink last month? Now, before you say anything, take a moment to realize that, if you’re like a lot of people, you’re probably about to fudge that number. You’ll likely discount a few nights of wine with dinner or forget about…

When you decided to feel better, you probably thought it was a matter of methods. Do you choose to talk it out in therapy? Or medicate? After all, they must be very different paths, right? One seems to steer you toward thought management and the other towards chemically-induced change. Basically, it’s psychotherapy vs. medication. Actually,…

You know what it’s like. A bad day. Tough commute. No parking space. Dropped your coffee on the long walk to the office. Walked in with stained feet, five minutes before the meeting. Then you can’t find the file on your laptop. Because you left your laptop at home. And Google docs is “Experiencing difficulties….

What if you just up and exercised? What if you turned off your phone, your tablet, your laptop, your TV? What if you remembered to breathe? Can you imagine how it would feel if you took a little time to slow down, release the tension in your body, and step back from your everyday must…

Are you experiencing “play deprivation?” Yes, it’s a real thing. It happens when adults don’t take time to regularly participate in some sort of voluntary, pleasurable activity. Good old-fashioned play time may be more important than you realize. To play means your eye isn’t on the clock. You’re relaxed and at ease. You’re much more…