“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m supposed to feel a surge of maternal instinct, right? I’m supposed to love my baby. Why am I so overwhelmed and uninterested?” I’m just getting to know Michelle. She had her first baby ...

Crisis intervention in natural disasters is important to look at from many different angles. The points of view of those experiencing the disaster and those of relief workers should be considered when developing models and considerations for interventions and emotional care. Other factors, ...

BOOK REVIEW.
Bradley Booth was tormented by survivor's guilt for five years after the leukemia death of his fiancee. When he fell in love again, the emotional upheaval of these life-changing events compelled him to write I Apologize -- a novel based on his own experiences. Booth's protagonist in this roman à clef is Tony Richardson, a workaholic marketing ...

BOOK REVIEW.
I enjoy reading anything by Laura Dave; I find that her characters embody a perfect blend of endearment and fault that really make them human. Dave does not disappoint with The Divorce Party, an entertaining novel that provides valuable insight about the nature of relationships. Gwyn and Thomas are toasting to the end of their ...

The stress of the holidays triggers sadness and depression for many people. This time of year is especially difficult because there’s an expectation of feeling merry and generous. People compare their emotions to what they assume others are experiencing ...

BOOK REVIEW.
When I was 6 years old, my favorite pastime was playing with dolls or playing dress-up. I can remember spending hours in my “princess” dress, dancing around the living room while my mother stood by with the camera, encouraging me. She would fix my hair, sing to me, and let me sit beside her while ...

Consider this surprising statistic: At least one or both parties in 50 percent of all couples, married and living together, straight and gay, will break their vows of sexual or emotional exclusivity during the lifetime of the relationship. ~ Shirley Glass, Not Just ...

Mary was experiencing low self-esteem and worthlessness. She’d say her eyes were "broken faucets." She’d cry often, and would easily get irritated and explode at her children and husband. She had gained weight in the past year. She ...

BOOK REVIEW.
Marcia Aldrich’s Companion to an Untold Story is the author’s attempt to make sense of her close friend’s suicide. In the time leading up to the unfortunate event, Aldrich’s friend Joel hatched a plan to relieve himself of all his possessions so that when he took his own life, he would own virtually nothing, able ...

It’s a common experience: Something goes wrong in a family. A child is diagnosed with a chronic illness or a disability. Maybe he or she gets into serious trouble. You'd think friends would draw closer ...

As a society, we place great emphasis on finding “the one.” We pressure ourselves to find the perfect lifemate for ourselves. Often, this process can be nerve-racking in itself. However, what happens when a relationship ends? We can all think of instances where ...

BOOK REVIEW.
Self-help books about how to cope with loss or trauma typically tend to fall into one of two simple categories: those which are written by professionals, and those which aren’t. The former tend to be manuals put together by therapists or psychiatrists, offering tools, advice and psychological guidance, while the latter tend to be personal ...