Movers, Dreamers, and Risk-Takers: Unlocking the Power of ADHD When you have a disability, the world by and large tends to magnify and focus on what is “wrong” with you. Friends of mine who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in school were constantly ...
Recovery from Codependency Codependency is often thought of as a relationship problem and considered by many to be a disease. In the past, it was applied to ...
Recovery Using the 12 Steps Most therapists do not realize that the 12 Steps are not merely an antidote for addiction, but are guidelines for nothing ...
Manopause: Your Guide to Surviving His Changing Life If ever a book were written with a clearly defined purpose, it is Manopause: Your Guide to Surviving His Changing Life. The book, co-authored by Lisa Friedman Bloch and Kathy Kirtland Silverman, is meant as ...
9 Tips to Cope with Holiday Depression The stress of the holidays triggers sadness and depression for many people. This time of year is especially difficult ...
New Year, New Goals — Maybe The New Year’s celebrations have come and gone. You’ve made your resolutions or you feel vaguely ...
How to Manage Post-Holiday Depression It’s a let-down for many.
After weeks, maybe even months, of decorating, shopping and wrapping, baking, visiting and being ...
Power Plays Between Brothers & Families This story shows how the troubled relationship between two brothers was a therapeutic opportunity to change maladaptive family patterns.
Drew, 19, and Steve, 20, were close brothers raised in a volatile family. When Drew started getting into trouble in college, their mom arranged for the brothers to live together in an apartment, hoping that Steve could watch out for Drew. This solution backfired; the boys acted out family-related power plays. Physical confrontation escalated along with family-related conflict and hostility. At this point, the mom sought help.
Mom and Dad’s Perspective
Kate was an immigrant from Italy who, more than anything, wanted a better life for her children. She worked tirelessly to earn money for their education.
Consistent with the old-school style of authoritarian parenting with which she was raised, Kate demanded devotion and obedience. She was very involved with her sons and, though caring, she was also high-strung, anxious and unrelenting when they didn’t perform - yelling, threatening and lecturing – reminding them of her very real sacrifice and suffering on their behalf.
Drew perpetually disappointed and upset Kate. He failed to live up to her expectations and often lied to appease her. She worried about his ability to be independent, responsible, and protect himself. Steve, on the other hand, was seen as the ideal son: high-achieving, responsible, and aggressive. She constantly compared the two of them.
Good Therapy for OCD With the help of the Internet, my son Dan correctly diagnosed himself with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) at the age of 17. After his ...
When You Can’t Afford Psychotherapy You know you’re in trouble. Maybe you’ve been depressed for what seems like ages. You can’t get motivated to do things. You ...
Thanksgiving and Gratitude in Hard Times With Thanksgiving approaching, many Americans struggling with health, financial, and emotional problems find it challenging to feel grateful. Some ...
Codependency vs. Interdependency I was surprised to learn that this grove of aspen trees is actually one organism, sharing one root system. Each of ...
Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman In 2006, Vickie L. Milazzo wrote Inside Every Woman, which became a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Five years later, her publisher, John Wiley & Sons, asked her to write another book giving life and career ...
