Notes

  • Optimism in a Time of Uncertainty and Fear

    I woke up this morning at around 5 a.m. and turned on the TV – I had gone to sleep last night with the election results not final yet, but not looking good. At 5 a.m. I immediately saw that what I (and so many others) had feared had come to pass – Donald Trump […]

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  • Some thoughts on the election…

    There is one week until the last day of this election cycle (I phrase it that since as many people – including me – have already voted) and I decided to do a post with some thoughts about how I approach election-related issues in therapy, and some substantive thoughts about the election in general. This […]

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  • My Thoughts on Depression and Anxiety

    Yesterday I created a social media post with the quote – “Anxiety and Depression Can Be Reasonable Responses to Unreasonable Circumstances,” along with a short blurb on that point. I decided to write a longer blog post to add to and clarify that point. As a starting point, I italicized the “Can Be” portion of […]

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  • An Alternative Perspective on “Boundaries”

    The idea of “boundaries” in a person’s life is getting more and more attention recently – and deservedly so. Having said that, I find some of the takes on the concept a bit limiting, they can often feel defensive and at time very binary (do the thing or don’t do the thing, spend time with […]

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  • Working with Transgender/Non-Binary Client and Transphobia

    Below is some information that it is essential to understand if you’re working with transgender and non-binary (T/NB) individuals, drawn from my professional and personal experience. It is not an exhaustive discussion, and of course you shouldn’t assume what any individual client has experienced, but I think it’s a good starting point. Before getting to […]

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  • What is Therapy for?

    I’ve thought about this question off and on since I started going to school to become a therapist, and then in the years since I started practicing. The answer has changed over time, and I assume it will continue to change – though at this point it feels more like fine-tuning the answer, and modifying […]

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  • Anti-Capitalism in Therapy

    “Anti-capitalism,” along with Socialism and Democratic Socialism, has been gaining traction in recent years, likely in response to growing economic disparity and suffering around the world. What role, if any, does this have in a therapy setting? I think a good starting point, before discussing anti-capitalism, is to define capitalism itself: “Capitalism is an economic […]

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  • Israel/Palestine in Therapy Sessions

    My purpose in writing this is to discuss what I have experienced working with clients who have expressed concerns about what is happening in Israel/Palestine, and the reactions to it in the U.S. Before I get into that, I want to be transparent about where I stand, rather than writing from a neutral position – […]

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  • My “Mental Health Checkdown”

    In recognition of World Mental Health Day I wanted to share a quick technique I use with clients, which I have called my “Mental Health Checkdown”©  (working title). But first I think it’s important to set out the context that it emerged from, specifically how I conceptualize the idea of “mental health” (recognizing that I […]

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  • Some thoughts on working with clients who experience suicidal ideation

    Since it is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month I thought it would be a good time to post some of my thoughts and observations about working with people who experience suicidal ideation. Some of my thoughts and ideas come from personal experience – periods in my own life of feeling varying degrees of suicidal ideation – […]

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  • “Disorders”

    This is the first of what I am planning to be monthly blog posts connected to the general theme of mental health systems as a form of oppression. Over the course of the coming year I will write other posts – some of which will expand on some of the ideas discussed below. I do […]

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  • Systemic Racism in the Criminal Legal System

    Systemic racism permeates every aspect of American life, and in particular the criminal legal system. The criminal legal system is perhaps the primary institutional force behind it, and the harm inflicted on people of color by this system is widespread and devastating. This is a simplified (VERY simplified) flow-chart showing of the criminal legal system […]

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