By: Jennifer B Baxt, LMFT, LMHC

When a family history of depression gets you down <!– @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>

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: Jennifer B Baxt, LMFT, LMHC

Despite the common misconception among many single people, marriage is not easy. It takes a lot of work because life takes a lot of work. Life can be difficult and complicated enough for a single person, so when another person is involved it can become more complicated. Money is one of the many reasons that a marriage can break up, especially if times of financial distress has continued over a lengthy period of time. In fact, financial stress appears to be the cause of about 80 percent of all divorces. This goes to show just how stressful financial trouble can be for a couple who are both affected by it.

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By: Jennifer B Baxt, LMFT, LMHC

Anyone being asked how someone with anthrophobia could get help would probably provide a deceptively easy answer, especially if they are not familiar with what this type of phobia is. They would probably suggest that a person suffering from anthrophobia go in to see a therapist or a counselor. While this may seem like the obvious answer, it is one that might not be a choice for someone suffering from severe anthrophobia. Why is this? A person who has anthrophobia has an intense fear of other people, so leaving their home to go and see their therapist means that they will have to be near other people as they pass by them to get to the therapist’s office, then they will probably have to wait in a waiting room with other people until the therapist is ready to see them, and then they will be in a room alone with anther person when they go to talk to the therapist. This can all seem too traumatizing for a person with anthrophobia to do, so they will instead try their best to stay home and this means that they don’t get the help that they need.

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By Patti Desert, LCSW-C, CEMDR, CP

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

People suffering anxiety often focus on fearful thoughts of losing control or going crazy.  Thoughts can trigger anxiety but it is the body’s response to the threat conveyed by our thoughts or our senses that accounts for anxiety.  In other words, anxiety is the felt sensation of our body reacting in some distressing way.  Some of those reactions include:  increased heart rate, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, choking sensation, tightness in chest or elsewhere in body, nausea, dizziness, numbness, chills or hot flushes.  Fortunately, it is through breath therapy that we have a means to calm our body and relieve the pain. (more…)

By: Greg Madison Ph.D.

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

Abstract - Community Care is often seen as an enlightened and
compassionate response to the needs of the mentally distressed.
However, a discussion of the development of community care
policy and a look at attitudes of the community to those
experiencing distress suggest that this is not so. Uncaring
community attitudes seem to be a result of current policy. The
tragedy at Dunblane highlights the urgent need for a return to the
original philosophy of care in the community. This philosophy
maintains that a policy of mental health care is inseparable from
social policy on the whole. This paper is presented in the spirit of
encouraging existential-phenomenological therapists to attend to
the realm of social critique by describing the nature of our
communities and their impact upon our clients and ourselves. By
developing a phenomenological way of addressing the context of
our interactions with others, could we develop a valuable social
dimension to our work as therapists? (more…)

By: Shawn

“Learn untold things about relationships that will absolutely boggle your mind - things you thought never matter.  You are going to discover what you don’t know… that you don’t know!” (more…)

By: Roz Van Meter, MA, LMFT, AASECT diplomate

SELECTION SNAGS AND SNARES TO BEWARE OF

Many a woman has tripped over some of these—maybe several of them, several times—before she woke up and smelled the coffee.

Rehab Project: Believing a fixer-upper will become kind/romantic/trustworthy/fair/sober/adult through the magic of being with you. Particularly dangerous when your goal is to make someone else happy. Can’t be done. Your love can only help create an environment in which he’ll be happy if he decides to. (more…)

By: Carol L. Skolnick

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There is a teaching story from the Eastern tradition in which a guru instructs his devotee, “My child, sit in meditation, but whatever you do, do not meditate on a monkey.” Of course, the thought of a monkey comes to awareness and the disciple discovers he can focus on nothing else. Meditation teachers are familiar with this phenomenon of “monkey mind,” yet, contrary to the story, many teach that it is necessary and even possible to bypass the mind. (more…)

By: Dore E. Frances, M.A.

What is an “Alternative School” <!– @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>

An alternative school is an educational setting designed to accommodate behavioral, educational, and/or medical needs of adolescents that may not be adequately addressed in a traditional public or private school environment.

Alternative schools have been established since about the late 1970s to meet the needs of children and adolescents who cannot learn effectively in a traditional school environment (i.e., conventional public or private schools) due to behavioral issues, certain medical conditions, learning challenges, and or psychological issues. (more…)

By: Jodi Blackley, M.S., M.F.T.

If you are female and either considering a divorce or already g <!– @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>

If you are female and either considering a divorce or already going through the process, then you need to read this article. Why? Because divorce is an emotional process to a business-like decision. Whether you have been married for 6 months or 40 years, you invested much of yourself emotionally. You probably entered this marriage believing “’til death do you part.” Suddenly, you realize your life may not be including this person any longer. (more…)