More and more, I hear people describing themselves as powerless in the face of our current political environment. They feel overwhelmed by a seemingly unrelenting attack on everything they once considered settled in our country. I hear over and over, “These are...
Therapy Demystified
What LEGOs Has Taught Me About Creating Change.
I really enjoy LEGOs. There is a wonderful picture on the box that promises something magical, and once I start a build, I can disappear into it for hours. As the New Year arrives, I hear a lot of hope for grand changes in the lives of people around me. People make...
When You Feel Like Snapping: How Trauma Responses Show Up in Daily Life
I was sitting on the couch after Thanksgiving trying to figure out what I wanted to write about this month. It was a blessed holiday for me, and I wanted to offer something useful. Something people could take into their everyday lives. A lot of clinicians talk about...
EMDR: What Is It, and Why Should You Care?
EMDR: What Is It, and Why Should I Care? This post launches a series of psychoeducational blogs I will be sharing around the middle of each month. My goal is to create easy-to-scan, straightforward pieces that help people understand therapy, reduce stigma, and become...
How to Leave a Toxic Situation When You Feel Trapped: When Your Head Is in the Lion’s Mouth, Ease It Out
Easing Out of the Lion’s Mouth There’s a saying my grandmother used to repeat: “When you’ve got your head in the lion’s mouth, ease it out.” That one idea offered guidance when I felt lost. It’s simple, but it carries a deep kind of wisdom. There are situations that...
The Therapy of Fall
A Challenging Season in the World This month has felt especially heavy. National and international politics are in disarray; the headlines tell of school shootings, a teen suicide linked to AI, and endless images of violence replaying across social media. And while I...
The Problem with “You Are Worthy”
Why Reclaiming Your Value Takes More Than a Mantra Let me be honest: I struggle with the way people throw around the word “worthy” as if it were a magical word that, when spoken, will eliminate a person’s deep struggles with self-value. My struggle isn’t with the...
“What’s the Point of Therapy? It Can’t Undo My Past!”
The Real Answer to Common Question I hear this question regularly, usually with a tone that suggests the person already knows the answer. And I get it, if therapy can't erase what happened to you, what's the point? Here's the straightforward answer: Therapy doesn't...
Where the Work Really Begins
Why I Don’t Do Phone Consultations I've been practicing for over twenty years, and it’s always interesting to me when my supervisees want to jump on a 15-minute call with a potential client to “see if they’re a good fit.” (Air quotes, with a sarcastic smirk, if that...








