Psychotherapy and The Wizard of Oz
An Excerpt from Even a Stone Can Be a Teacher by Sheldon Kopp(Edited and Published by Dr. Mitch Keil) In the original story, Dorothy, the young heroine, is an orphan who comes to live with her foster parents, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Their home is dull and gray, as is everything else in […]
Common Psychological Defense Mechanisms
Common Psychological Defense Mechanisms Defense mechanisms are psychological habits we all develop to manage deeper, often unconscious anxieties. These anxieties typically originate in childhood, shaped by how we connected to important people early in life, how we coped with emotional difficulties, or even trauma. Defense mechanisms represent our psychological survival strategies and emotional resilience but […]
How to Process Your Emotions
What Does It Mean to Process Your Feelings? You might have heard someone say, “I don’t know how I feel—I’m just processing my feelings about it all still.” Often, what they really mean is that they are ruminating—replaying the event over and over, interpreting motives, thoughts, and issues. They are usually reinforcing their familiar worldview […]
2 Critical Pieces of Advice for Supporting a Spouse with Depression
Supporting a Spouse with Depression: Two Essential Tips for Partners Supporting a spouse who battles depression can be emotionally draining and challenging. As a loving partner, it’s natural to want to help your partner through their difficult times. However, it’s crucial to approach this delicate situation with care, empathy, and understanding. Here are two critical […]
20 Pieces of Advice for 20 Somethings
1. You don’t have to love it, just get out there I use to work at John Wayne Airport for a specialty cargo company shipping mostly exotic fish, dead bodies, and cigarettes – no joke. I took the job when I was 16 years old after thumbing through a website called monster.com (now something comparable […]
Why Do I Feel Anxious When Things are Calm?
Why does anxiety sometimes ramp up when things are calm? In times of calm, we are more reflective, and more in touch with ourselves. We have a moment to take stock of the way we are living and compare that against the way we wish we were living. If they don’t match, we can experience […]
8 Ways to Build Self Awareness
You Are Not Your Diagnosis
Diagnosis and Symptoms: How helpful are they? Our culture has really done an amazing job at reducing social stigma around psychological issues. Unfortunately, in that process, we have somehow traded out stigma for a medicalized, symptom-focused, shallow understanding of ourselves and our mental health. On the positive side, you won’t get a scarlet letter for […]
Anxiety Disorders: What You Need to Know
When you hear the word “anxiety” most people almost immediately think of “stress.” While not totally wrong, this pairing is also incomplete. Unlike stress, anxiety disorders do not need to be based in reality or on some objective level of stress. Anyone can understand why someone might be stressed, but it’s not always easy to […]
Therapy for Teens: What to Expect
Our goal is to create a real relationship with you from our very first therapy session – one in which you feel safe to open up, express yourself, explore issues, and begin healing.It helps some to have a framework of what you might be getting into by starting therapy.
