Latest Posts
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Why Does It Matter if My Therapist is a Social Worker?
If you pay attention, you will notice that different counselors and therapists have different letters that come after their name. MSW, MA, MS, LMHC, LMFT, LPC, CDAC, PsyD, etc. No we don’t list these initials just because we can. They actually do mean something important, something that makes a difference for you the client. It’s…
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Suicides Leave Two Questions Behind
Last week a prominent artist in a community I belong to committed suicide on Thursday. I know him only through stories from my friends and the amazing art he created for the Indiana CORE Project last year (see image below). Watching my friends reactions reminds me of just how terrible suicide related grief really is. Grieving…
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Internal Barriers Dreams
If money, time or other commitments were no obstacle in 2014, what would you do? Describe your vision! A seemingly innocent question. If the obvious barriers were removed – money, time, obligations – what would you do? The trouble is, these external barriers are nothing compared to the internal ones. The internal barriers are the…
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Therapeutic Humor
While therapy is serious business and hard work, humor transforms the experience. Frequently my sessions with clients include gigantic peels of laughter. Humor is Medicine Laughter is common in our office, and I believe it speaks to our ability as therapists. Self-deprecating humor builds the relationship with a new client and helps him feel comfortable.…
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Surprising Knowledge About My Ideal Weight Changes Everything
Learning about my real ideal weight was the biggest surprise this year. It wasn’t just a surprise – it was a massive revelation that changed everything. My Ideal Weight Back-story Like pretty much any woman in the developed world, I have had a rocky relationship with my physical form. Pretty much forever. I hit puberty…
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Giving To Others Improves Your Mood
When our mood is low, giving to others can seem pointless and way too hard. Our impulse is to hide, avoiding others and withdrawing to soothe ourselves or indulge our bad mood. Yet humankind has known for centuries that helping others makes us feel good too. Understanding How Giving to Others Improves Your Mood Augustine…
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Weird Responses to Richard Armitage Post
Reactions to my blog post about Richard Armitage caught me off-guard in good and bad ways. Ladies who attended the Social Media Dames Un-conference will recall my brief presentation on the value of good content, even when it’s about a celebrity crush. I ran out of time to walk about the weird and unexpected responses I got…
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How to Suggest Someone See a Therapist
How to suggest someone see a therapist. We’ve all been there. Part of being a friend or a family member means that you support the people around you through challenges in their lives. But sometimes, we don’t feel like we can help someone as much as we want to. Maybe that’s because there are stresses…
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Menagerie Macabre Invites Enjoyment of Horror
Menagerie Macabre beautifully, comprehensively lives up to the title. From the first notes of the opening solo being sung by a disembodies voice the audience is sweetly put off-kilter. There is a serious conflict between the sweet, soaring soprano and the old hag on the stage – yet they are the same. I watched this performance…