Defense MechanismsWithout comedy as a defense mechanism I wouldn’t be able to survive. Garry Shandling Defense mechanisms are psychological strategies used as a way of coping with anxiety in an attempt to maintain self image and restore a sense of balance or reduce tension in a person’s emotional experience. Most defense mechanisms are fairly unconscious, [...]
The Connected Child by Karyn B Purvis, PhD, David R. Cross, PhD, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine This book is a resource for parents who have adopted children or are raising children from a background of early abuse and/or neglect. It uses behavioral modification and the parent-child relationship to heal the child and improve the attachment [...]
All of us, from cradle to grave, arehappiest when life is organized as aseries of excursions, long or short,from the secure base provided by ourattachmentfigure(s). John Bowlby The subject of love, surprisingly, was not such a popular concept in marital counseling, during the period that I was trained as a marital therapist, during the mid [...]
Anger will never disappear so long as thoughtsof resentment are cherished in the mind.John Dryden Getting mad is an expected response when another person attempts to steal your power. In childhood, our natural wants and desires override the ability to behave in a socially acceptable way. Certain developmental tasks need to be reached before a [...]
Silver and gold will not make men better. It is the opinions of wise men that enrich with virtue those who share them. Plato Why don’t many men seek out counseling as much as women? 1. Men often perceive counseling as an unfriendly, even unsafe environment. They believe that they are being told they are [...]
A spiritual person is also in touch with his or her own reality, feelings and thoughts, and the reality of the people around him or her, not projecting on them.-Keith Miller Those in recovery from addictions applying the Twelve Step program are accustomed to hearing that it is a “Spiritual Program.” Yet, Twelve Step program [...]
I want to recommend Parenting a Bipolar Child, What to do and Why, by Gianna L. Faedda MD and Nancy B. Austin Psy D, published by New Harbinger Press in 2006. The table of contents include chapters on: diagnosis, assessment, bipolar in children, bipolar in adolescents, diagnostic overlap and multiple diagnoses, as well as treatment [...]
At this time of year there are no illness more virulent than “affluenza.” As soon as an individual believes that he has developed immunity, a new commercial strain evolves. It is very contagious, readily contracted from TVs, catalogues, at shopping malls and even discount centers. No vaccination has yet been developed for this malady, but [...]
This is the picture that Charity Shaver took for the 2009 Turning Point Counseling Christmas Card. It was taken at Everman Park, in Abilene, in front of the statue, “Childhood’s Greatest Adventure, ” by Rick Jackson. The statue was inspired by the book, Santa Calls, by William Joyce, a Christmas story set in Abilene, Texas. [...]
Play therapy refers to a variety of treatment methods in therapy which incorporates the use of play objects. However, it is not to be confused with regular play. Goals are still established for the client to improve his or her level of functioning and it is not uncommon to have specific toys or activities chosen [...]
