My Confusion About and Interest in Therapist Self-Disclosure (TSD) As I begin to establish my private practice, I have been reflecting on the evolution of my thoughts about and use of therapist self-disclosure (TSD), which I am using here to mean “therapist statements that reveal something personal about the therapist” (Hill & Knox, 2002, p. […]
If, indeed, the personal is political and the political is personal, where does that leave psychotherapists—whose profession is intensely personal—when clients voice strong political views counter to ours or when their political stress resonates with our own sense of a rending of the civic and cultural fabric of the country? In the aftermath of one […]
Play and games have different meanings in play therapy literature (Schaefer and Reid, 1986). Play is usually spontaneous, has no particular purpose, and is motivated by a desire to have fun (Csikszentmihalzi, 1976; Erickson, 1950; Garvey, 1977). Play has an unrestricted, unstructured quality, whereas games are formal and have more restrictive rules for how the […]
One of the monastery’s old monks had become a hermit living deep in the mountains, a two-and-a-half day hike over difficult mountain paths. Many visitors made the trek to receive advice and teachings from the old man. He was reputed to have an uncanny ability to know just what each visitor needed. Prior to giving […]
Psychotherapy technology has been rapidly developing for several years now, and few things shift as fast as tech. To help catch us all up, I have compiled updated information on a few tech topics of interest to psychotherapists. The Year of Telemental Health It’s probably fair to dub 2017 the year of telemental health. I […]
It is ironic that while most therapists champion the role of the therapeutic relationship in the success of therapy, there has been little research on how the transfer process and prior therapy relationships may have an impact on the therapeutic relationship. Clients are often transferred from one therapist to another in clinics when therapists-in-training leave […]
Personality disorders are a common phenomenon encountered by psychologists in private practice as well as other health care settings. The prevalence of personality disorders in the general population is estimated to be about 9%, according the results from a National Institutes of Health funded national comorbidity study (Lenzenweger, Lane, Loranger, & Kessler, 2007). Having the […]
Studies have found burnout is prevalent among mental health workers (Paris & Hoge, 2010), with 21% to 67% endorsing “high” levels of burnout (Morse, Salyers, Rollins, Monroe-DeVita, & Pfahler, 2012). Burnout occurs when individuals are unable to effectively cope with high levels of prolonged occupational stress. Burnout can be characterized by three distinct dimensions: emotional […]
The practice of psychotherapy is not an easy task. Many psychotherapists are balancing multiple responsibilities and roles at any given moment. As clinicians, they have to conduct assessments, develop case conceptualizations and treatment plans, relate to their patients therapeutically, and deliver interventions effectively. As mental health providers, they have to find time to manage responsibilities […]
Lately I’ve been thinking about therapist authenticity. Since moving to private practice three years ago I have worked primarily with adult survivors of childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Due to years of chronic violence during developmentally important periods, clients’ life experiences are typically characterized by an insecure (often disorganized) attachment style, a chronically activated […]