Despite social media’s fixation on narcissists, narcissism isn’t all bad If you’re going by therapists and other mental health influencers on TikTok, we are experiencing a wave of narcissism. In these posts, suggesting that someone is a “narc” or a narcissist is often a stand-in for all manner of unpleasant behaviors and character traits, fewRead more
Do I Need a Therapist Who Shares My Identity?
A therapist with a matching identity isn’t necessarily the only option for a good fit As a therapist, I often find myself curious about the concept of seeking out a “good fit” in a therapist. Of course, certain factors feel less malleable like who takes your insurance or where an office is located. But whatRead more
Maybe It’s Not Seasonal Depression, Maybe It’s a Season
Moods can change with the seasons—often quite dramatically—but these changes also have meaning Winter in New York City is not fun for anyone. You bundle up and hunker down. The sun flees behind a layer of clouds, confined to only eight hours in the sky—the same eight hours you might be at your office orRead more
Making Meaning From Antidepressants
Antidepressants can be examined in therapy just as we examine everything else in our lives Many people seek both therapy and medication when in emotional distress. However, they both exist in completely different systems. Few psychiatrists do therapy. Conversely, psychotherapists who aren’t physicians (and the vast majority of us aren’t) aren’t allowed to provide medicationRead more
Therapy-Speak is Everywhere: We Should Consider How We Use It
Therapy-speak is our collective emotional language Boundaries, narcissism, trauma, anxious, manic, neurotic, so OCD—it seems impossible to escape therapy-speak these days. Earlier this year, The New Yorker dedicated an issue to therapy, observing, “The language of the therapist’s office percolates in our everyday conversations.” They’re right—therapy-speak is our collective emotional language. Though it can beRead more
Is the Patient the Expert in Therapy?
“The patient is the expert,” but therapists should not overlook the misguidedness of individuals trying to resolve their own suffering Most therapists claim, “The patient is the expert” (Actually, they’d almost surely say, “The client is the expert,” which I consider part of the same problematic). On the surface, this is a fairly uncontroversial statement.Read more
Troubled Teen Programs Should Be a Last Resort: Less Authority Is More for Teens
Troubled teen programs are the logical, furthest extension of authority A recent New York Times editorial, “The Troubled-Teen Industry Offers Trauma, Not Therapy,” argues for more regulatory oversight and best practices for troubled teen programs, some of which have been exposed in recent years for abuse. The troubled teen industry, the teen wilderness treatment industry,Read more
How Therapy Speak About Boundaries Is Used to Deny Ambivalence in Relationships: Founder and Clinical Director Matt Lundquist in Buzzfeed
What does it mean when the language of therapy, such as notions of boundaries, is used to justify actions within the context of a romantic relationship? This question has been debated recently after a series of text messages allegedly sent from Jonah Hill were leaked by his ex-girlfriend in which he lists what she shouldRead more
When We Talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder, We Often Leave Out an Important Piece: Our History
There are real reasons to feel sad in the winter: Not all of them have to do with the weather A recent article in The Atlantic “The Surprising Truth About Seasonal Depression” explores the reality of seasonal affective disorder (otherwise known as SAD) and whether winter weather and waning light actually impact people’s propensity forRead more
There’s No Such Thing as Generalized Anxiety: Only an Overwhelming Accumulation of Unresolved Anxieties
Anxiety is a signal, not a biological disorder We have an idea of anxiety as this amorphous thing, which culminates in the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This idea likely grows out of a wish that anxiety was a biological disorder, a malfunction of the nervous system that is correctible just likeRead more
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