You can imagine my momentary confusion on spotting this subject line from an unfamiliar email address: “Astoria for grief.” The title reminded me of one of those 1970’s only-in-NYC thrillers, like The Taking of Pelham 123, or The French Connection, or even the Spider-Man series, and I began to envision a hospice-worker protagonist rushing toRead more
Theraphobia: A therapist walks into a Christmas party
A few years ago at a holiday party in Manhattan, at the home of an actor friend, a giddy young woman asked, “Are you an actor like everyone else here?” I replied: “No, I’m a psychotherapist, actually.” “Ah! That’s great! Hilarious! So… actor.” She walked away, laughing. Being mistaken for an actor was a first,Read more
For Christ’s sake: Stop trusting your gut!
brentdanley / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA There are days when (according to my twitter stream, at least) it would seem as though all of psychology and psychotherapy is intent on discovering the biological origins (in evolution, in genetics, in the inner workings of our brains, or all three) of just about everything we do: MenRead more
But why?
Last night I finally got around to watching the stunning documentary Man on Wire, chronicling Frenchman Philippe Petit’s astonishing 1974 tight-wire walk between the recently erected twin towers of New York City’s World Trade Center. deanwiles / Foter / CC BY-SACenter. The feat took years to plan (not to mention a lifetime of practice on Petit’s part).Read more
So this guy built a toaster…
…and tells us an awful lot about who we are (and a bit about group therapy). His name is Thomas Thwaites, and I first saw the video where I find a good deal of smart things, on TED. Check it out: Pretty terrific, right? Just sharing it with you is exciting, but I’d like toRead more
Psychology (Today) on the NYC Subway
I did a double take when I saw this magazine rack on a New York City subway platform Saturday morning. No, it wasn’t Cher in a leotard. Look a bit further down and to the right. That’s Psychology Today alongside (and fitting right in with) Lucky, Cosmo, and Glamour. At first glance, I thought, “Gee,Read more
Listen, body, you work for me.
Benjamin Disinger / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND Your body’s telling you it doesn’t want to get out of bed (go on the job interview, the date, the networking meeting, the get-together with friends). It’s tired. Or wrapped in that familiar warm blanket of depression. Hiding out is the only thing on its agenda. OnlyRead more
What’s your specialty?
A couple of years ago I went to a workshop, “Building Your Dream Psychotherapy Practice” at the New York City chapter of NASW (the National Association of Social Workers). At the time I was the director of a group therapy center here in New York and always eager to learn about new ways of promotingRead more
Do you want to be normal or do you want to grow?
Yes, people do ask, “Am I normal?” Or sometimes, of course, “Is this normal?” Psychotherapists have endless strategies for avoiding the question (though many answer on face value, weighing the person or the behavior described against the therapist’s understanding of what’s normal). Perhaps it’s evasive, but I tend to respond by telling the asker that IRead more
Finding a therapist (or psychologist, or psychiatrist, or… Help!)
t_buchtele / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND Finding a therapist can be a bit perplexing, especially given the various professions involved. Here are a few thoughts to guide you in your search. Umm, what’s a therapist? Believe it or not, this isn’t as easy (or uncommon) a question as you might think. Technically, it could meanRead more