Good news! In 2024 marriage and family therapists will eligible to become Medicare providers. Psychiatrists (MDs), psychologists (PhDs) and social workers (LCSWs) are currently the only licensed mental health professionals recognized by Medicare and that will remain in effect for 2023. Background: Medicare was created in 1965 to provide health insurance to Americans, starting at [...]
This article has lots of good ideas whether you are seeking therapy for the first time, returning after a hiatus or just wanting to get more out of it. Published in Psychology Today Not all therapy experiences are the same. Find out how to make it work for you. Therapy is an effective way to treat [...]
As a therapist, I regularly meet with teens and adults. Most report insomnia to some degree. Insomnia is defined simply as habitual sleeplessness but for years, I resisted applying the term insomnia to my own sleep woes. I thought I was having just trouble sleeping. Somehow insomnia seemed like a bigger problem. Maybe something incurable. [...]
Anxiety affects everyone to some degree. Quite simply we live in an anxious world. Anxiety can range from occasional, mild unease in anticipation of an event to constant, overwhelming panic. It goes by many names including worry, nerves, freaking out, stressed, tense.
This topic is part I of a series on communication and relationships. These ideas apply to all relationships, parent and kids, partners, spouses, work colleagues, etc. Always and never are powerful words. For that reason people often choose them to get their point across whether in an argument or in general conversation. Certainly it can [...]
Want to cultivate a happier mindset? Turns out you have to practice. Dr. Martin Seligman studies happiness & how to get happier. Seligman is the Director of Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. His “Three Blessings” exercise is wonderfully simple & can be a life changer. As humans we are predisposed to notice [...]
Adolescence and anger often seem to go together, especially in our youth-oriented culture. There are many reasons for this, such as hormone surges and the angst that comes with seeing the world in a new light. Anger is a normal emotion. Everyone feels angry sometimes. Anger lets you know something is out of sync in [...]
Telling it “like it is” and being nice are not mutually exclusive. I see honesty and kindness as two very important values and both essential to healthy relationships. I often see people chose between the two as in “It’s the truth” (and therefore okay that the comment is hurtful) or “I didn’t want to hurt [...]
Everyone likes to laugh and it can be a great stress reducer. Having a similar sense of humor is often what draws people together. If you think about your favorite people in your life they are often the ones that make you laugh or enjoy your sense of humor. Losing laughter or a light-heartedness in [...]
Time outs aren’t just for disobedient kids. They can be useful tools to stop arguments from becoming unproductive fights or worse, whether those arguments are between parents and children, partners, spouses or siblings. Timeouts aren’t meant to solve problems. However they can give each person a chance to think more clearly about their own perspective [...]
