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Noah Counseling and Therapy blog at GoodTherapy

Noah Counseling and Therapy blog at GoodTherapy
Reflections on Therapy, Counseling and the People are Proficient movement

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Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Articles

Ambivalence in Relationships
2007-10-10 06:47:00
Written by Delyse Ledgard, MA, CCC Click here to contact Delyse and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile This article discusses the nature of ambivalence in relationships, and the resulting dynamics. This perspective has developed over the past 20 years of working with individuals and couples, and noticing how these dynamics emerge. Ambivalence occurs in intimate relationships when there is the coexistence of opposing emotions and desires towards the other that create an uncertainty about being in the relationship. It is our nature to split our experience into polarities, such as good/bad, right/wrong and emotions such as love/hate, joy/sadness. One could say that we constantly deal with the opposite of our experience even if that is unconscious. As we become closer to our beloved and feel connected our experience is defined by the possibility of separation. Every time we say ‘yes’ there is a ‘no’ in the background informing our choice. If I am saying ‘yes’ to something wh...
More About: Relationships

The Use of Narrative Therapy in the Transformative Work of Grief
2007-10-09 07:10:00
Written by Beth Patterson, MA Click here to contact Beth and/or see her Good Thera py .org Profile Helen Keller has said that “the only way to get to the other side is to go through the door.” This is certainly true in the work of transforming grief into healing and growth. This process involves allowing ourselves to feel the intense emotions of grief – sadness, anger, despair and other difficult emotions, as well as tapping into our internal strengths and external sources of support and ultimately finding new ways to stay connected to our departed loved ones. Narrative therapy and has been used with a wide variety of difficulties and issues, including grief reactions. The role of the narrative therapist is as collaborator or co-author with the client. As such, the narrative therapist partners with the client to explore the stories that give meaning to the client’s life (White, 1995). Carr (1998) describes the context of narrative therapy as follows: Within a narrative fra...
More About: Work , Grief

Focusing for the Therapist
2007-10-08 07:15:00
Written by Greg Madison, Ph.D. Click here to contact Greg and/or see his GoodThera py.org Profile *Focusing is a natural way of being with our own experience, patiently, until it becomes more clear. Unbeknownst to most clients, psychotherapy remains governed by many theories and boundary ‘rules’, the actual purpose of which may be to protect the therapist from his or her own anxiety . In this short piece, an existential therapist uses Focusing to attempt to remain open to the difficult experience of being with a dying client. Through this example of his work in an acute hospital setting, Greg suggests that Focusing can be a crucial aspect of redefining therapy as a human relationship rather than an expert one. The medical and nursing team called me to meet Loyola, a patient who was refusing to accept her terminal diagnosis and return home. Walking onto the ward I became aware of a nervous feeling in my stomach… (more…)
More About: Therapist

New Story added to the Healing Story Collection: Little Lil
2007-10-07 08:30:00
Dear GoodTherapy.org Member’s and visitors to our site, The GoodTherapy.org Team is pleased to announce that we’ve introduced the first story to the Heal ing Story Collection. This is a mystical and touching story called Little Lil. It was written by Jane Carpenter about her experience of healing the parts which fueled her attempts at perfection. Click here to visit the GoodTherapy.org Healing Story Collection and read Little Lil and if you’d like to comment on Jane’s story, she has given us permission to accept comments here. Click here to leave Jane comments, praise, empathy, or how you may relate personally to her story. All comments are moderated.

The Healing Story Collection
2007-10-07 07:37:00
Dear GoodTherapy.org Member’s and visitors to our site, The GoodTherapy.org Team is pleased to announce the opening of the Heal ing Story Collection. This Collection is a project we started about 3 years ago to collect and share stories about the healing process experienced during psychotherapy. Over this time we’ve collected some beautiful stories and poems about healing. Every month we will be featuring and presenting one of these stories in our collection. We hope these stories will inspire us all to open our hearts, to witness the spiritual and mystical depths of psychotherapy, and learn experientially about the psychotherapeutic process. Every month when we introduce a new story we will announce it here on the GoodTherapy.org blog. If you’d like to receive an email when we feature a new story or make any update to our blog: click here to subscribe. Click here to visit the GoodTherapy.org Healing Story Collection

Surfing on the Sea of Contrast: An Answer To The Secret
2007-10-05 06:19:00
Written by Jeanine Austin, Ph.D. Click here to contact Dennis and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile It is difficult when we find ourselves dealing with a situation that we would never want consciously to create. These days, when many believe that we create our total reality, we may feel guilty if our life seems to contain aspects in it which are untoward. Whether we have stubbed our toe or are facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, we may wonder why these unpleasant elements have manifested in our lives. Did we create this? Are we vibrationally unfit? With the popularity of the movie “The Secret ”, which is about the Law of Attraction (L.o.A.), we may be tempted to blame ourselves or others when certain things have manifested in one’s life. While the Law of Attraction does have its place in the scheme of our life, it is just one of many life laws. We may unconsciously use blame as a way to distance ourselves from others who are suffering. Some may even think or actually say to ...
More About: Surfing , Answer , Contrast

From Vicious Cycle to Adaptive Spiral
2007-10-04 06:28:00
Written by Jeffrey Chernin, Ph.D., LMFT Click here to contact Jeffrey and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile When you’re in a vicious cycle, you do something which causes you to feel bad. Feeling bad can lead to poor self-care, which can lead to wanting to get away from the bad feelings that result, which can cause you to do things that make you feel worse, and so on. This cycle lead to an ongoing chain of unhealthy choices and behaviors. How do you overcome this type of ingrained pattern? The Adaptive Spiral, an idea which developed organically through my practice, is a new way for you to think about growth, especially in regard to overcoming a vicious cycle. The chain starts when certain “coping strategies” (actions and perceptions) that got you through the minefields of childhood are left unchecked. These strategies go from being adaptive in childhood to maladaptive as an adult, often locking you into unsatisfying relationships and frustrating patterns. Let’s turn to elem...
More About: Cycle

What to Do If Your Spouse Won?t Go to Counseling
2007-10-03 08:19:00
Written by John Gerson, Ph.D. Click here to contact John and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile The scenario of one spouse recognizing that therapy might be useful to look at a troubled relationship while the other is resistant has several possible explanations. It may be that your partner may be too anxious as a product of interpreting your request ...
More About: To Do , Spouse

What to Do If Your Spouse Won’t Go to Counseling
2007-10-03 08:19:00
Written by John Gerson, Ph.D. Click here to contact John and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile The scenario of one spouse recognizing that therapy might be useful to look at a troubled relationship while the other is resistant has several possible explanations. It may be that your partner may be too anxious as a product of interpreting your request for counseling as a sign that the relationship is in serious danger, and may only have the strength to defend against the anxiety by denial and non-participation. Your partner may also feel too threatened by the notion that he or she is to blame for your relationship difficulties, and visualizes a therapy session as one in which you persuade the therapist of this unilateral conception. The fear here is of you being the complaining, “righteous” partner who co-opts the therapist in a biased alliance against him or her. In addition, your resistant partner may not feel as competent to present his or her case to the therapist as you might...
More About: Spouse

Why Does GoodTherapy.org include a list of Psychotherapy & Counseling Appro
2007-10-02 00:54:00
GoodTherapy.org recently updated its list of psychotherapy approaches and its list of concerns addressed. In response we received a small handful of emails from some thoughtful members with concerns about our lists:
More About: Models , List , Psychotherapy , Methods , A list

Why Does GoodTherapy.org include a list of Psychotherapy & Counseling A
2007-10-02 00:54:00
GoodThera py.org recently updated its list of psychotherapy approaches and its list of concerns addressed. In response we received a small handful of emails from some thoughtful members with concerns about our lists: (more…)
More About: List , Psychotherapy , A list

Drawing From Meaning: Finding Self Through Art
2007-09-29 02:40:00
Written by Tanya Vallianos, MA, LPC, ATR Click here to contact Tanya and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile What is Art Therapy? Art therapy is a modality in the psychology field that’s focus is on the transformative power of nonverbal language. Because art therapy brings together the fields of art and psychology, it integrates visual arts, human development, behavior, mental health, creative process, imagination and personality. It is based on the belief that the act of art making can help us understand more of who we are, enhance lives, and lead us towards personal growth through self-expression. Although art therapy as a modern profession is quite new, creative expression through visual art is one of the oldest forms of healing in history. This is the way that mankind began expressing itself as a means of communication on cave walls, through hieroglyphics and within sand paintings. Art has always been a way to express the deepest of sorrow as well as the most joyous of moments...
More About: Drawing , Meaning

The Ride of Our Lives
2007-09-28 08:15:00
Written by by Debra L. Kaplan, MA, LAC, LISAC Click here to contact Debra and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile From birth onward we begin the enduring act of maturing and experientially processing interaction. At birth our emotions are open and vulnerable but most importantly we are present and living in the moment. A baby instinctively cries without delay when sensing hunger, dampness from a dirty bottom, or generalized pain and discomfort. As we mature our emotions are woven into our personal filters that evolve from our internal and external exchanges that take place in our lives. This offers much in the way of an explanation as to how our filters develop and how our internal emotions are harnessed in an effort to welcome life or yoked to keep them at arms length. Early on, if we learn trust and consistency our fragile, developing egos are comforted and eased by knowing that our needs will be met. The silent message delivered is safety and trust. In the absence of such ...
More About: Ride , Lives

Update to List of Psychotherapy & Counseling Approaches
2007-09-27 06:12:00
Dear GoodTherapy.org Members, I’m writing to announce that we are in the process of updating our list of psychotherapy models again. We want to share with you the update and also ask for your help. Below you?ll find four lists of therapy approaches: Those that have been added to our list; Those already listed, Those we ...
More About: Models , List , Update , Psychotherapy , Methods

Update to List of Psychotherapy & Counseling Approaches
2007-09-27 06:12:00
Dear GoodThera py.org Members, GoodTherapy.org is once again in the process of updating our list of psychotherapy models. We want to share with you the update and ask for your help. Below you’ll find 4 lists of therapy approaches: Those which have been added to our list; those already listed, those we need more information about before making a decision, and those which we have not included. Please note: you will not find the complete list of models listed in this post. For the complete list of therapy approaches click here: http://www.goodtherapy.org/1657.html and see the “Type of therapy you want” drop down list. We would be grateful for any information or opinions you have about the approaches below which we need more info about. Whether your can provide a quick yea or a nay, a link to a website with more info, or even a dissertation on why we should add or exclude an approach :), we’d love to hear it. Our team will research these approaches on our own, but we k...
More About: List , Update , Psychotherapy

Update to List of Concerns addressed in Counseling & Psychotherapy 9-20
2007-09-27 03:30:00
Dear GoodThera py.org Members, GoodTherapy.org has just finished updating our list of concerns. We want to thank everyone for many excellent suggestions. Over a dozen concerns have been added. Below you will find the Update d list of Concerns as well as a list of every suggestion we received along with our team’s response. Updated List of Concerns Addressed: Abuse Survivor Issues Abandonment and/or Fear of Abortion / Post Abortion Issues Academic Concerns Addictions (Drug & Alcohol) Addictions (Other) Adjusting to Change / Life Transitions Adoption / Reunion Issues Aggression Agoraphobia Anger Anxiety Attachment Issues Batterer Intervention Bereavement Bipolar Blended Family Issues Career Choice Caregiver Issues/Stress Child and/or Adolescent Issues Chronic Pain Codependency / Dependency Communication Problems Compulsions Control Issues Creative Blocks Depression Developmental Disorders (Autism, Aspergers, etc.) Dissociation Divorce / Divorce Adjustment Domestic Violence Eatin...
More About: Psychotherapy

Update to List of Concerns addressed in Counseling & Psychotherapy 9-2007
2007-09-27 03:30:00
Dear GoodThera py.org Members, I’m writing to announce that we have just finished updating our list of concerns. We want to thank everyone for many excellent suggestions. We added over a dozen new separate categories and also tacked some terms onto preexisting ones. Below you will find the Update d list of Concerns as well ...
More About: List , Psychotherapy

Emotional Pain: Friend or Foe
2007-09-26 06:28:00
Written by Rod Louden, M.A., MFT Click here to contact Dennis and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile With every emotional and/or physical painful experience in life, you have the opportunity to write and store knowledge about pain. You add new volumes every year. Moments of unhappiness, confusion, failure, depression, and the act of making the same mistakes over and over, all present the opportunity for you to write and store productive knowledge about pain. The problem is that most people, who continuously struggle in relationships and life, create volumes of false and misleading information about emotional pain. Documenting knowledge about pain began from the moment you were forced out into this world from your mother’s womb and felt that sharp slap across your bottom. With this slap, you were introduced to a harsh reality of our world: it is full of painful experiences. If you’re like most people, the word pain is viewed in negative light. It has several friends that hang aro...
More About: Pain , Friend , Friend or Foe , Emotional

Are you a Pursuer? Or a Distancer?
2007-09-25 07:43:00
Written by Irene Oudyk-Suk, MSW, RSW Click here to contact Irene and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile Jason hasn’t said much for the last few days. Sally, his wife, has talked quite a bit. Sally processes life by commenting on it verbally as it passes her by. Jason does his reflecting internally. He shares when asked, although sometimes Sally has to drag it out of him. Such is the normal ebb and flow of Jason and Sally’s marriage. It works quite well. Mostly. This pattern gets Sally and Jason into trouble when they deal with conflict. Sally expresses a concern and Jason makes a gesture or verbal remark that says, “Do we have to talk about this?” Sally feels misunderstood and tries harder to get her point across. Jason, dismayed that the hoped for return-to-harmony has gone up in smoke, tries to ease the mounting tension with a face that looks to Sally like a stone wall. Sally feels ignored and slighted and so she takes up the chase again. Now Jason feels under attack. H...

Are you a Pursuer? Or a Distancer?
2007-09-25 07:43:00
Written by Irene Oudyk-Suk, MSW, RSW Click here to contact Irene and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile Jason hasn?t said much for the last few days. Sally, his wife, has talked quite a bit. Sally processes life by commenting on it verbally as it passes her by. Jason does his reflecting internally. He shares when asked, although ...
More About: Relationships , Intimacy

More articles from this author:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7