Clinical Practice & Guidance

With all the recent developments in research, theory, and practice, we have more treatment options to choose from than ever before. Why then do so many... Read more

When we’re spinning our wheels from one session to the next, the key to progress often lies in shifting the therapist-client relationship. Read more

When therapy goes wrong, it’s typically because we’ve entered our clients’ trance, joining them in their myopic misery. Once there, our job is to break... Read more

There’s something about healing from the deep emotional suffering that feels like death and rebirth—not the quick kind that some claim to receive in... Read more

Excerpts from a series of interviews with some of the wisest souls in the field of psychology and psychotherapy on essential questions clinicians struggle with... Read more

Is “mentalization” a breakthrough in our understanding of the mind, or just a rehash of old ideas? Read more

Therapists are supposed to make clients feel safe and secure, creating a cozy haven from a cruel world, right? Well, when it comes to treating anxiety, more... Read more

As therapists, we typically assume that a person suffering from severe anxiety is eager and motivated to receive the help we offer. But we should never naively... Read more

In this age of helicopter parents and protective child professionals, we can often recreate a potent anxiety- reinforcing system around children that not only... Read more

Noticing a client’s nonverbal shifts isn’t enough. You must know what these shifts mean. Read more

Few cases offer as eerie a therapeutic challenge as a suddenly noncommunicative child, lost in a dissociative shutdown. Read more

You’ve probably worked with men who’ve been dragged, kicking and screaming, into therapy by their partners. But how do you work with a client who doesn’t... Read more

In this era of medical necessity and evidence-based therapies, it’s easy to lose sight of a basic truth. We heal not through prescriptions and procedures... Read more

When we trust in ourselves to follow the signals of life that the patient emits in seemingly casual conversation, we increase chances of stepping outside the... Read more

It’s probably fair to say that most teens loathe the very idea of therapy. Yet, with confused and troubled adolescents needing our help more than ever, the... Read more

While some believe the incidence of school bullying has reached epidemic proportions, therapists remain largely uninformed about the nature of the problem and... Read more

The revolution in communication technology has created a new set of ethical dilemmas, which are invading our sessions, whether we know it or not. Read more

The ways we disclose, read cues from our clients, and dialogue about what’s been divulged are the keys to whether therapist self-disclosure helps clients’... Read more

With stalemated cases in which the task of self-acceptance feels impossible, the therapist needs to offer more than compassion and encouragement. Read more

Ever consider what would happen if your portable device—chock full of information about your clients—went missing? Read more

The hallmark of the therapeutic encounter is that the therapist is an expert, trained in a particular skill-set to conduct a rather odd, rarified conversation... Read more

As the status of therapist has shifted from an oversized figure with Svengali-like powers to an overworked and underpaid service provider at the mercy of the... Read more

For men who still consider entering couples therapy a stroll into a lion’s den of shame, humiliation and failure, a men’s groups can be both a crucial... Read more

Resonating with clients’ inner experience is key to working effectively with emotion in therapy. With traumatized and shutdown clients, however, it is easy... Read more

The SoLoMo revolution is transforming the way therapists can generate client referrals on the Internet. Read more

A Buddhist approach to enhancing self-esteem. Read more

The recent spate of negative research findings and unfavorable media coverage of antidepressant drugs have obscured some important clinical issues. Read more

Helping Fathers and Daughters Connect Read more

A Zen teacher describes the benefits and limitations of traditional meditation practice. Read more

While meditation is usually considered solitary, two therapists discover that the couples intervention they’ve been using for over 20 years is actually a... Read more