In The Therapy Room

True tales and lessons from the therapist’s chair
Article March 7, 2019

Storm Damage

Angry Words Can Sink a Relationship

Even though partners may forgive each other after a heated argument, the hurtful words that were hurled can be haunting nonetheless. Read more

Article December 26, 2018

The Accidental Sex Therapist

Helping Clients Get “Dumb and Happy”

You may not be a certified sex therapist, but that doesn’t mean you have to shy away from helping clients with their sexual issues. Read more

Article December 26, 2018

Weiwei and the Spider

Translating Problems into Skills to Learn
Ben Furman & Liu Haiying

An approach that emphasizes acquiring skills rather than focusing on problems helps a young boy in China tackle his problems at school. Read more

Article November 9, 2018

Listening to the Next Generation

Are We Hearing What They Have to Say?

Admitting her bafflement with some of her millennial clients, a veteran therapist accepts her ignorance and gets advice from some of the young people in her... Read more

Article November 9, 2018

“Nobody Knows!”

Helping Introverts Appreciate Their Strengths

A young introvert in college learns to embrace her temperament as a gift, rather than a problem. Read more

Article October 30, 2018

Remembering Catherine

Coming to Terms with a Client’s Murder

Over the course of my career, numerous world events have entered my office. But none of them prepared me for grieving the murder of Catherine, my client of 15... Read more

Article September 5, 2018

A Playful Path to Attachment

A Mother and Adopted Daughter Learn to Bond

Through games that encourage small moments of laughter, a struggling mother and her adopted daughter learn a different way to bond. Read more

Video August 15, 2018

VIDEO: How Symptoms Reveal the Path to Growth

IFS Developer Richard Schwartz on Befriending the Inner "Protector"

Often, our attitudes toward anxiety symptoms are misguided, says Richard Schwartz, the originator of Internal Family Systems. By understanding responses... Read more

Article July 6, 2018

In the Shadow of Depression

How Can We Manage to Stay Well?

Most clinicians know that if a person has suffered one bout of serious depression, he or she is much more vulnerable to another one. But most therapists still... Read more

Article July 6, 2018

Becoming a Therapist for Each Other

How to Deepen Couples Therapy

How to address one partner’s long-term issues in couples therapy without derailing work on the current relationship. Read more

Article July 6, 2018

The Challenge of Helping the People Pleaser

Setting Boundaries Can Be Risky

Helping clients set boundaries can be a risky business, especially when people pleasing has been a lifelong strategy. * Commentary by Courtney Armstrong Read more

Article June 19, 2018

Is Porn Incompatible with a Loving Relationship?

Talking Frankly About Secrecy, Shame, and New Levels of Intimacy

Despite the undeniable harm that porn can do, we therapists need to bear in mind a fundamental fact: the overwhelming majority of people exposed to it don't... Read more

Article May 9, 2018

The New Science of Couples Therapy

Highlights from Symposium 2018

In their featured address, the Gottmans explored what research has revealed about the crucial role the brain’s seven different command systems can play in... Read more

Article May 9, 2018

Taken Over

Breaking the Spell of Obsession

A therapist struggles to help an obsessive client with whom she develops an unusual preoccupation. Read more

Article April 17, 2018

Jump-Starting Conversation in Family Therapy

The Difference Between Guiding and Intervening

How do you get family members to talk together productively? Enactments can be among the most valuable tools for getting a family's communication going. But... Read more

Article March 9, 2018

Priming Clients for Taking New Practices Home

Four Keys to Enhancing Engagement

Four steps to help clients take new practices learned in the consulting room back into their everyday lives. Read more

Article March 9, 2018

Second Adolescence

An Alternative to the Midlife Crisis

Instead of viewing midlife as a time of emotional unraveling, therapists can see it as an opportunity to help clients gain a fuller sense of purpose in... Read more

Article March 9, 2018

Art and Trauma

Accessing Creative Paths to Healing

A leader in expressive arts therapy explains why it’s increasingly being used to help combat vets find relief from trauma. Read more

Article January 8, 2018

Tuning into Attunement

How to Harness Your Social Engagement System

We all know people who have the magic touch when it comes to relating to others. They can instantly connect with strangers and put people at ease without even... Read more

Article January 8, 2018

Consensual Nonmonogamy

When Is It Right for Your Clients?

In past decades, the only alternatives to involuntary celibacy in a relationship were affairs or divorce. But more and more therapists are recognizing... Read more

Article January 8, 2018

From Weight to Well-Being

The Challenges of Treating Binge Eating Disorder

Although binge eating disorder is more prevalent than anorexia and bulimia, many people still don’t get the help they need for it. Read more

Article November 1, 2017

Taking Therapy Home

Motivating Couples to Do Their Homework

Motivating couples to do their therapy homework may be the key to successful outcomes. Read more

Article September 7, 2017

Daring to Play

The Challenge of Embracing Our Youngest Clients

Although they make up nearly a quarter of the population, children are rarely a central part of therapists’ practices. Why? The most effective interventions... Read more

Article September 7, 2017

From Tough Love to Empathic Love

Teaching Parents to Earn Their Children’s Respect

Helping families move past stalemates often means teaching parents to earn their children’s respect. Read more

Article May 8, 2017

Being There

Inhabiting the Moment with Traumatized Teens

With traumatized adolescent clients, it’s emotion that gradually changes emotion—not rational explanation or interpretation, not snazzy techniques or... Read more

Article May 8, 2017

The Courage to Connect

Highlights from the 2017 Symposium

Year after year, therapists have come to the Networker Symposium expecting to escape the turbulence of everyday life and the real world. But this year... Read more

Article March 13, 2017

When Helping Doesn't Help

Why Some Clients May Not Want to Change

Rather than just commiserating with clients’ misery, most therapists want to engage in more active forms of helping. So we try to persuade clients... Read more

Article March 13, 2017

Affair Repair

Lessons on Changing Directions

Couples therapy can be difficult and dicey, especially when there’s an affair in the mix. To keep afloat in the emotional tumult, most therapists cling to... Read more

Article March 13, 2017

Speak Easy

Keeping It Real with Your Teen Clients

How to keep it real with teenage clients. Read more

Article March 13, 2017

Navigating the Bipolar Spectrum

Diagnosing Mood Disorders Requires Great Care

Diagnosing and treating mood disorders can be tricky, especially when it comes to an often overlooked, subtle form of bipolar II. Read more

1 ... 4 5 6 7 8 ... 10