Clinical Skills & Experience

Do childhood trauma and a chaotic family environment cause adult borderline personality disorder (BPD)? Common clinical wisdom says yes, but new results are... Read more

Psychologist Philip Zimbardo knows a thing or two about tough guys. In 1971, his notorious Stanford prison experiment, originally planned for two weeks, had to... 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

Men with anger problems are generally highly reluctant clients who come to our offices only because they’ve gotten “the ultimatum” from their wives... Read more

Sometimes the places we long to visit speak to needs that go much deeper than our appetite for exotic sights. 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

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

A therapist–lawyer on what most often gets clinicians in trouble with the law and everything you need to know about the duty to report, to warn—and more. Read more

When something is coming at you that may cause pain or self-doubt, it’s natural to want to duck. 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

In an age when all eyes seem constantly riveted on the Next Big Thing, celebrated therapist-novelist Irvin Yalom takes a different approach. Read more

Not all families are related by blood. 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

This issue maps out not only what the latest science tells us about how emotion works, but also how therapists can more fully acknowledge within themselves the... 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 State of the Art, the Networker’s first-ever virtual conference, offered an opportunity for leaders in our field who disagree to debate each other... Read more

An understanding of the unconventional ways people demonstrate resilience is important in helping us avoid pathologizing clients and stop believing there’s... Read more

It’s not necessarily that sadness must always be avoided, but maybe we need to find a way to give it its place. Read more

Both doing psychotherapy and the writing of fiction are about stories. The essence of the art of both pursuits is the openness to the possibility that, no... Read more

In recent years, attachment theory, with its emphasis on early bonding, connection and relationship, has exerted as much influence over the field of... Read more

A determined patient searches for therapeutic insight from an unlikely source. Read more

Have you ever noticed how often you surf the net or check e-mail when you feel bored or restless or depressed, as if relief is just a click away? The Internet... Read more

Without the emphasis at the outset on identifying, honoring, and sustaining the caregiver's mission, you're unlikely to ever progress. Read more

A middle-aged man facing the challenge of coming out explores the uncharted territory of a "mixed-orientation marriage" Read more

Shame is the least understood dimension of men's inner experience—by both men themselves and the people who live with them. This lack of understanding may be... Read more