by Marcia | Mar 13, 2015 | Childrearing
Most of what I know about children I have learned by observing them. What children say is only a small part of the story. How they look, act, and respond to their immediate environment—as well as to you and me—is far more important. The longer you look, and the more...
by Marcia | Mar 10, 2015 | Childrearing
Some children struggle to make and keep friends. You can use this list of pointers to help your child develop social skills. The conversation can also be a springboard for discussion of the many ways of enjoying other people’s company. Let someone know you’d like to...
by Marcia | Mar 3, 2015 | Love & Marriage
Another relationship went south and you ask yourself why. You found this great guy (or gal). Your eyes met across a crowded room, and—wow! Heaven and earth moved. You just knew that this was The One. The two of you got acquainted on a couple of heady dates and hopped...
by Marcia | Feb 27, 2015 | Anxiety, Mental Health
Many people come to see me in hopes that I can help them get rid of their anxiety. But as Irvin Yalom wrote in his wonderful book Existential Psychotherapy, anxiety comes with being human. You can’t erase it. You can manage it. In fact we all do so—by finding ways to...
by Marcia | Feb 24, 2015 | Healthy Aging
Let’s say you’re in your forties, fifties, or sixties. Your parents, still alive and in their seventies or older, are ailing, either one or both, and you’re responsible for their care. What can you do when their safety is at stake and they refuse to follow your...
by Marcia | Feb 20, 2015 | Living Well, Setting and Achieving Goals
Some years ago I heard about a home for abused women that taught them various skills to help them find jobs. The article quoted Andrea, who had become a Spanish-English interpreter in the courts for women who had suffered domestic violence. Andrea was passionate about...
by Marcia | Feb 17, 2015 | Mental Health
What do people want from therapy? Any solution depends on how the problem is defined, of course. The question you ask determines the answer you get. We therapists must all assess before we treat. When they take a history, social workers factor in each person’s life...
by Marcia | Feb 13, 2015 | Love & Marriage
It has never been easier to send chocolates and flowers on Valentine’s Day. A click and a few keyboarded numbers will do the job. But how genuine and heartfelt is a gesture that involves so little real thought and effort? There’s a better way. The suggestions below...
by Marcia | Feb 10, 2015 | Mental Health, Relationship Skills
As a psychotherapist, I work in a “helping profession.” It’s a label that many people swallow whole, without chewing. But what does it even mean? Most people think professional caregivers focus not on making money but on serving others. Still, help is in the eye of...
by Marcia | Feb 6, 2015 | Love & Marriage
Often people ask me to tell them if a relationship is over. Mostly they want me to read someone else’s behavior, to say how I think the other person may be feeling and whether or not she (or he) will ever change. So what would I say if you asked me these questions?...
by Marcia | Feb 3, 2015 | Love & Marriage
When I was twelve, my mother died of cancer. She had been ill for seven years. A beautiful redhead in her youth, she increasingly isolated as the disease ravaged her. Over time, I became her sole companion. Now, as a child I could hardly be held responsible for...
by Marcia | Jan 30, 2015 | Healthy Aging, Mental Health
I chose psychotherapy as my work in the world because it lets me imagine how it might have felt to be born as someone else. I feel privileged to hear other people talk about their lives. My hours of listening have taught me many things. Most of us licensed therapists...
by Marcia | Jan 27, 2015 | Living Well, Mental Health
No matter how you think or feel, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual seems ready to produce evidence that something is wrong with you. Obsessions and compulsions are a case in point. Ever find yourself plagued with a thought or a worry? It’s as if a bar of music had...
by Marcia | Jan 23, 2015 | Living Well
Traditional educational goals have never been under fire more than they are now in the age of the Internet. Cogent arguments have been made that rote learning is pointless. We need only to know where to find information. If so, what exactly should schools be doing? ...
by Marcia | Jan 20, 2015 | Love & Marriage, Relationship Skills
How can people connect more easily with each other, casually or when they are looking for love? Are there magic tricks that help transform strangers into friends and friends into lovers and partners? Recent research offers some clues. Companies often use a simple...
