Since my last post I’ve felt a bit conflicted about posting advice. Conflicting with this conflict, on the other hand, have been numerous instances of people I work with asking me for advice. That’s not unusual, of course. It’s just that my reflections on advice giving really brought these requests to my attention. Perhaps it’s…
I talk a lot about developing tolerance. (As a good thing.) Hand-in-hand with developing tolerance is another word: acceptance. I began to write a post about the mental health benefits of acceptance right after my last post. However, I experienced a wee bit of a crisis while writing it, so I changed my vanilla post…
Yay! I’m going back! After a long COVID isolation, I can finally return to the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation. Yay! Let me back-up, to explain the use of not just one, but two “Yay!”s. I grew up in Sarnia, Ontario. For those who don’t know, Sarnia neighbours three First Nation communities: Aamjiwnaang First…
Here we are in the second post of a series on “a dinosaur, a cow, and Einstein.” Today, it’s all about social engagement, aka. the cow. Well, maybe not a cow. To be honest, my memory of this illustration is only clear about the dinosaur and Einstein. In between them was… some kind of furry…
Ah, 1970’s TV. So weird. So wonderful. In the opening sequence for Kung Fu, Kwai Chang Caine brands himself with the dragon and tiger by lifting an iron pot full of red-hot coals with his bare arms. Ouch. There’s a reason shaolin masters are not found on every street corner. Like Caine (but thankfully without…
I’m a nerd. I couldn’t resist that title. Anyhoo. Last week, I wrote about the perils of ego. Ego undermines effectiveness as a therapist. I want to be as effective as I can be; but what’s a poor therapist to do about defeating such a powerful monster? Well, according to Dr. David Burns and psychologist…
For years, I pinned up a quote on the corkboard of whatever office I occupied. The quote moves me and helps to remind me of the importance of humility. I’ve blogged before about research indicating therapists with a bit of self-doubt are more effective; and experts of any kind can succumb to the mistake of…
Happy New Year! I know New Year’s resolutions don’t really work. Oh well. I have a resolution anyway: growing as a therapist with “deliberate practice.” Deliberate practice comes from the study of top performers; athletes, musicians… I even heard that the people who roll cigars by hand in Cuba have been studied. Guess what? Innate…
Last week, I complained about how hard it was to find a short and to-the-point article explaining that, yes indeed, psychotherapy works. This week, while searching for something else, I found it in a few short minutes. Tsk. Anyway, here it is. Better late than never. This week, I’d like to continue the theme by…
While I have never personally been asked this question, it’s a hot topic in the field. Or at least lukewarm. It’s a pretty good question. After all, when I consider devoting some of my time, effort and money into something, the thought of dumping all of those things down a deep, dark hole is not…