For us therapists, the most interesting thing about dignity is that it should be a right, but it can be given, taken away, demanded, defended, and even negotiated. In a way it is a dialog between the self and others. In response to a request and because the subject keeps coming up,...

Yes, as therapists, we seek to change EMPs (Entrenched Maladaptive Patterns), and Memory Reconsolidation is the final common pathway for essentially all enduring change in psychotherapy. But it turns out that the information needing to be modified comes in four quite different flavors. In...

Avoiding uncomfortable feelings is familiar to all of us. How often do we have trouble engaging in those difficult conversations that are often the most productive? Furthermore, the concept has an important place in a number of therapies. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy has recognized the...

This post is about the ways that therapeutic gains can surprise us and our clients when they lead to painful negative experiences. The bottom line is that being ready to help clients prepare for these events can turn bad experiences into positive ones.

Backlash

That’s the term I...

“I don’t do that.” Wouldn’t it be nice if setting a boundary were that easy? The client would understand that this is simply part of the method and accept the limitation without complaint with no subsequent fallout. Why not? Adults accept all kinds of arbitrary...

The second day of 2023 seems like a good time to think about becoming an even better therapist. We all have doubts and areas where we can grow. In this post, I’ll share some possible directions for deepening our understanding and practice. 

My training, like that of...

This year has seen publication of 25 issues of “Tuesday is for Therapists.” With each issue, I, myself, learn and make use of these nuggets in my own practice. I hope they are as useful to my readers. 

I have one wish for my readers. Please share your questions and...

A reader pointed out that I have been using Carl Rogers’ concept of “accurate empathy” differently from Rogers, himself, and that has caused some confusion. I’m glad for a chance to clarify, but even more important this issue sheds light on the transformative...

We all know that when clients show emotion in their sessions we are on the right track. We also know that purely intellectual interpretation or reframing is not effective. But the pipeline between client and therapist and between consciousness and the limbic system bears a harder look. It...

The key to undoing psychotherapy’s divisiveness and silos is understanding the healing moment at the core of every therapy. You could call it a “moment of meeting” or an “ah-hah” moment, or a successful exposure session. What our field doesn’t know yet...

This post is about difficulty clinicians have with researchers and vice versa.

• An important but little recognized cause of divisiveness arises from contrasting standards of evidence and proof.
• The conscience, including its standards, does not stop forming at age 5. Internalized...