Interesting Articles

By Brian Ehrich, PsyD, LP
Many golfers say with frustration in their voices, "If I could only get out of my way." Playing golf well is not easy and demands attention to both sides of the self - physical and mental. Individuals consistently describe a vague but powerful experience, a part of themselves that interferes, stops or blocks positive performance. The statement 'getting out of my way' reflects some internal process - something psychological. After all, playing golf is a mental game.

By Lois Jonet, MS, LP, LMFT
An early evening stop at a family restaurant offers one a broad picture of the contemporary family. Families take a variety of forms, and like the people in them, they are very diverse.

By Hal Steiger, PhD, LP
What could depression and high achievers possibly have in common. After all, high achievers are vital, focused and optimistic individuals with a long track record of success at home, work and in their community. High achievers have an abundance of energy and actually seem to thrive on challenge. They set high standards for themselves and respond to temporary setbacks with perseverance and resilience rather than depressive collapse.

By Tressa Reisetter, PhD, LP
Neuropsychologists specialize in the study of brain/behavior relationships. When working with children, they investigate strengths and weaknesses of each child, seeking to answer questions such as: Does this child have some type of learning disability? Is he or she gifted? Is the brain developing normally? Are there reasons for concern? What interventions might be useful for this child? How can the neurological pathways that are working best be utilized to enhance that child’s ability to learn? How can those pathways that are not working well be strengthened or circumvented?

By Sandra Shearer
When did you last go to your physician for a preventive health checkup? Did you get a flu shot to help prevent this season’s flu attack? When did you last bring your car in for a tune-up, check the tires or change the oil? Sometimes we even have the furnace cleaned to prevent problems during the winter. Do we ever think about preventive maintenance for our companies or are we running madly ahead somewhere, anywhere, just to keep going? Our company is no different than our body. It’s heart and soul, arteries, joints, and muscles need care before there is a breakdown. The problem is so many people and companies alike wait until something is broken or diseased before taking action and then the remedy can be severe—bed rest, nasty medicine, operations for the individual and low morale, layoffs, financial penalties, bankruptcy, etc. for the company.

By Priscilla Elwell, MA, LP
Almost everyone, at one time or another has had issues related to money or finances. Surprisingly, this can be all the more true for those who grew up wealthy or those who have inherited wealth. Many studies have shown that, after basic needs are met, more money does not bring greater happiness and in fact recently studies indicate that the reverse may be true. A study in UK New Scientist Magazine found that people in Nigeria, Mexico, Venezuela and El Salvador are happier that people in the United States despite a significantly lower GDP. In industrialized countries, the New Scientist reports, levels of happiness have not risen with higher incomes.

By Noriko Balken, LMFT
I am likely to live to 97, according to the life expectancy calculator on a web-site. I thought that I might live 40 to 45 more years, but not 60 years. If this is going to be true, and I have almost 60 more years to go, I’d better take very good care of myself to get through the many challenges to come.

By Brian Ehrich, PsyD, LP
Sport announcers refer to it. School counselors consider it a condition for academic success. Motivational specialists link it to performance outcome. Parents worry about their sons and daughters having too much or too little of it. Managers try to build it up. Coaches try not to step on it. Self-esteem is an idea used often in our everyday life. Although widely used, the idea of self-esteem is frequently misunderstood. Let’s consider the following point of view.

By Jennifer Reimann, LICSW
Most people think of grief as a process one goes through after someone they know passes away. Though this is true, a grief reaction is not limited to death. When your life changes as you once knew it, whether it be through a death of a loved one, job change, marriage, divorce, birth of a child, or even retirement, you are coping with a loss. The difference in your grieving reaction may vary in intensity and duration, but it is grief nonetheless. Because these are not limited to negative life events, many people are surprised at their difficulty in dealing with the change. By understanding that a grief reaction is not limited to death but includes any type of loss you may experience, you will be better prepared at knowing what to expect when a change occurs and more apt to be both gentle with yourself and others when dealing with such changes.

By Hal Steiger, PhD, LP
Anxiety is an all too common feeling in today’s workplace. The old employment contract, which linked the implicit guarantee of a job to employee loyalty, dedication and performance, has been shredded in the face of relentless competition and new economic realities. Beginning with the mergers and acquisitions of the 1980’s, layoffs and downsizing have become common practice. Even our most profitable companies meet competitive challenges by trimming costs through layoffs.

By Gretchen Collins, MA, LP
One day Barbara Strauch’s editor put a memo on her desk. The memo to the science and medical editor of the New York Times was an assignment to write an article about the neuroscientists who were studying the adolescent brain. The result of her investigating is the book The Primal Teen which explores the research and findings to date of the large community of neuroscientists who have been studying the adolescent brain since the 1990’s. As a result of the work of these scientists one can hardly open a newspaper or magazine without learning something else about what they are discovering.

By David Benson, MA, LMFT
Working in therapy with couples seems to have challenged me the most in being able to stay in a place of not knowing. Not knowing what at the bottom of things is “really” going on. Not knowing what claims among the competing psychic forces are relatively more in need of support and/or more in need of challenge. What is the cause of this not knowing in me?

By Gretchen Collins, MA, LP
"These are the best days of your life," parents will say to their adolescent children. Members of past generations have as many adolescence-provided-life’s-best-days stories as there are members. And many do not agree that those days were good. What is for sure, because of the current extensive research provided by scientists, is that adolescence today is a very difficult time--- particularly for girls. "Adolescent girls are like saplings in a hurricane," writes Mary Pipher, psychologist, in Reviving Ophelia, her important book about the dangers of being young and female and how adults can help. "The demands of the time are so overwhelming that even the strongest girls keel over in adolescence."