Cinema Blog
Director: Charlie McDowell Writer: Justin Lader 91 minutes/ August, 2014 Infidelity is a common topic of conversation in couples therapy. While discovering that one’s partner was unfaithful is a devastating and often traumatic experience, many couples can and do work through this discovery and come out stronger on the other side. One of the toughest…
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Nicole Krauss, 2005, W.W. Norton & Company With Valentine’s Day approaching, love is in the air and on peoples’ minds. As a therapist, I notice that December through February is my busiest time of year. February, not surprisingly, is a month when clients in therapy want to talk about love. As a big believer in…
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The Undertaking A Novel by Audrey Magee Finalist for the Baileys Women’s Prize Conversations about the difference between infatuation and love are commonplace in a therapist’s office. Many clients seek therapy when a relationship fueled by intense infatuation does not mature into love. It is often useful to explore one’s own patterns in relationships and…
Read More Writer and Director Richard Linklater’s unprecedented film Boyhood breaks new cinematic ground by employing an eleven year filming schedule beginning in May, 2002 and continuing through October, 2013. By filming for a few days each year, Linklater’s characters authentically age in concert with his storyline. Many folks aware of this cinematic masterpiece admit that the…
Read More Each holiday season, many of our therapy clients reflect and prepare emotionally in an effort to make the most of their upcoming visits with family. Family visits can be psychologically intense experiences that are especially meaningful for those who are in therapy and hoping to break out of long standing patterns and dysfunctional family…
Read More Romantic relationships are complicated, intense, beautiful entities that can be challenging to nurture and sustain. Today’s persistent emphasis on high-speed solutions, high-tech communications, and ubiquitous social networking can compromise the development of a simple, organic union between two like-minded people hoping to find love. For those who struggle with sexual addiction, a long-term committed relationship…
Read More In a society that emphasizes internet sensations, the joys of finding meaningful work can take a backseat to the celebration of viral videos and social media phenomenons. Jon Favreau’s 2014 comedy Chef explores what it means to choose to pursue a passion for the sake of the work itself, rather than for the praise or…
Read More Can a marriage be saved following infidelity? Is it okay to cheat if a marriage has become sexless? If infidelity is discovered and a couple wants to stay together, how do they find their way through? Such questions are frequently raised in couples therapy if one or both partners have strayed. Ian McEwan’s 2014 novel,…
Read More “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” Robert F. Kennedy Many clients enter therapy because they have experienced a significant failure or rejection. Job loss and breakups are among the most difficult blows and can trigger a level of emotional pain so intense it becomes physical. But failure and rejection are…
Read More What makes a marriage work? What makes a relationship last? How does work influence marriage? How does marriage influence work? How important is it to make time to see friends? These are questions that come up frequently in psychotherapy. Wallace Stegner’s 1987 classic novel on love, literature, friendship and marriage illuminates the timeless quality of…
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