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11 Feb In Cinema Blog Coming of Age Dating Depression Divorce Family Fathers Intimacy & Commitment Mothers Substance Use Trauma
I, Tonya

The previews and early promotion of I, Tonya inspired memories about Tonya Harding and her scandalous role in the 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan. I felt conflicted about revisiting that infamous incident and the popular cultural drama that followed. I assumed that I would enjoy learning more about the competitive world of figure skating, but […]

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08 Nov In Cinema Blog Family Family & Siblings Family Secrets Fathers Grief Mothers Substance Use Therapy Trauma
People, Places & Things

The slippery criteria that define substance abuse are notoriously difficult to distinguish in a client’s behavior. Sometimes the signs are obvious. But often, therapy clients hesitate to report the full extent of their usage. Practicing therapists must ask the right questions, usually more than once. I was trained to begin therapy asking several background inquiries […]

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21 Jul In Books Cinema Blog Coming of Age Depression Family Secrets Grief Infidelity Intimacy & Commitment Love Marriage Substance Use Therapy Work & Career
Tender is the Night

Deepak Chopra famously said: “When you blame and criticize others, you are avoiding some truth about yourself.” The tendency to focus on the flaws of others in order to deny scary or painful dimensions of the self comes up often in therapy. Sigmund Freud described this process as projective identification. Projective identification — often called […]

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18 May In Books Cinema Blog Coming of Age Family Family & Siblings Fathers Love Substance Use Work & Career
Hillbilly Elegy

“I don’t believe in epiphanies. I don’t believe in transformative moments, as transformation is harder than a moment. I’ve seen far too many people awash in a genuine desire to change only to lose their mettle when they realized just how difficult change actually is.” What factors facilitate authentic change? And what traits of character […]

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17 Apr In Cinema Blog Coming of Age Depression Family Family & Siblings Family Secrets Fathers Grief Infidelity Intimacy & Commitment Love Marriage Mothers Substance Use Work & Career
Fences

Discovering infidelity is a common reason that couples seek therapy. Infidelity is much more frequent than one might expect, and the popular culture tends to equate infidelity with a loveless or passionless marriage. In my work as a couples therapist, I often discover marriages that have experienced infidelity but that clash with this popular conception. […]

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10 Apr In Cinema Blog Coming of Age Family Family & Siblings Family Secrets Fathers Grief Love Mothers Substance Use
Dear Evan Hansen

Parents of teenagers are bound to struggle to communicate and connect with their kids. It’s hard enough to lure a teen out of their bedroom, let alone to convince them to engage in an authentic conversation. One strategy to connect with teens is to create scenarios that set the stage for conversation. Driving to and […]

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06 Feb In Cinema Blog Family Family & Siblings Fathers Films Grief Substance Use
Manchester by the Sea

The sensations and experience of grief are a shocking departure from other states of existing. And we, as a society, often shy away from exploring or understanding the grieving process. Sensations can feel heightened, while orientation is often confused. For those who have never been through it, and even for those who have, a traumatic […]

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10 May In Books Substance Use
This Naked Mind; Control Alcohol: Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life

Annie Grace opens her 2015 self-help book about alcohol use by asking a provocative question: “What if, by reversing years of unconscious conditioning, you could return to the perspective of a non-drinker?” Grace proceeds to talk readers through her strategy to return to a mental state where the desire for a drink disappears.  She blends […]

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13 Aug In Fathers Films Substance Use
Amy

During post-graduate training in couples, family and sex therapy, I was taught the importance of asking new clients about alcohol and substance use during the first session.  There is a controversial but widely accepted understanding in the therapeutic field that if someone is actively abusing a substance, traditional psychotherapy will have limited benefit unless a […]

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03 Aug In Dating Films Love Substance Use
Trainwreck

As a therapist specializing in relationships, I spend a lot of time discussing dating patterns, intimacy and commitment.  Many clients decide to enter therapy when they realize that their romantic life has felt unsatisfying for years.  When a client expresses pain or frustration about difficulty finding love, it is often helpful to focus on the […]

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