Work & Career

Clouds of Sils Maria

By Elisabeth LaMotte / July 27, 2015

Writer/ Director: Olivier Assayas 2014, 124 Minutes, Rated R When therapists assign films to clients, research demonstrates that this approach can improve and enhance the effectiveness of therapy.  Why?  Movies — when thoughtfully selected and strategically assigned — function as powerful therapy tools because film provides a non-threatening mirror reflecting aspects of the client’s experience.…

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Still Alice

By Elisabeth LaMotte / June 22, 2015

When a parent falls ill, the family constellation is bound to change, and multiple familial relationships usually become strained or strengthened, sometimes in unexpected ways.   Most people decide to begin therapy because something has changed, and usually this change involves a family or relationship crisis.  Since most of the clients in our therapy practice are…

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Chef

By Elisabeth LaMotte / November 16, 2014

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…

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The Children Act

By Elisabeth LaMotte / October 30, 2014

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,…

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Begin Again

By Elisabeth LaMotte / October 21, 2014

“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…

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Crossing to Safety

By Elisabeth LaMotte / October 1, 2014

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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Delancey: A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant, A Marriage

By Elisabeth LaMotte / September 12, 2014

257 pages, Simon and Schuster Molly Wizenberg’s blog, Orangette, was named the world’s best food blog by the London Times.  Her lively 2014 memoir about her husband Brandon’s dream of opening a pizza joint in Seattle and what happens along the way says as much about maintaining a healthy, happy albeit imperfect marriage as it…

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The Interestings

By Elisabeth LaMotte / August 20, 2014

Meg Wolitzer’s page-turning novel traces the experiences and relationships of six friends who meet as teenagers at Spirit-in-the-Woods arts camp in the summer of 1974.  Wolitzer captures these glorious fifteen and sixteen year old souls with their musings, quirks, and complexities.  Readers will relish their adolescent ability to be intensely vulnerable and real with each…

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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

By Elisabeth LaMotte / May 22, 2014

Ben Stiller, 2013, 114 minutes The intersection of dating and technology is an inevitable topic for single adults in therapy.  Whether discussing questions about the choice to pursue on-line dating, or how Facebook, Instagram and texting shape the modern relationship landscape, technology has a profound influence over the process of seeking romance and connection. Directed…

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BLOOD, BONES AND BUTTER: THE INADVERTENT EDUCATION OF A RELUCTANT CHEF (2011)

By Elisabeth LaMotte / July 1, 2013

One could reasonably assume from the title, “Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef”, that Gabrielle Hamilton’s best-selling memoir is about food. The fact that Hamilton is the owner and chef of the chic and fabulous East Village restaurant Prune further implies that readers can expect a food-focused literary journey through what it takes…

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