Category: mental health
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Where Therapy and Mindfulness Clash
There are a few challenges in being a therapist first and mindfulness teacher second. Our conditioning as helping professionals can place us at odds with the original intent behind mindfulness practice. The longer we have been treating people, the harder it can be to transcend our original training so that we can embody these radically…
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The You Factor in Psychotherapy
Did you know that you are the most important factor in your therapy? It may seem surprising given the amount of time we spend searching for the right provider and the right therapy approach. However, research shows that around 55% of therapy outcome is related to extra-therapeutic factors such as client readiness for change, willingness,…
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Investing Time in Personal Growth
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I’m sorry to break the bad news to all the quick fixers out there, but real and lasting positive change takes a significant time investment. Think of all the self-improvement activities you’ve ever engaged in: getting your education, cultivating long-term relationships, becoming physically fit, excelling at a sport or a musical instrument, exploring your spirituality –…
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Getting Unstuck
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One of the trickiest aspects of a psychologist’s job is to help motivate clients to do things they are reluctant to do, but may help them feel better. Common mental health problems like depression and anxiety involve a biased or stereotyped pattern of thinking and behaving which maintains or exacerbates the condition. These patterns keep…
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The Power of Referral
Like a bridge spanning an otherwise challenging obstacle, a referral is meant to take its recipient safely and efficiently from point A to point B. An excellent healthcare referral can be a powerful intervention, but many such referrals are made in haste without much forethought. It can be especially difficult for mental healthcare consumers to…
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Mental Health Emergencies
Many of us have had the misfortune of experiencing a medical emergency; either our own or that of someone we care about. But did you know people can also experience mental health emergencies? While mental health emergencies can be just as urgent and distressing as medical emergencies, people are often quite confused as to how…
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Keeping Up with the National Health Reform Debate
(This post is from 2009 – an interesting look back!) As an American health care provider, I have a vested interest in the health care reform debate as it will impact the future state of health care in the US. I am especially concerned about my clients understanding and having a voice in the issues.…