Blog

Boundaries and…A Living Will?

Psychologists Henry Cloud and John Townsend published a classic book in 1992 entitled “Boundaries: When to Say YES — When to Say NO — To Take Control of Your Life”(1). This book has been a guide for many to define where their responsibilities lay and where other people need to step up to their own … Read More

Pulling Weeds: clearing the smoke on Marijuana’s effects on the thinking and emotion

Several days ago, I was talking to two recent college graduates about choices, particularly those involving what people put into their bodies. In that context, the conversation meandered from alcohol through nicotine to marijuana – all the way to the opioid crisis; however, most of our dialog centered on recreational marijuana. Their questions were quite … Read More

Change is the Only Constant in Life

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, has been quoted as saying, “Change is the only constant in life.” In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly wrote, “Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” These quotes ring true as we navigate through life. Change is constant: relocation, normal life stage changes, political change, life-style … Read More

Dialogue in Marriage

To know someone and to be known by the other is the essence of true love. This intimacy needs to grow in a healthy  relationship. A hindrance to good listening in marriage is fear of hearing the other’s true feelings. It is helpful to keep in mind that we can’t change our loved one’s world … Read More

Bad Mood?…Blame the Weather

This year, autumn felt like an extended summer. Winter couldn’t make up its mind if it wanted to be mild or harsh and then it didn’t want to end, giving us a snow storm in March. Spring has been a series of major ups and downs in temperatures, going from high 80’s one day to … Read More

A Psychodynamic View of Reactive Depression

In an attempt to spark interest in a type of therapeutic approach known as “psychodynamic,” here excerpts from an interview with Dr. James Hollis, a well-known Jungian analyst and the author of Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really, Grow Up.  (To view the entire interview, visit https://www.lawyerswithdepression.com/articles/the-swampland-an-interview-with-jim-hollis-about-depression-in-the-law/.) “There is … Read More

March Madness

March Madness. Basketball. Sweet Sixteen. Final Four. It’s that time of year when college basketball rules ESPN and prime time TV. Brackets are posted. Cinderella teams emerge. Highly ranked teams are upset. The frenzy of excitement spills over into the beginning of April, and a team of 19-23-year-old young men triumph as the NCAA Division … Read More

Should I Get A Mental Health Evaluation?

A few weeks ago a jubilant president Trump declared that his annual physical examination went exceptionally well; Rear admiral Dr. Ronny Jackson, the president’s physician further endorsed this comment. Of note was Dr. Jackson’s statement that the president requested a mental health evaluation, which yielded perfect results on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MOCA]. Not surprisingly, … Read More