All therapists are performers. No matter what our theoretical orientations, clients are more influenced by us than our methods. Like the actor, the therapist’s technique is less about what we do and
Read MoreNew therapists are often overwhelmed by the sheer number of approaches to work from and the litany of do’s and don’ts they’ve been taught. It’s confusing: how can you feel confident as
Read MoreDancing is an authentic expression of self, or as Martha Graham put it, “the hidden language of the soul.” But you don’t need to be a performer, learn complicated steps, or even follow
Read MoreThere’s an old adage that everyone has a good book in them. This is especially true for therapists, who often have compelling stories and innovative ideas that could help thousands
Read MoreThere are few things as good for the body, mind, and soul as singing your heart out in harmony with others. In a fast-changing world where many of us feel isolated,
Read MoreExpand your capacity to express yourself, even while sitting, by using a unique approach that combines Somatic Experiencing with the Alexander Technique to track your embodied sensations, so you can contain and
Read MoreNow that you’ve developed your practice and clinical expertise, are you interested in sharing your knowledge outside the therapy room? Do you want to monetize your skills and reach larger audiences? Whether it’s speaking,
Read MoreThe latest research shows that our ability to be aware of our bodies impacts how we process sensations and memories, and heal from traumatic events. But therapists can’t guide clients to calm
Read MoreAs useful as research and clinical publications are in informing our therapy with couples, nothing compares to the power of music to capture the joy, heartache, and challenges inherent in
Read MoreExpressive arts not only cultivate the healing powers of imagination, they also mobilize the social engagement system through play, improvisation, musicality, movement, and creativity. When integrated into therapy, they can revitalize and energize clients,
Read MoreThe long-term impact of trauma and stress are more than just mental health issues: they’re at the root of almost 80 percent of chronic illnesses in our modern culture. But ancient spiritual
Read MoreWhat’s the difference between a therapist and a writer? Not much. Both pay rapt attention to the subtleties of human emotions and inhabit a world of words. Still, many therapists
Read MoreEthics training can be dull. But this workshop, using The Musical of Snow White as a framework, embodies the idea that when you’re having fun, the learning is deeper. Through hilarious songs
Read MoreWorking with sexuality and the erotic behavior many people engage in today can challenge a therapist’s values and deeply held beliefs about sex and relationships. Plus, the landscape of sexual behavior continues
Read MoreIf we are what we eat, then beyond the mind-body connection there’s also a food-mind-body connection. This workshop will explore the latest nutritional research to inform psychotherapeutic practice and how diet can
Read MoreIt’s important to honor all of your client’s inner parts in therapy. But accessing them to fully engage in healing work isn’t always easy. In this workshop, we’ll consider
Read MoreDo you have clients who seem to live in their heads and have a hard time sensing inside themselves? Focusing is a process that helps clients speak from their feelings, rather than about
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Research from brain science and positive psychology shows that activating positive emotional states is the fastest route to instilling hope, stimulating creativity, spurring motivation, and empowering our clients.
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Working with distressed kids and families takes three important skills: the ability to stay calm and present ourselves, a way to gather both verbal and nonverbal session feedback to
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Race remains a potent and polarizing issue in all domains of our society and unfortunately the world of therapy is no exception. Despite the omnipresence of race in our lives,
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Compassion fatigue and vicarious traumatization are more than occupational hazards for those in the helping professions. Feeling too much of our clients’ emotions
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Never before have men been so awash in confusing, contradictory messages: be strong, be sensitive, be vulnerable, be aggressive. When it comes to sex, be aggressive and responsive at
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For millennia, cultures around the world have embraced mind-altering substances to catalyze healing. Although our field has generally resisted the use of such substances, the FDA has recently granted
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Facing incredible life-stressors, young adults and teens are forcing us to reexamine the therapy relationship, across all modalities. Raised in child-centered yet distracted families, and intimately
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Healing is a word derived from the German hailjan, meaning “to make whole.” To truly heal isn’t easy, since it involves reconnecting with polarized and often volatile subpersonalities, or
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At its most basic level, human communication is one nervous system responding to another, searching for signals that it’s safe to connect and flooding us
Read MoreNothing defeats a therapist more than a client who’s numb or disconnected. When you ask why they’ve come for help, they may say, “I’m depressed” or “I’ve lost all hope,” but they
Read MoreMost of us have been taught that forgiveness is good for us and that good people forgive, even in the face of deep, interpersonal wounds. But hurt parties—whether injured by
Read MoreWith 71 percent of therapists reporting at least one client who’s attempted suicide, helping people teetering on the precarious edge of suicidal ideation is one of the most important and scariest aspects of our work.
Read MoreMost trainings on sex and gender diversity, even though they advertise as LGBTQ, are mainly about working with gay and lesbian clients. Yet the queer community includes not only B and T
Read MoreGood therapists working with young children on the autism spectrum can take on many roles at once: clinician, educator, interpreter, and advocate. They know how to break social and emotional skills
Read MoreWe’ve all seen how marketing can help build profitable practices, but how can it affect society’s view of our profession and what it offers? In this workshop, we’ll explore ways to use branding
Read MoreWhat does it take for therapists to expand their focus beyond the therapy room and become a more powerful force for social change? We typically have a positive impact
Read MoreClients bring all kinds of ethical dilemmas into therapy: to remain in an affair or end it, to cut off or stay connected to difficult family members, to tell the truth or
Read MoreAfrican Americans regularly receive societal messages about their lack of value, powerlessness, and inability to ensure their personal safety. Perpetuated through media stories as well as common, everyday interactions, these microtraumas cause
Read MoreThese days, male sexuality is a hot-button issue, surrounded by myths, misconceptions and controversy. Because many men already struggle with acknowledging and exploring their sexual challenges, desires, and experiences, doing authentic
Read MoreThere are good reasons why so many therapists are adopting a coaching style in sessions: it can create a strong sense of collaboration between therapist and client, and in doing so, grease the wheels
Read MoreOver 150 years ago, while walking in the woods, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “The thought of some work will run in my head and I am not where my body is.
Read MoreFocusing on the symptoms of PTSD is not enough when working with veterans. We need to help them understand the larger society that wishes to forget the horrors of war and
Read MoreWhen understood and managed well, even failures in therapeutic treatment can serve the needs of the client as well as the therapist. Our capacity to fully experience and explore, rather than fretfully
Read MoreRecent books, like Susan Cain’s Quiet, have celebrated the unique qualities and contributions of introverts and challenged our culture’s bias toward extraversion as a personal style. Through case examples, this session will
Read MoreMost therapists understand that the extreme behaviors of people with a borderline personality disorder diagnosis are often strategies for survival, self-management, and attachment. But their intense abandonment fears, inappropriate anger, and extreme reactions
Read MoreMore than one-third of Americans struggle with problematic substance use and other risky or addictive behaviors, but they often have a great deal of ambivalence about changing them. Even with clients whose issues
Read MoreTransgender and gender nonconforming people are more visible these days than ever before, yet still remain vulnerable. To engage constructively, providers need to understand current social issues and the latest trends within their
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While EMDR is best known for the treatment of PTSD, it’s evolved into a comprehensive, attachment-based approach that addresses a broad range of clinical conditions. In this workshop, you’ll learn
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Despite the progressive political attitude prevalent in our field, clinicians of color often still face certain challenges around issues of race in our work with clients, and they struggle to find
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Typically, physical and psychological pain are treated separately, even when they’re deeply intertwined. Nearly half of all therapy clients suffer from chronic physical pain, which often has no
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Since its inception, therapy has paid minimal attention to sociocultural context. But a relationally dysfunctional culture is the source of much psychological suffering. The
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While we all know that success in therapy depends on the therapist–client relationship, building that positive rapport hinges on behaviors many therapists aren’t even aware of.
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Although the field of mental health has traditionally aimed to “fix what’s wrong,” the newer subfield of positive psychology instead helps us to “build what’s strong.” In doing so,
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