Do I really need to go to therapy every week?
Discover the advantages of weekly vs. biweekly therapy sessions and how they impact your mental health and growth.
Do I really need to go to therapy every week? Read More »
GoodTherapy
What Is Your Therapist Listening For?
Advice is cheap. Advice puts the onus on the listener and not the speaker. Advice is often a quick fix—a mere Band-Aid on a wound that needs more persistent care. I can usually detect someone’s frustration when, as their therapist, I pointedly do not offer advice. One of the skills therapists learn early in their
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‘How Are You Feeling?’: Chronic Illness and Coping with Questions
It is a simple question, but one that can cause more inner turmoil than most of us realize. “How are you feeling?” For countless people living with a longer-term or chronic illness, that seemingly innocent question can be loaded with emotions. As a psychotherapist specializing in living with chronic conditions, I hear countless people wonder aloud if
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Music as Medicine: 3 Ways Your Favorite Tunes Improve Your Well-Being
She was frustrated by her immobility and chronic pain. In her mind, she felt like she could simply stand up and walk wherever she wanted. But in reality, her body was stuck in a wheelchair. “I’m in a funk,” she declared in my clinic office. “I don’t want to do anything anymore.” This sort of
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3 Ways to Start Becoming Your Own Biggest Fan
I have two toddler-aged kids. They regularly take my breath away with their often-unexpected highs and lows. But one thing I have noticed remains constant for both: They love themselves! My younger son smiles at himself in the mirror, kisses his own lips, and plays with his reflection. My daughter, a little older, admires whatever she is
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Comfort in Community: Finding Support in Unexpected Places
“She’s a little shy,” was our common refrain when someone asked our daughter a question and received no response. But we long suspected she was different. When our new-parent friends were excitedly talking about their baby’s first words, followed soon after by hilarious accounts of nonsensical word phases, eventually giving way to logical conversations they had with
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My Friend Had a Late-Term Abortion: 5 Things She Wants You to Know
Editor’s note: The account that follows may be upsetting for some readers. Names were changed to protect confidentiality. I was reflecting on a recent party we hosted and thought my friend Heather would enjoy a couple of photos from the gathering. There was one of her chasing her toddler son around with a plate of food,
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Is It Winter Blues or Major Depression?
Originally published on December 19, 2016 • By Alena Gerst, LCSW, RYT, Topic Expert for GoodTherapy.org All people, at some point, experience one or more of the symptoms of depression. It is normal for our moods to cycle moderately while we balance demands at work and at home, while coping with short- or long-term illness,
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6 Types of Friendships That Are Bad for Emotional Health
When I was in high school, my best friend’s mom made no secret of her worries about us driving, going to parties, meeting new teens she didn’t know, and staying out late. But she felt confident in our ability to navigate the temptations of risky teenage behavior because, in her words, “You have good friends.”
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7 Steps to Building Emotional Resilience
Originally published on August 9, 2016 • By Alena Gerst, LCSW, RYT, GoodTherapy.org, Topic Expert Contributor Many of us spend a significant amount of time and effort on how we appear on the outside. We get haircuts; buy clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics; and even opt for expensive and painful medical procedures to maintain an image
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