19th Anniversary
Nineteen years ago, I graduated with my Doctorate from Rhyokan College in Southern California. I studied Object Relations Therapy which is developmental in its scope and focuses on addressing early childhood experiences. Those were the days of working a full-time job and going through school in the evenings and on the weekend. You hear people talk about the good old days and fond memories of...Learn More
Family Therapy – When a Family Member is Sick
When a family member is sick it puts the whole family system out of balance. The good news is – this can be used as an opportunity for the entire family to heal. In this article, we take a look at Family Therapy. They believe that when somebody is sick the family is looked upon as being in need of repair. The system doesn’t only refer to your family, it can refer to as the relationships...Learn More
2020 – A New Decade For Self-Discovery
2020 marks a new decade which can be a decade of self-discovery and growth. In our workshops, we have honest talks about life and about death. As we age, it becomes more apparent that we won’t live forever, and then what? These subjects are rarely discussed in social circles because they make death too real and too frightening, but it is something we all have to face. This is probably why we...Learn More
The Pitfalls of Always Having to be Right
Do you have to be right all the time? This has roots in early development. If your family got their entertainment by putting other people down, then in doing this now, well… they trained you well. According to Sigmund Freud, our Super-Ego houses the rules in which we live. Many of these rules we handed down by our family and of course society as well. If others are doing something wrong, this...Learn More
The Basic Steps to be at Peace
In today’s world, it is not uncommon to feel overwhelmed, depressed, and stressed out. With the state of the economy, it generally takes two incomes to pay the bills. With all the hard work, is there any time left to care for yourself? If you find yourself playing games on your cell phone or computer for hours, when your house looks like a bomb just went off and you have no energy to do a...Learn More
Basic Steps Towards Happiness
It takes effort to be happy. Basic Steps Towards Happiness is obtained through desire, effort, and overcoming the internal and external forces that create unhappiness. What makes you happy may work one day, but the next… not so much. In knowing the tools to improve your mood can make all the difference in the world to brighten your mood and bring enjoyment to your life. What Blocks You From...Learn More
Alternative to Residential Treatment
It can be humiliating to pack up your bags, leave your home, and be confined in a residential treatment program, locked away from the world and stuck in an environment with other people who don’t want to be there. Let’s face it – who wants to undergo treatment for addiction or their mental health because it shows everybody “I have failed in my efforts”. Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)...Learn More
Helping People Help Themselves
Do you know how to help somebody? It would be easier if they allowed us to help that is for sure. The truth of the matter is, we have no control over another person – that’s their job. It is a frustrating fact for us professionals who want to help but in all actuality realize we can’t fix them at all. The real opportunity for us is to fix ourselves. This was the premise of my graduate school....Learn More
Out of the Shadows
When you hide away from others to avoid ridicule, whether it is from suffering from mental illness or having problems with addiction it is important to take the proper action and quickly to come out of the shadows. The majority of the people entering our program reported experiencing a lot of shame and hid their behavior so they didn’t have to defend themselves. When something is drastically...Learn More