Moving to the New Office – The Saga
Blurry eyed, I am writing an account of what went down during our move to Everett Washington over the holiday season. I forgot how difficult moves can be – if difficult can come close to describing it. Why the Move Our expensive lease was up and what started out as an adventure to downsize and save some extra money each month, turned into a monster. It seemed like it was the perfect time to...Learn More
The Reality of Life – Death
The day after Christmas, after the Zoom parties, the nice meals, and the exchanging of presents, I got bad news one after the other. My fiancée from twenty years ago was found dead in her apartment probably due to alcoholism. She had just turned 60. Alcohol had put a chasm in our relationship back then and probably took her as a victim now. A bitter pill to swallow because we had been very...Learn More
A Twist to the Holidays
Serious times have hit and now throw into the mix – the holidays. We are all going through something that is so unusual, so desperate, and how in the world can we feel merry and gay? The holidays have always been the time to share our hearts with loved ones, give gifts, and plan for a prosperous new year. It feels like this pandemic has put a stopper to this. What was your progression as you...Learn More
Active Recovery
When I began my career in 12 Step Recovery a whole new world opened to me. It was what I liked, being around a lot of people, people opening up and talking about their difficulties, and others lending support. The 12 Steps were new to me because my recovery was basically white-knuckling it and praying the cravings would go away. My recovery was simply five months of pacing my apartment and...Learn More
Holiday Greetings
It is the time of year to reflect on the people and experiences of the past year and the impact this has had on you. Though, what a trying year it has been for us all. I just saw a report on the increase in mood disorders, substance use, and domestic violence cases which saddened me greatly. I often wonder how people can turn their back on their problems and celebrate the holiday season....Learn More
Virtual Therapy
In 1994 I began treating people with substance abuse and mental illness problems. From this time, I have always looked for that secret ingredient, that special something, that would “heal all”, as hopefully, most therapists are doing. Just because I’ve had amazing success, I guess that desire, to perfect what I am presenting, is still ingrained in me. Therefore, I am always tweaking my...Learn More
Emotional Healing 101
Every Psychological approach has its own theory of healing. Take Behavioral Psychology, for example, here it is believed that doing the correct behaviors will heal you. The 12 Steps of AA is based on this. Reality Therapy is one behavioral approach where the focus is creating a plan of action and follow it to a tee. This helps individuals focus on doing the right behaviors to heal. More or...Learn More
Bridging the Aisles
I have hesitated writing about my viewpoints on the political atmosphere in this country for many reasons. First of all, I am a therapist and not a Political Scientist. I don’t have any knowledge of politics at all but have sure been learning an earful through my clientele. Secondly, I am in this profession to empower people in making the best choices they can for themselves. People are the...Learn More
Relapse Prevention
Relapse prevention, just the name itself leads to relapse because the mind focuses only on the word Relapse. To coin a more proper term, perhaps “Sobriety Maintenance”, though the term Sobriety can have negative overtones. Is there another way to describe the process of stopping addiction and living life healthy and functional? Oh, I’ve heard the slogan: “Just say no!” or the phrases from AA...Learn More