Counseling – Basic Steps Mental Health

The Dynamics of Change

BasicStepsAdmin — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:00:41 +0000

It takes real commitment to change old habits and familiar ways of looking at life. Our brains hardwire automatic responses—which we often experience as our personality. So often in sessions I hear people say, “That’s just the way I am,” or “I’m just an angry, anxious, or depressed person.” If you continue to convince yourself […]

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What to Look for in Counseling

Scott Alpert — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:00:56 +0000

This article is written for people who have never attended counseling or who have tried it and found that it didn’t work. There are many factors that can cause treatment to fail. Let’s look at the obvious ones. You didn’t like the counselor. In counseling, it is important to create a “therapeutic bond.” If people […]

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Legal Assessments

Scott Alpert — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:24:42 +0000

In 2017, I opened Basic Steps Mental Health, a clinic that assists people with mental health issues and issues with substance addiction. What we offer are individual sessions, group sessions, family sessions, an intensive outpatient program, and a partial hospitalization program—which is temporarily on hold. It is a big undertaking offering six hours of treatment […]

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An AI Intervention

Scott Alpert — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 04:50:21 +0000

Okay, so I am addicted. Do I have to claim that I am powerless and that a power greater than myself is going to restore me to sanity? Yeah, no. I’m not into that kind of language. However, for the past 10 days, I have been addicted to AI and just can’t stop. I have […]

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The Basic Steps of Counseling

Scott Alpert — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:00:48 +0000

We have a new intern at Basic Steps Mental Health, and I thought it would be helpful to write out the basic steps of being a therapist for them. Then it dawned on me that writing an article on this would be helpful for anybody interested in the healing arts. For those who do not […]

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“I Don’t Believe in Therapy”

Scott Alpert — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:05:08 +0000

Yes, not one but two people this week entered therapy and blurted out, “I don’t believe in therapy, but my spouse made me.” I chuckled. This wasn’t the first time I had heard this, nor probably will it be the last, but this reminded me of me in 1989 when I attended my first counseling […]

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Am I Burning Out?

Scott Alpert — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 15:00:46 +0000

I had a first-of-its-kind week — every session was filled! In fact, even our IOP program was at maximum capacity. Because of this, I am exhausted. Running a facility is interesting. I am, first and foremost, a counselor and have done this for 30 years. I know what I am doing in this regard and […]

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Feelings of Frustration

Scott Alpert — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 15:00:45 +0000

I am beyond frustrated. I just had my computer wipe out the article I was preparing, and “frustrated” doesn’t begin to describe the feelings shooting through me. It was going to be the greatest paper ever created, but no—my computer had another agenda of its own. So now I am faced with a decision: either […]

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Have You Avoided Therapy for Years?

Scott Alpert — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:22:46 +0000

Years ago I saw a billboard that said “We cater to dental chickens.” Did chickens have teeth? I was confused. I asked a friend, who laughed at me. Of course, this was in my substance use years, but as my mind cleared, all I did was laugh at myself. I was going to title this […]

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Out of Control

Scott Alpert — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 11:50:20 +0000

We have no control over anything. Not our children, the dog, people at work, or the neighbors that are driving you crazy. This is because each person is in control of themselves. We have a very powerful mind and our mind determines our actions “and” nobody has access to another person’s inner workings but themselves. […]

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