12 Steps vs Spiritual Psychology
When somebody remarked in group that our program is not the 12 Steps, a fire was ignited. And no, it is not. When I was admitted into graduate school, I had been working at a 12-Step facility for years and quickly learned that this was the real thing. This is not to say that the 12 Steps are horrible and that people don’t heal and grow from its application, but being a brash young man, I...Learn More
Assessments for the Courts – My Battle
It was inevitable that I’d write about the legal system. Doing Mental Health and Substance Use Evaluations for court proceedings pits one genre against another. The courts try to decide what is right or wrong, but according to Spiritual Psychology, there is no right or wrong—only learning. How do I survive my interactions with the legal system when I tend to lean toward the learning side?...Learn More
Trauma Treatment
Trauma treatment needs to be handled carefully, or a person can be re-traumatized again and again. This has been happening to a person I am treating in family therapy, by their personal counselor. The old models of healing trauma can cause more trauma because, in an approach named Gestalt therapy, a patient is asked to relive the situation from as many angles as possible. Regression is a...Learn More
Try These Psychological Tools
Do you know how to calm yourself naturally? We live in a fast-paced society and want quick results but the quick fix may not be that beneficial for you. I knew I was doing damage to myself when using substances, but somehow I forced myself to make a stand and fundamentally heal. To be honest, this was probably the greatest gift I ever gave to myself and I readily share what I have learned...Learn More
Year End Summary
I got pretty emotional today while I watched a duo exercise in our Intensive Outpatient Program. A duo is basically two participants pairing up and one acts like the counselor and the other acts like the client. After the exercise is over they switch roles. This is how we practiced in graduate school, this is how we conduct business at Basic Steps Mental Health. Why I became emotional was...Learn More
Healing Ourselves at the Root
Every psychological approach has its own theory of healing and it is important to ask a perspective counselor on theirs. As for me, I am old school, and like the face-to-face sessions, avoid talking about the weather and politics and try to get people to open up a dialogue regarding the difficulties, traumas, and frustrations in life, then track them back to where they stem from and create...Learn More
What is Psychology?
For many people, Psychology is an unknown process that manipulates people who are weak in their mind through medication, hypnosis, and electric shock. It also helps them realize they were attracted to their mother and want to kill off their dad. The negative stigma that surrounds the practice of psychotherapy still permeates society, today. It is common for people who enter our facility,...Learn More
What Is the Best Healing Strategy?
They gave us an assignment in graduate school to create our own healing strategy. At the time I didn’t take it very seriously and came up with something cute to impress all the ladies. Well, that was 25 years ago, and from that moment I’ve asked myself the same question, what is the best strategy for a person to heal? I’ve learned many psychological approaches and tools that to one degree...Learn More
Special Memory #9
For 11 years I worked at the first-ever, mental health urgent care center in the country. I was fresh out of graduate school with a crisp new, Doctoral degree, and trying to prove myself. This was the first facility of its kind, established to take pressure off of the local jails and emergency rooms and we had no clue what was going to enter our unit. My friend Patrick, who graduated with...Learn More