For people who’ve made positive changes in their lives, holidays can be slippery spots. Individuals who have quit drinking, smoking, or using drugs, people recovering from compulsive gambling or overeating, and people who have been substituting healthier behaviors for unhealthy ones, may be at increased risk of lapses or relapses when holidays approach. Celebrations, added… Continue Reading Holiday Lapses

} On May 14, the American Psychological Asociation is encouraging members to blog on subjects related to mental health and mental illness. This is an opportune time for me to reflect on what has been accomplished in the nearly forty years I’ve been working in this field, and what still needs to be done.

Mindfulness has become a hot topic in mental health and addictions treatment in recent years. Mindfulness techniques, including mindfulness meditation, have become standard items in the cognitive-behavioral therapy toolkit. This makes sense if you understand that many symptoms (including anxiety, depression, and cravings or urges to drink or use substances) represent experiences or expectations of… Continue Reading Mindfulness Basics

If you asked me what one thing I would say to couples to help improve their relationships, I might say that they should stop treating each other like there’s something wrong with the other person.

You may notice that each page on my website now has a little green doohickey near the bottom with an elephant’s head and the word “Clip.” If you are a user of the app called Evernote, you’ll know what this is already. If not, let me say a little bit about it.

Last night I visited the downtown office of the Center for Contextual Change, an established psychotherapy organization that specializes in treating the effects of trauma. I had the opportunity to speak with Mary Jo Barrett, LCSW, a founder of the group and currently the Executive Director.

A couple weeks ago I received an e-mail from a person representing a drug and alcohol treatment center out in the rural South. He wanted me to put a link to his program on my website. I thought I’d share part of the request and explain why I would not agree to do that (for… Continue Reading How Are Things Down on the Ranch?

McDonald’s has come under fire in recent weeks for a series of posts on an employee web portal (now deleted) which struck many people as insensitive at best and hypocritical at worst. The “tip sheets” included a health page from a university-based group of authors that cautioned readers to limit their consumption of fast foods. Other… Continue Reading Concern about Employees Means More than “Canned” Tips on a Website

I would like to encourage you to visit the website of Meg Coyne, LCSW, and Coyne Counseling. Meg is an experienced and skilled couple and family therapist who trained at the program of the Chicago Center for Family Health, under renowned family therapist Froma Walsh, Ph.D. Coyne Counseling is located at 22 W. Washington, Floor 15, #78,… Continue Reading Welcoming a Family Therapy Colleague to Downtown Chicago

I traveled to the Illinois State Capitol this week with a busload of faculty, staff, and students from Adler School of Professional Psychology, for a rally and march in support of SB 10, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, which passed the Illinois Senate earlier this year but did not pass in the Illinois… Continue Reading October 22, 2013 Rally for Illinois Marriage Equality