In the latest example of what are becoming all-too-frequent acts of unspeakable horror, homemade bombs killed three people and seriously wounded dozens more at the beloved Boston Marathon this week. The act itself seems to fit the definition of terrorism perfectly: an indiscriminate strike at ordinary, innocent people in a moment of national celebration, forever… Continue Reading A Tough Uncle: On “Being Losers”

I was interviewed for an article in Addiction Professional magazine, on the subject of “Training for New Settings.” The author also spoke to my colleague, Dr. Joseph Troiani, who is the director of the Substance Abuse Certificate Program at Adler School of Professional Psychology. The article examined new developments in treatment and the implications for training… Continue Reading Interviewed for Addiction Professional Magazine

In the aftermath of the horrific shootings in Sandy Hook Elementary School, we see (as we do after each of these increasingly common incidents) many pieces in news media and from mental health experts (including the American Psychological Association) on how to talk to children about such tragedies. Unfortunately, we adults also need help in… Continue Reading Unspeakable Horror

Whenever I’m at a family event – especially a wedding, christening, or funeral – I find myself recapturing a feeling that things are right and proper. It doesn’t seem to matter whether the event is a happy one or a sad one; it’s the fact that family members are together and we’re re-affirming our connection… Continue Reading March of the Generations

I’m ready to rant. I suppose that my participation in the 60th Anniversary celebrations and commencement at the Adler School of Professional Psychology has crystallized my feelings about the current state of our nation and world. This will definitely be a TL;DR (“too long, didn’t read”) entry if you’re the type of person put off… Continue Reading The Stupidity of Selfishness

I recently attended a training workshop presented by Gateway Foundation at the Adler School of Professional Psychology. The presenter, David Mee-Lee, M.D., was one of the editors of the criteria used by substance abuse counselors to guide placement into treatment. His “take-away” message was that treatment professionals need to become experts at meeting clients “where… Continue Reading Advances in Addiction Treatment – 2012

I attended a conference today on synthetic cannabinoid drugs, such as “Spice,” K-2, and “bath salts.” These are drugs made by altering the chemical properties of an existing drugs, primarily THC (cannabis, or marijuana). Although their popularity seems to have followed from the popularity of “club drugs” such as ecstasy, they are not chemically based… Continue Reading Synthetic Cannabinoids – A Scary Brew

I’ve been using the Life Style Assessment technique (originated by Alfred Adler, and developed further by Bernard Shulman and Harold Mosak) for many years, as a way to help clients understand their basic life convictions and help in setting goals and direction in psychotherapy. This technique can also be of great value for couples.

Today’s keynote speaker at the Adler School of Professional Psychology’s conference on urban mental health was Professor Sir Michael Marmot, a researcher at University College London who specializes in studying health inequities around the world. He made a number of excellent points. One of his points was that disparities in income and wealth have been… Continue Reading Professor Sir Michael Marmot at Local Conference on Urban Mental Health

In case you were wondering why the website was down yesterday, so was I. It seems that a hacker who called himself “anonymous3” somehow got into GoDaddy’s main servers, and took the whole thing (including e-mail accounts) down for most of the day. The motive may have had to do with his dislike of the… Continue Reading Anonymous Got Us!