“For me, it didn’t feel like mom was really dying, until I saw her dead.” ”I felt her hand. I touched her face. She had been dead for a few hours.” Guest blogger, Laura Brownstone, LCSW has been a grief therapist for over 15 years. Her mother passed over seven years
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Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger August 21, 2018
Clare had a big fight with her boyfriend Tom. She wanted him to come to dinner with her passive aggressive, dysfunctional family. Tom, understandably, did not wish to subject himself to this torment. Tom’s own family was critical and demanding. He had few happy memories of his family growing up.
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger August 21, 2018
One day a king decided to humble his most trusted servant. He said to him, “There is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to give to the queen for her birthday, which gives you six months to find it.” “If it exists anywhere
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger August 21, 2018
You can improve your communication skills by recognizing these four common mistakes. 1) We talk too much! When we talk about something that is sensitive, personal or difficult, we may talk around the subject. We may avoid being specific, trying to be polite, hoping the other person will somehow pick
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger August 21, 2018
Therapist: “Besides angry, how else do you feel when people disrespect you?” Client: “Sad.” Therapist: “Where does that sadness come from?” Client: “It’s always been there.” Therapist: “What’s the worst part?” Client: “Like I don’t count, like I’m not important.” Therapist: “Like you were invisible? Some use anger to get
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger August 21, 2018
Managing our emotions revolves around four components: • 1 Expressing ourself • 2 Taking care of ourself • 3 Building up our tolerance for frustration • 4 Maintaining a positive outlook EXPRESSING OURSELF Most of us have heard the expression that communication is 10 percent information and 90 percent emotion.
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 27, 2018
There are four reasons we get angry: • 1 Seeking revenge. We feel hurt, so we use anger to get even and make things fair. • 2 Preventing disaster. We feel worried, so we use anger to attack others to get control. • 3 Pushing others away. We feel sad,
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 27, 2018
Many of us perceive ourself as being at the center of the world. This attitude is called egocentrism. As a consequence of this naive, self-centered perspective, we mistakenly conclude that we are somehow responsible for everything that happens in the world. We feel accountable for all the bad things that happen
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 27, 2018
Some of us feel terribly out of control when others are unable to “explain” events to our satisfaction. When we are unable to come up with an acceptable solution to a problem, we are often left focusing on who is at fault. It is like having an open wound. It
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 27, 2018
When we feel badly about ourselves, we may imagine that we can relieve our pain by “proving” that we are superior. This is called overcompensation. The trouble is that it doesn’t work. We all want to be better than we are. We want to be smarter, happier, thinner, richer, wittier,
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 27, 2018