1.) Do not look for inconsistencies in the story line. ■ This will make our partner feel as though they need to edit their words in their head and doing so with impact their ability to authentically express themselves. This also creates a dynamic where the facts are given far
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Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger December 15, 2020
The antidote to an excessive tendency to blame ourselves is to realize that: The issue is not guilt, fault or blame; the issue is human imperfection. We are still worthwhile human beings in spite of what happened. It was not a crime and we are not guilty. A more appropriate
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger August 13, 2020
Why do we feel rushed all the time? There is so much to do and never enough time to do it. How can we get more time to do what needs to be done and still be able to relax? The difficulty is not just the lack of time, it
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger August 11, 2020
Sheila was suffering from exhaustion. She was overworked at home and at her job. She knew that she was taking too much upon herself, but she could not help it. She had always been this way, super-responsible and unable to trust others – feeling compelled to do it all herself.
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger August 11, 2020
Barb had been trying for years to improve her relationship with her mother, Sandra. Barb tried everything. She would go over there for a quiet dinner with Sandra and then find herself being criticized for neglecting her husband and son. Barb tried staying away. She caught hell for that too.
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger August 6, 2020
Many people who have to live or work with the chronically angry feel unprepared to cope with their titanic temper tantrums. When we don’t know what to do when faced with anger, we have an unfortunate tendency to make up our own interventions. This DIY approach to cope with someone’s monumental rage is usually
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 31, 2020
Everyday, somewhere in America, violence erupts. Each night on the news there are people telling their horror stories of injury and trauma, testifying to the terror that occurs in big cities and small communities. Yet this country seems to say with a shrug, “What are you gonna do.” To address
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 28, 2020
There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 28, 2020
Who are difficult people? – people who irritate us – people who make us lose control over a situation – people who use manipulation to get what they want – people who make us feel anxious, upset, frustrated, angry, etc. Dealing with difficult people means dealing with difficult behavior! If
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 28, 2020
We all have a running inner dialogue of thoughts. Sometimes this inner self talk is pessimistic, critical or blaming. By attending to our inner self talk, we will notice critical thoughts intruding, and that’s ok. We need to look carefully at our angry thoughts and try to see if we
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 28, 2020