One of the biggest challenges in treating bipolar disorder is actually accepting the diagnosis. Because, of course, if you don’t believe you have an illness, you won’t focus on managing it. Psychotherapist Sheri Van Dijk, MSW, RSW, has run a group for individuals with bipolar disorder for over a decade.
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Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger October 4, 2018
As parents, there are lots of skills we need and want to teach our kids. Most of us focus on the basics, such as teaching our kids how to feed and dress themselves, how to tie their shoes, how to count, and read and write. After all, these are foundational
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Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger September 12, 2018
Bipolar disorder is a difficult illness. For Arden Tucker, an episode of depression can be especially debilitating. Like many who experience bipolar disorder, Tucker fears she won’t recapture the essence of who she really is, the person she was before the depression began. “My bipolar depression can feel insidious,” she
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Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger September 8, 2018
If you love what you do, it’s all-too easy for it to consume your identity—especially if your career is demanding and fast-paced. You find yourself checking email after hours, and thinking about work. All. The. Time. You find yourself falling asleep with a laptop in your bed. It’s also all-too
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Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger August 29, 2018
Parenting involves a lot of minutiae, and from sunup to sundown, the days can feel crammed. And amid all the details—changing diapers, potty-training, making meals, driving everywhere, helping with homework, doing bedtime—what can get lost is the bigger picture. Even if your kids are older and don’t need as much
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Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger August 25, 2018
Picking wild blueberries on the hike before the whining started. “I’m tired. My feet hurt. I don’t want to walk anymore and it’s really hot. I need to stop and rest. Can you carry me? Why can’t you carry me?” In her defense, my 8 year old made it all
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Shared by Carla Naumburg, Ph.D, Contributing Blogger August 2, 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.
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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,
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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
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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
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Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 27, 2018
