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Othering: Beneath the Tentacles of Discrimination

This week, I came across an “ism” that surprised me. The word I found was “sanism” – the prejudice and discrimination against those who suffer from mental illness. Why hadn’t I heard this word before, I thought? After all, I’m a psychotherapist, and the ill-treatment of those who are suffering in the sphere of mental health is hardly foreign territory. …

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The Narcissist Survivors' Club

This is the phrase I sometimes have in my mind when I think about my practice, and about therapy in general. It doesn’t describe everyone who comes to therapy, but both the incidence and the suffering involved are considerable. It is deeply instructive to me that so many people facing struggles in life have suffered at the hands of narcissistic …

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Depression: Is it Really a Disease?

Melancholia, the word written in the engraving by Durer shown here (1514), is an old name for what we now call Depression.  The word originates from the Greek, meaning “Black bile”.  People thought that this “bile” was the bodily cause of depressive states. But bile was not the only supposed cause of this mysterious disease (Disease is from the old …

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How Does Therapy Work? Eco-Systems of Mental Health

As a psychotherapist I am often asked the question, “How does therapy work?” There is no quick and easy answer to this question. Every modality of therapy is different and each therapist works differently within these modalities. Even my own approach will be different from client to client depending on the individual needs and personality of each person I see. …

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It's 2015, Where's My Happiness?

There’s plenty to say about Freud’s mistakes. He was as faulty and confused a pioneer as any. We do, of course, also owe him a great debt, and do not dismiss the totality of him lightly. One of his better works, brilliant in many ways, is “Civilization and its Discontents”. Written in 1930, it is as relevant today as it …

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Depression, Medication & Situation

As you probably already know, there is a mental health crisis happening at the moment. Unfortunately for the people who are suffering, and seeking help, there is also a deeply divided and confusing landscape of professionals, with often opposing viewpoints. One of the biggest bones of contention within the mental health field is in how best to treat depression. Here …

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How to Choose a Therapist

Look for understanding, not hype Published on September 30, 2013 by Jonathan Shedler, PhD in Psychologically Minded www.psychologytoday.com/blog/psychologically-minded/201309/how-choose-therapist