How to Find and Keep Friends: A Guide for Middle Age
Karla Olson, a 51-year-old mother of three in Park City, Utah, is working on creating what she’s calling the Empty Nester Club. She plans to develop an online community on the video-communication app Marco Polo, and hopes local branches will form around the country for in-person meetups. For Olson, it’s all about creating a community […]
Aging Brings Us Closer to Death. Why Do We Get Happier as We Age?
Editor’s note: The following article is by Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, an expert in artificial intelligence for drug discovery and aging research. He is also the author of The Ageless Generation: How Advances in Biotechnology Will Impact the Global Economy. The premise of the following essay is that feelings of intense grief, intense joy, or the […]
The 7 Things That Parents of “Exceptionally Resilient and Successful” Children Always Do
Humans are not all equal in every way. There are a few individuals who have achieved an unparalleled mastery in their field—and they are what Kumar Mehta, Ph.D., calls the exceptionals. Put another way, they are the 1 percent of the 1 percent of the world’s most successful people. Some examples include innovators like Elon Mush […]
Eleven Practices That Make Adult ADHD Worse
Source: webmd.com Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is not limited to children—30% to 70% of children with ADHD continue to have symptoms when they grow up. In addition, people who were never diagnosed with ADHD as children may develop more obvious ADHD symptoms in adulthood, causing trouble on the job or in relationships. Many […]
Bullies Are Everywhere These Days—Here’s How to Respond to Them
Elizabeth Bernstein, a writer for the Wall Street Journal and author of this article about bullying, had something to say recently to the guy who pulled up behind her VW Beetle in a jacked-up pickup truck, honked furiously while she waited for a pause in oncoming traffic to make a left turn, then followed her […]
Stress in the Time of Pandemic
If you’re feeling stressed these days, join the party. The reasons behind that stressed-out feeling differ for each person. Some talk about it, others don’t. But there’s one thing people have in common: When you’re stressed, you’ll feel it in your body. That’s because your mental and physical response to stress go hand in hand, […]
The 5 Core Approach to Covid-19
The coronavirus is adding to your stress level, right? That’s understandable. What can you do to keep it in check? Here are some strategies that tie closely with our overall philosophy at Encompass Counseling Center about taking care of your whole self. Our focus is on the five attributes that comprise your entire being. This […]
Nightmares May Help Us Prepare for Real Anxiety-Provoking Situations
Nightmares are no fun, but an international study has found that nighttime fears may actually serve a greater purpose. Researchers from the United States and Switzerland have identified areas of the brain that are activated while participants experience fears in their dreams. After participants awoke, these same emotion-regulating areas responded to scary situations with much […]
Treating Self-Injury
Treating Self-Injury with CARESS: A New Way to Address the “Demons and Secrets Inside” CARESS—Communicate Alternatively. Release Endorphins. Self-Soothe CARESS teaches new behaviors so that self-injury clients feel less likely to follow through with destructive impulses. As a result, they can retain a sense of power and control—expanding their range of positive coping skills. […]
The Best Way to Support Elderly Caregivers
Five Ways to Help Elder Caregivers with an Alzheimer’s Spouse Be sensitive to how the Traditionalist Generation thinks. Help elderly caregivers let go of the person they knew. With the therapist’s help, identify the kinds of support elderly caregivers need. Forge a circle of support for caregivers, with friends, family, and groups. Remind elderly caregivers […]
You Can Choose Your Family
Jane was blessed enough to have a mother and father who provided a strong emotional center of love and support. From an early age, she could count on them for hugs and kisses, for care and compassion, and when she needed to be disciplined, they administered it in an appropriate way. But not everyone has […]
The Mystery of Loving an Abuser
People are often amazed at their own psychological conditions and reactions. Those with depression are stunned when they remember they’ve thought of killing themselves. Patients recovering from severe psychiatric disturbances are often shocked as they remember their symptoms and behavior during the episode. A patient with Bipolar Disorder recently told me, “I can’t believe I […]
The Beginnings of Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Wendell used to be vibrant and healthy, sharp as a tack with anyone he met. He could answer any question you threw at him, and he loved to laugh. His chuckling would resonate throughout the room. When he was much younger, Wendell could easily count backwards from 100, by sevens. Once, to the amazement of […]
Ecstasy for PTSD?
Imagine using a hallucinogenic drug—an ecstasy-like compound known as MDMA—to treat individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It sounds a little far-fetched to many psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychotherapists. But others in the profession are willing to suspend judgment to see what the future holds for MDMA, which promotes the release of oxytocin and prolactin—hormones […]
Should a Christian Therapist Treat a Muslim Client?
Building rapport with patients is a given in psychotherapy. But what happens when two faiths collide in session? Suddenly, theory can go out the window, and therapy can become a battle of the wills, as the tenets of psychotherapist’s and the patient’s own religious traditions “butt heads,” creating barriers to healing. In this article, Michael […]
The Sky Is Not Falling
Noah didn’t expect the rain, but the heavens opened and water surged from below, obliterating every living thing on the planet. However, the rainbow came afterward, proving that God would never destroy the earth again with a flood. More than a reminder for Noah’s time, the rainbow is also sign for us today that […]
