You might come to therapy to make a decision. Fair enough. Lots of people do. This is a warning that it may not go the way you think. A lot of folks think of therapists as experts who help advise people on what they should do because they’re experts in living (and unfortunately I think some therapists believe this about themselves). However, there are good reasons why good therapists usually don’t give advice. First, it’s much better for you to take responsibility for your o

tl;dr: There are different ways of approaching therapy. Sometimes you need to manage week to week happenings, sometimes you have the space to work on deeper patterns. Some know they could benefit from therapy but aren't sure where to start. One helpful metaphor is that of a sinking boat: your boat. The decision is yours—will you bail water (manage stressors) or rebuild the boat (work on yourself)? Imagine the water as stress, and the boat as your ability to handle it. Typical

Psychologists like me talk about the unconscious often, but what is it? The unconscious is the part of our mind that operates outside of our awareness. It is not something that we have direct access to, so that makes it difficult to think about, and near impossible to notice in ourselves. Some folks doubt the unconscious even exists. Yet it's obviously there, influencing our affect, behavior, and cognition (our ABC's) and it's something like this: Think about when you w

Some people think they need to be in crisis to go to therapy. But actually, there are good reasons why someone with more manageable issues might speak with a therapist.

Should you call a therapist or call a friend? When should someone go to the hospital? When can therapy help? Some thoughts from Dr Reeves.