PDA: Public Displays of Affection. Some people love them, some people hate them. Now we have PDEPs: Public Displays of Emotional Process. I have a very large extended family. More than 40 second cousins on my father’s father’s side alone. With such a large group, political disagreements are inevitable, especially lately. Throughout the history of the family
In my recent newsletter I addressed the difference between “Solid-Self” and “No-Self” behavior. In this post I’ll describe another aspect of what it means to operate from a solid-self rather than a no-self perspective: Daisy (not her real name) has been a client for the past several months. She takes her therapy seriously by making goals for
What are the differences between Systems Theory and Cause-and-Effect Thinking in Therapy? James* came into therapy after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. His M.D. told him he’s probably an alcoholic. Celia wants help due to conflict with her husband, Tomas. Art is in therapy because some days he’s too depressed to
“Why Should I Have a Relationship With a Family Member Who’s Been Mean to Me?” People who come to me for therapy know that I advocate developing and maintaining contact with as many members of the nuclear and extended family as possible. Some clients are initially skeptical of this idea: You may have had conflict
Working with a clinician trained in Bowen Family Systems Theory can help you to reduce or relieve your symptoms or symptoms in a family member. This is because of the way BFST conceptualizes symptoms. What is a symptom? The dictionary says a symptom is; a physical or mental feature that is regarded as indicating a
Jenny* and Stefan are parents having difficulty with their 7 year-old son, Nicholas. They have come into therapy to create change in their family system. This is their third therapy session. Stefan: I know we started seeing you for therapy because of Nicholas, but things are going much better with him lately. Jen and I are
