Dec 30, 2021Is Your Therapist a “Wounded Healer?”Is Your Therapist a “Wounded Healer?” When my sons were in middle and high school, they played basketball with two brothers whose parents were a bit wacky. They were just a little too invested in the performances of their sons and the outcome of their games. Ironically, both father and…Psychotherapy4 min readPsychotherapy4 min read
Sep 12, 2021Meeting the Mental Health Needs of AthletesThe Fall sports season is here. Millions of fans are again packing stadiums throughout the country. I’m not so sure that’s advisable, but this story isn’t about COVID. It’s about the mental health needs of athletes and how we can help them become more emotionally fit. Leaders in college athletics…Sports5 min readSports5 min read
Aug 9, 2021It’s Easier Not to Be GreatHow performance-based identity dysregulates athletes. The Tokyo Olympics have concluded, but the mental health challenges of many athletes remain. Gymnast Simone Biles catapulted the issue front and center in the midst of the competition. Her courageous acknowledgment follows the stories of Michael Phelps, Aly Raisman, Kevin Love, and many other…6 min read6 min read
Jul 31, 2021The Paradox of Mental Health DiagnosisKey points Diagnosis is both necessary and unnecessary. How can that be? The DSM is well-intentioned and continually evolving but it’s also incomplete, rigid, inattentive to nuance, and, therefore, deficient. Debating what’s wrong with you versus what’s happened to you. How do we reconcile the uncertainty of diagnosis with our quest to…5 min read5 min read
Feb 20, 2021The Wrong One Died: Face-to-Face with Survivor’s GuiltAs I prepared to start my graduate school counseling studies, I began reading psychiatrist Irvin Yalom’s book, “Love’s Executioner.” The book is a compilation of patient case studies, which provides a fascinating peek under the hood for a future therapist. …Survivors Guilt6 min readSurvivors Guilt6 min read
Aug 20, 2020Eyes Wide Shut: Why Are We So Gullible?I think most of us understand that this country is in the midst of the most acute and chronic era of divisiveness since the Civil War. Too many of us are holed up in our respective silos. It’s us against them; my camp versus your camp. We’re right, you’re wrong…Fake News4 min readFake News4 min read
May 12, 2020Who I Am is Not What I Am: The Curse of Performance-Based IdentityMost of us harbor a self-critic in the Amygdala of our brain. It operates on a continuum ranging from selective and reserved to vocal and harsh. While a modicum of self-criticism is necessary and probably desirable, too many of us take it to the extreme. The genesis often occurs in…Mental Health9 min readMental Health9 min read
Apr 11, 2020Take Nothing for Granted. It’s Great to Be Alive.“Take nothing for granted. It’s great to be alive.” I’ve heard those words uttered by Chicago disk jockey Lin Brehmer dozens of times. The phrase has been his mantra for years. And, every time I’d hear it I’d tell myself he’s absolutely right. We have all taken so much for…Covid 195 min readCovid 195 min read
Mar 25, 2020God Doesn’t Play the Blame Game.Why is it that so many of us look to assign blame when the shit hits the fan? Everything has to be somebody’s fault: our boss, our parents, our sibling, our spouse, the yahoo down the street, politicians, the media, God. Tragedy is part of life. It happens every day…Religion And Spirituality4 min readReligion And Spirituality4 min read
Sep 16, 2019The Gift of Tim Green’s GraceI met Tim Green in 1982. He was a freshman football player at Syracuse University. I was a young TV sportscaster covering his ascent to stardom. We became friends. This past weekend, 37 years later, Tim’s number 72 was retired and raised to the rafters at his alma mater. Tim…Tim Green3 min readTim Green3 min read