Spirituality can be a difficult concept to define. It’s similar to the concept of time, we know what it means until we are asked to define it. In general, spirituality often involves a dimension of searching, of seeking—whether it is for meaning, existential answers, or a connection with something greater than ourselves. But how should spirituality […]
For several decades, psychologists in the western world have been turning eastward in an effort to better understand the psychological offerings of Buddhism. Buddhism, in short, contains a broad range of concepts, many of which have direct import for contemporary psychology. Indeed, often described as a “religion,” “spiritual practice” or simply as “a way of life,” Buddhism tends […]
Described as the “common cold” of mental illness, depression affects millions of Americans each year. For instance, in 2005 – 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “More than 1 out of 20 Americans 12 years of age or older reported current depression.” What’s more, as widely reported, once an individual […]
Many professionals may ask: What makes an effective therapist? Although no one answer to this question may emerge, there are, as it happens, approaches to therapeutic practice that may enhance a professional’s effectiveness. How well a therapist relates to his or her clients, the school of thought the therapist adheres to, and the professional’s individual […]
In the aftermath of the Second World War, a pivotal work of psychology emerged. Written by a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp, “Man’s Search for Meaning” details the harsh and brutal conditions its author, Viktor Frankl, had to endure as a camp prisoner. More than a holocaust memoir, “Man’s Search for Meaning” goes further: it […]
There’s this idea floating around that only people with serious mental disorders go for therapy. I’m not entirely sure where this notion comes from – I would theorize it comes from historical events, where the most salient examples of mental health care are linked to cruel and abusive asylums for individuals with severe pathologies, but that […]
The client-therapist relationship is a very unique kind of relationship. The client bears their worries and their concerns – private details about their lives typically (or often, not even) shared with close friends – to someone whose explicit role in the client’s life is to hear those details. How the client understands their therapist, perceives […]
That’s a good question. Most of us go to the doctor or the dentist starting from a very young age, so we grow up with something in mind about what a visit to the doctor is like. However, psychological services remain something of a mystery until an individual seeks them out on their own – […]
Goldman et al. (2013) provides a unique voice to the ongoing discussion of effective psychotherapeutic techniques by way of an analysis of an integrative psychotherapeutic model. They propose to gauge the effectiveness of Psychodynamic-Interpersonal (PI) and Cognitive-Behavioral (CB) techniques employed in a Short-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy setting by measuring client’s perception of the strength of the […]