The psychological toll of this global pandemic is multi-layered, pointing us towards a reckoning with deeper layers of our psyche, obscured with distraction during normal pre-pandemic times. The lockdown measures have cut us all off from most sources of joy, engagement, meaningful pursuits and distraction, leaving us to confront the rumblings of disowned parts of ourselves.
“Over the last 30 years, systemic approaches to family therapy have been largely successful at treating even the most intractable problems in family functioning. However, stepfamilies have long proven a particular challenge for family therapists. Recent research has confirmed that, given their unique dynamics, stepfamilies are vulnerable in a way that is distinct from typical “first-families,” leaving them often resistant to traditional family therapy techniques’ (Browning & Artfelt, 2012). In terms of couple therapy in the context of…
Over the last 30 years, systemic approaches to family therapy have been largely successful at treating even the most intractable problems in family functioning. However, stepfamilies have long proven a particular challenge for family therapists. Recent research has confirmed that, given their unique dynamics, stepfamilies are vulnerable in a way that is distinct from typical “first-families,” leaving them often resistant to traditional family therapy techniques (Browning & Artfelt, 2012). In terms of blended family therapy, we are basically where…
Once again, the phone rings at my office and an anxious parent on the line is worried about their Generation Z teen and wants me to help him or her. I gently answer that I can’t, but I trust that they can. Their concerns usually revolve around their worries for their teenager’s future, based on slacking grades, demotivation, sedentariness, lots of lip and little help around the house. So I listen attentively and ask them how linear and sedentary their life…
“Our teenage son spends all his time gaming in the basement and it’s driving us crazy! Can you help him?” Is a request from stressed-out parents that I am getting more often over the phone. I gently answer no but tell them that I am pretty confident they can. Once in my office, they go to great lengths explaining to me how exasperated they are with the power struggles that suck the energy out of their family life. And…
1. Read the manual: It takes work to understand our daughters. It is a common human reaction to avoid situations where we feel incompetent. Teenage daughters often awaken that feeling in their fathers, who, like a deer in the headlights, are frozen with bewilderment. As one exacerbated father said: “I run a successful company and deal with people from all over the world, but I have no idea what to do about my 15-year-old daughter, I just don’t get her,…
Artificial intelligence, in all its forms, is on its way to disrupting many industries. Those in the know agree the current media hype is unwarranted due to the limitations of current deep learning models, hardware and messy databases. But AI has captured the imagination of the general public leading to an overflow of speculative possibilities. As a clinical psychologist I have had the opportunity to observe the evolving field of psychotherapy over the past 30 years. From the client centered,…
Psychotherapy as Co-Creative. This ongoing series is my attempt to distil and share the wisdom that my clients have shared with me over the course of 20 years and 25 000 hours of psychotherapy practice. Psychotherapy as co-creative. My clients have taught me that psychotherapy is a co-creative process, where both therapist and client start with a blank canvas and co-jointly create forms, narratives, and music with the raw material from the client’s life. Since all creative endeavours necessitate a…
Know your Target Market: The Decentralized-Peer-Attached (DPA) Generation. In the fast paced world of technology and marketing, many variables are used to inform innovation and design, and to identify potential customers and target markets. Psychographics is one field of study that attempts to quantify such variables as consumer activity, interest, opinion (AIOs), attitudes, values and behaviour. According to Infusion.com, psychographic segmentation is more important than knowing customer demographics. Psychographic segmentation helps marketers understand that why — the goals, challenges, emotions, values, habits, and…