Category: Blog Posts

Poverty may actually be changing the brains of children as they respond to the stressful circumstances found in the low socioeconomic status. Research has found that the cortex thickens when children are exposed to factors such as stress, poor nutrition, lack of healthcare, and environmental toxins such as second-hand smoke. 

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Do you know someone who handles problems with ease? You might be attracted to their confident yet carefree attitude when it comes to conquering daily challenges. For some, this type of attitude and ability to problem solve comes naturally. For others, it can be a real struggle. If it doesn’t come naturally, don’t be discouraged. You can learn how to adjust and problem solve when challenges come your way. It’s starts with your attitude. Once your attitude has been adjusted, then you can attack the problem.

Keys to Problem Solving:

Adjusting Your Attitude

1. Separate the negative feeling from the positive thoughts. Clearing your mind from negative thinking with give you a clean slate.

2. View the problem as an opportunity for growth.

3. Take responsibility and don’t blame others. You can only control yourself.

4. Develop a strong desire to solve the problem.
Attacking the Problem

1. Identify the root cause of the problem.

2. Think, strategize, then act on the resolution.
Problem solving is a vital process to learn and implement. You may need assistance from a mental health care professional who can guide you through the steps specific to your needs. Contact my office for an appointment.

For more information, visit Personal Growth.

When you love someone with Asperger Syndrome, you may hit a point where you grieve. You may be grieving over the relationship or for the loss of a dream. The problem with this grief is it may not be going away. When you continue to live with your Asperger partner, your keep triggering the loss. You feel it over and over again.

But what is going on when years later you are still so depressed, forlorn, and fatigued over the loss of your dream? I have heard some define this as “Ongoing Traumatic Relationship Disorder“. I believe the symptoms are very similar to depression, but of a grief that never goes away or unremitting grief.

On June 15, 2013, Asperger Syndrome: Partners and Families of Adults with ASD will be meeting in Portland, Oregon to discuss the topic, “Unremitting Grief.” Sharing stories and giving input from only those who have walked in these shoes can help to bind up the broken hearts of others. Come and join us and share what you know about “unremitting grief.” This will be the last Meetup until September and it will not be one to miss. Click on the link for membership details.

Download a free sample chapter of Life with a Partner or Spouse with Asperger Syndrome: Going Over the Edge.

Did you know that talk therapy has a biological impact on your brain? Talk therapy affects the brain. During talk therapy, an individual learns news ways to think which forms new connections in the brain. Developing new patterns of thinking, new behaviors, and resolving unconscious behaviors are just a few of the benefits of talk therapy.

While medication may be necessary, talk therapy can at times be a solo treatment or combined with meds. Sometimes individuals want a “quick fix” and want to only take medication and avoid seeking out therapy. However, the benefit to taking the time for therapy is that you will learn skills that can help you for the rest of your life. Opening up takes time, but the results are worth it. Healing your brain is a gift worth fighting for. (To read more about talk therapy, read the NYTimes.com article – Invitation to a Dialogue – Benefits of Talk Therapy)

As a psychologist, I offer a variety of Psychotherapy Options including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT address the way people think. The techniques are designed to change faulty irrationally thinking into more constructive, solution-oriented thinking. Often people are stuck because they have an irrational belief from childhood that keeps them from living the way they wished they could. CBT is usually considered short-term therapy, perhaps 8-10 one-hour sessions. Click here to learn more about CBT.

Words are powerful. They can hurt and they can heal. The words we use can give us a peek into who we really are. Words should be chosen carefully.

Recent studies have shown that the words we use as a society have drastically changed in the last 50 years. Individualistic words such as “self,” “unique,” and “I come first” are more common than communal words such as “share,” “community,” and “united.” Other common words trends include a decline in moral terms, expressions of gratitude and humility, as well as compassion. (To learn about these specific studies, read the article – What Our Words Tell Us at NYTimes.com)

The theme is that the society is becoming more and more focused on self or self absorbed and more depressed. You might want to think about the words you choose and how they paint a portrait of who you really are. If you would like to become less focused on yourself and more aware of your relationship to others, speak to a mental health care professional. You may be in a negative mode that could be affecting the quality of your life and your relationship with others. Contact my office to set up an appointment.

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Entrepreneurial life equals a busy life. Maintaining balance between the business and the family takes hard work and determination. When working with entrepreneurial couples, I encourage them to focus on five tools for accessing purposeful growth. These five areas are key to adapting to the ebb and flow of the entrepreneurial lifestyle. One of these tools is to get healthy.

Getting healthy is something we all know we should do, but can easily shove aside when the day gets busy. Why is taking care of our physical health so important? Science has proven that your eating and exercise habits profoundly affect your intellect and longevity. Isn’t that what we all want? Take some time to assess your physical health and then develop a routine to correct whatever needs to be adjusted.

Here are a few simple things that could make a big impact on your health: