Whose fault is it when therapy fails–the therapist’s or the patient’s? 

Why therapy patients must advocate for themselves?

Are some therapists in it for the money?

Why some people are magnets for people with problems?

Why many men won’t go to therapy?

How co-occurring disorders should begin to be treated?

Why gentle challenging of dysfunctionl beliefs, values, and notions is part of therapy?

Why chatting isn’t therapy?

Why revealing hidden issues can be helpful?

How to shop for a therapist, and tons more tips.    Enjoy! C.R

Steven also has some experts blogging on his site, including John M. Kennedy, the medical director of preventative cardiology and wellness at Marina Del Ray hospital and other stress experts. I’m also blogging on StopStressingNow.com and I’m going to focus on a few things including: how to know if you might benefit from psychotherapy, how to get the best therapy if you decide to see  a therapist, and how stress and anxiety can be a stepping stone to substance abuse and addiction, (and how to avoid that dangerous spiral).

My first blog is called Assess Yourself and it helps readers identify if they have symptoms that might require therapy.

Instant messenging and writing an email, like writing in a journal, can be useful tools  in helping some patients feel connected, organize their thoughts, get in touch with their feelings, and so on, all while receiving feedback that might feel too confrontational if in person.  However, in order for psychotherapists and counselors to evaluate patients fully and get to know the person behind the diagnosis, seeing visual cues known as “body language”, (facial expressions, gestures,body positions and movements, even choice of clothing), and hearing a patient’s voice are all important to good therapy.

For patients in certain circumstances who would otherwise be unable to access therapy or as a fill-in for face-to-face therapy, online and phone therapies can have great merit. However, the eyes are the windows to the soul and being able to see a patient’s eyes, listen to their voice, see their body language, and so on, are important factors that contribute to how a therapist crafts a session or a course of therapy.

We all have the experience of hitting send on an email, and regretting it. The written word is as “loaded” with cues as the spoken word, perhaps even more since it can be read over and over again while the spoken word is generally heard once, and accessed only by memory. This colors our emotional and intellectual responses/understanding of the message. Perhaps a new way to describe what happens when we communicate by email or instant messaging is needed,  a different kind of communication is happening, and this, in turn, is having an impact on our relationships.

Welcome to my blog. I’m Richard Zwolinski and I hope this blog inspires you, answer your questions about psychotherapy, mental health, and related topics, and more than anything, helps you or your patients get the best mental health care or addiction treatment possible.

This blog will address issues and answer questions that can help you if:

• You have been struggling with anxiety, depression, anger and/or other mental and emotional health issues including addiction.

• You are looking for a therapist and are confused about how to choose the one that’s right for you.

• You are currently seeing a therapist and want to boost your progress.

• You’ve been in therapy in the past but it hasn’t helped you. Or perhaps bad therapy experiences in the past have convinced you therapy is not all it’s cracked up to be. Maybe you’ve  pretty much given up on therapy, but are still looking for answers to your problems.

• You are a parent, child, spouse, or other family member of a therapy patient.

• You are a doctor, religious advisor, mentor, educator, or other professional who refers patients, students, or others to therapists.

• You are a therapist who is concerned about therapy ethics and quality of mental health care.

Please visit this page soon for articles on mental health and addiction topics. I am looking forward to reading and responding to your comments.

 In Joyful Wellness,

 Richard