Navigating Pet Grief
As I write this, my 16-year-old cat Lily is sitting on the cushion beside me purring – but two weeks ago she nearly died. Let me explain. Lily went under anesthesia for a routine diagnostic procedure, and coming out of [...]
6 Ways to Sit with Ambiguity
“You know, I really thrive in the gray area. When there’s a big question looming over me, and I’m not really sure what’s going to happen… that’s when I think I’m at my best.” …said no one ever In over [...]
What to Expect When You Expect to Be Expecting… Soon… You Hope…
Someone recently called me a “professional conventional wisdom assassin,” which I really loved. It’s true – society feeds us all kinds of expectations about how pieces of our life are supposed to go. When our narrative doesn’t fit that, it [...]
Your story is a work in progress
This morning, I went to an Emmy’s “For Your Consideration” event for the TV show “Crazy Ex Girlfriend” where the show’s producers, including frontwoman Rachel Bloom, were interviewed. “It’s amazing, what you’ve done here,” said the interviewer. “And this is [...]
5 Ways to Improve Your Sleep
About two years ago, I decided to change the name of my therapy practice. At the time, I was preparing to hire other therapists, so just using my name wouldn't work anymore. But the name didn’t come to me right [...]
Why Sexual Assault Survivors Blame Themselves
It’s not your fault. Before I dive into a blog article about sexual assault, I had to say that. You may feel like it’s your fault. Not only is that extremely common; it's also trying to protect you from your [...]
Powerlessness, Neo-Nazis, and Musical Theater
“There are Nazis marching everywhere, and I’m kind of panicking.” I’ve heard some variation on this sentiment from a lot of clients over the last several weeks, and it’s been really paralyzing – not just for them, but for me. [...]
Replacing Perfectionism with Good-Enough Adulting
I have fairly sensitive teeth. This may be genetic, or perhaps it’s because when I had braces as a young teenager, I wasn’t as fastidious about brushing and flossing as I ought to have been. Regardless of the reason, I’ve [...]
13 Reasons Why It Can Get Better
The latest Netflix series generating a lot of buzz is 13 Reasons Why. But unlike Orange is the New Black and House Of Cards, the buzz mostly isn’t all that favorable. Aside from the pretty scathing review in the New [...]
5 Counterintuitive Things About Self-Criticism
There are many things you don’t know about self-criticism and it’s because you are very stupid. You should know these things - they’re really obvious. I bet the guy in the office next to you knows these things… Phil, with [...]