Cupid’s big day has come and gone once again. You may have enjoyed a romantic night out for Valentine’s Day accompanied by flowers, cards, candy or jewelry. But did you bring that passion back into the bedroom? Unfortunately, for many the answer is no, and although many couples express their love by going on special dates, holding hands, kind gestures, and exchanging gifts, they often lack true sexual intimacy. Married men and women, on average, have sex with their spouse 58 times a year, a … [Read more...]
Is It Ever Okay To Keep a Secret?
January 29, 2015 By
We all have secrets we keep locked away from others. For some, the secrets may be small and harmless, but for others, they may be great enough to cause damage to personal relationships. I often talk about the topic of secrets in therapy with my clients. What people tend to not realize is that harboring a secret could be hurting you just as much as revealing it, if not more. Secrets, even small ones, can prevent relationships and friendships from being truly close. We keep secrets for all … [Read more...]
5 Factors that Promote Resilience
November 1, 2014 By
Recently, I gave a talk to an audience of parents and teachers on resilience, the ability to bounce back, to handle life’s daily challenges, and to overcome adversity. I discussed the five factors that are important to develop resilience: connection to others, communication, confidence, competence and commitment, and control. And I recommended the things that could be done to help children and teens develop resilience - things like taking risks (appropriate to their age, of course), making … [Read more...]
Inspiration: Some Thoughts on Resilience
November 1, 2014 By
Justus Uwayesu is a freshman at Harvard. “So what?” you say. Just another smart young man headed for a successful future. What is so unusual about that? But Mr. Uwaysu is more unusual than the average 22 year old. Orphaned at age three when his parents, illiterate farmers, were killed in the Rwandan genocide that exterminated 800,000 people in 100 days, he was living in a burned out car in a garbage dump at the age of nine. He scavenged and begged for food during the day, had not bathed in … [Read more...]
Discover Your Passion and Improve Your Mental Health
August 20, 2014 By
What role does passion play in our lives? It’s a question I’ve given much thought to lately. I recently had the pleasure of meeting a professional book reviewer and writer at a dinner with friends. It was wonderful to sit and talk with someone who shared my love for reading, and our conversation reminded me of the importance of having a passion and how it brings great meaning to our lives. A passion is something you want to dig into more deeply. It doesn’t matter if the passion … [Read more...]