therapy talk
Hal Runkel, LMFT, author of Scream Free Parenting, believes parenting has changed in recent decades as a result of the 24/7 news cycle, the internet and the ability to check children’s grades, school attendance and whereabouts at any moment. Runkel says, “If we think our number one job is to protect our child, then anxiety is going to drive the boat. We will want to know before they make a mistake or get into trouble.” Instead, we need to redefine our number one job as preparing children to live as independent adults. As Runkel notes, “The more we protect them, the less we prepare them. Think: I am supposed to protect them in the service of preparing them, not vice versa.”
Source: Washington Parent, March 2017
Other articles
The Ethics of Teaching Ethics
A few years ago, I was asked to teach an ethics course to satisfy Washington State requirements for MFT license renewal. The state requires six hours of ethics for each renewal period. While I had always prided myself on practicing ethically, I had never even contemplated that I knew enough to teach ethics. Somehow, I was persuaded to embark on this endeavor. Then, the real terror set in. What did I really know about ethics?
Carl Greenberg, MA
Four Metaphors Useful in Couple Therapy
Maladaptive couple processes are a core feature of couples in distress and are among the best predictors of marital decline (Gottman, Coan, Carrera, & Swanson, 1998; Lebow, Chambers, Christensen, & Johnson, 2012). The likelihood of therapeutic success is maximized when the therapist and the couple focus on this pathological dance, in which the emotional music generally matters more than the words.
Arthur C. Nielsen, MD
A Message from the President – Jan/Feb 2020
Happy New Year 2020! Just saying that conjures a sense of vision. My hope is that this year—indeed, this decade—is one of vision, foresight, and generativity. I’m staring down the road of my second year as president—and thinking beyond. I’m reflecting on the thematic aims and hopes I expressed last year for my term of service in this leadership role.
Timothy F. Dwyer, PhD