Contributed by Psychotherapy Networker
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Practice Tools: July/August 2023
The best from across the field of psychotherapy . . . on us!This month’s selection is from Bree Turns-Coe’s "Parent the Child You Have, Not the Child You Were: Breaking Generational Patterns, Raise Thriving Kids." Read more
Practice Tools: May/June 2023
The best from across the field of psychotherapy . . . on us!Practice Tools for the May/June 2023 issue are courtesy of Arielle Schwartz's book, "Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma Recovery." Read more
When One Partner Won’t Budge
The Magic Wand Question, the Compliment Sandwich, and More StrategiesIf you’ve done couples therapy, you’ve probably run into this conundrum at one point or another: one partner simply isn’t as invested in therapy as the... Read more
Submit to Clinician's Quandary!
Let Us Know How YOU Would Tackle This Situation in Your Practice...Even the best therapists rely on advice from peers. In the spirit of building community, we're introducing Clinician's Quandary, a new forum where you can... Read more
The Best and Beloved Stories from 2022
Our Staff Picks from a Year of Psychotherapy NetworkerIn this year-end review, the staff of Psychotherapy Networker shares the articles and interviews that most resonated with readers and authors in 2022. Read more
One Foot Out the Door
Six Ways to Address Impending Premature EndingsEnding therapy is tough. But a client leaning out of therapy midway through treatment? That’s a whole other pill to swallow. Here, six therapists share how... Read more
When Medication Gets in the Way
Listening, Collaborating, and Helping Clients “Choose Their Own Adventure”"One of my clients takes prescription medication for anxiety and often complains about the negative side effects. I can’t help but feel it’s getting in the... Read more
How Do I Make Therapy Stick?
Creating a Vision, Building Momentum Between Sessions, and MoreSure, your clients may find therapy helpful. But do they find it memorable? How can we get clients to retain all the wonderful information they learn in... Read more
Should You Tell Your Clients Why You're Canceling?
When to Self-Disclose, Preserving the Therapeutic Alliance, and MoreIf you have to cancel an appointment and your client asks you why, how much should you disclose? Here, four clinicians share how they'd respond. Read more
The Narcissistic Client
Four Ways to Break ThroughWhether it's vanity, a failure to take constructive criticism, mistreating family and friends, or lacking empathy for others, clients with narcissistic traits... Read more
How I Start and End Therapy
Six Clinicians Weigh InUnfortunately, there's no playbook for beginning and ending therapy. So how do you make first and last sessions not only less awkward, but memorable and... Read more
Should I Hand My Crying Client a Tissue?
Reading Between the Tears, Permission-Giving, and MoreWhen clients cry in therapy, should you pass the tissues? And what do you say? One clinician worries his clients might interpret passing tissues as him rushing... Read more
Elderly Clients, Hidden Gifts
Best Practices for Working with Older PopulationsI’ve been working with adults for most of my career, but I think it’s important not to neglect the mental health of our elderly population. What are some... Read more
The Power of Humor
Five Ways Therapists Put This “Best Medicine” to UseTherapy can be serious, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for a joke here and there. Here, clinicians share how they used humor to help clients... Read more
The Therapy Mistake That Changed Me
Three Stories of Professional GrowthWe all make mistakes. But oftentimes, it’s the mistakes that help us grow the most, personally and professionally. Here, three therapists share their stories... Read more
Is There Meaning in Loss? (Part 2)
Four More Therapists Weigh InOur last Clinician’s Quandary on helping clients—and ourselves—navigate grief work received an overwhelming number of responses. So many, in fact, that... Read more
My Client Needs Help with Something That Isn’t My Specialty
Five Clinicians Weigh InAndrew has started showing symptoms of OCD. He’s struggled with anxiety for a while, but the pandemic seems to have been a tipping point for him. His... Read more
Is There Meaning in Loss?
Helping Our Clients and Ourselves Navigate Grief WorkMany grief specialists talk about helping clients finding meaning after loss. But often, loss feels meaningless. One therapist working with grieving clients... Read more
My Biggest Challenge as a Therapist
The Hardest Things About PracticeTherapy is hard work. But what are therapy’s biggest challenges, and how do therapists overcome them? Here, five therapists share the clinical challenge that... Read more
Navigating the Rift
A Therapeutic Rupture and the Art of RepairAfter being insulted by a difficult client, this therapist doesn't know how to proceed. Here, seven clinicians weigh in. Read more
Wisdom, or Yesterday’s News?
The Older Therapist in the Younger PracticeAn older therapist is beginning to feel insecure about their age and is considering whether to dive into new trainings or retire. Five clinicians offer advice. Read more
Close to Home
When the Problem You Treat Becomes Your Problem TooA couples therapist is going through an emotionally wrenching separation from their partner and finding it hard to treat clients. Five clinicians offer advice. Read more
When Therapy Stalls Out
Five Tips for Getting Out of the RutA therapist has been working with a client for eight years but fears that their progress has stalled. Five therapists weigh in on how to proceed. Read more
Is Trauma Therapy Doing Enough for People of Color?
What is a therapist to do?When it comes to addressing systemic racism and injustice, “therapy’s not enough,” says trauma expert Mary Jo Barrett. But that doesn’t mean therapists... Read more
Five Things Seasoned Therapists Wish They'd Known
. . . And the One Question You Should Always Ask Your ClientsWhether they’ve been practicing for three months or three decades, therapists are continuously honing their craft. But much of what we learn through trial... Read more
The Mentor Who Changed My Therapy Practice
…And How Two Little Words Changed EverythingMost clinicians need a mentor: someone who takes them under their wing and inspires them to be a better therapist. The five clinicians whose stories you’re... Read more
VIDEO: How Can White Therapists Be Better Allies?
Deepening the Conversation around Race-Based TraumaWhat does it mean to be an ally to people of color? What steps can therapists take to heal race-based trauma and deepen the conversation around racial... Read more
My Client Says Teletherapy Isn’t Helping
Five Therapists Weigh InA therapist is offering teletherapy during the coronavirus pandemic, and it's working well for most of her clients. But her anxious client Sam has repeatedly... Read more
The Mentor Who Changed My Therapy Practice, Part 2
Wisdom, Revelations, and Journey-MakingNo person is an island. And surely enough, no therapist hones their craft without a lot of learning and inspiration from others. Three clinicians share the... Read more
My Client Gets Distracted During Teletherapy, Part 2
Five More Clinicians Weigh InAs a single mother of two girls all quarantining in a small apartment, teletherapy sessions have been challenging for Marcia. She’s often distracted or... Read more
What Self-Care Means to Me
Therapists on Boundaries, Outlets, and MoreAs any therapist will tell you, self-care is an integral part of our work. When we take care of ourselves, we take care of our clients. But what does... Read more
How I Start My First Session
Icebreakers, Alliance-Building, and MoreFirst introductions with clients can be make-or-break moments that influence therapy sessions to come. In a first meeting, how do you break through a... Read more
Tales from the Therapy Room
Our Annual Storytelling Feature!Five therapists recall the up-against-the-wall moments from practice that required them to toss away the usual clinical playbook. Read more
Addressing the Idea of Meds with a Depressed Client
Five Clinicians Weigh InSandra has been struggling with depression for many years. A psychiatrist has prescribed her an antidepressant, but she’s told her therapist she doesn’t... Read more
Saving My Younger Self
Black Therapists Rock Member ProfileTherapists who grew up in the communities of color they serve often have the social capital and particular wisdom to better understand clients’ core needs... Read more
More Than One Way to Heal
Black Therapists Rock Member ProfileIt can be tricky doing therapy in communities where the field’s reputation is mixed, and people often feel more comfortable turning to the church for help... Read more
Should I Keep One Partner’s Secret in Couples Therapy?
Five Clinicians Give Their TakeMark and his wife, Nicole, have been in couples therapy for almost six months. But Mark recently requested an individual session, where he revealed he recently... Read more
My Clients and I Use the Same Dating Apps
Five Clinicians Give Their TakeA therapist recently joined a few online dating apps after finding herself newly single. She's seen several clients come up in these apps, and suspects they've... Read more
My Client Keeps Checking His Phone! (Part Two)
Five More Clinicians Give Their TakeOur last Clinician’s Quandary received an overwhelming number of responses. Here are a few more that didn’t make it into Part One but offer other useful... Read more
Addressing Race Therapeutically in Black Relationships
Testimonials from the 2015 Psychotherapy Networker SymposiumToday I attended a workshop called “Working with Black Couples: Overcoming Myths and Stereotypes,” led by Dr. Christiana Awosan. Being an African American... Read more
The Therapeutic Goldmine of Song, Dance, and Mindfulness
Testimonials from the 2015 Psychotherapy Networker SymposiumJohn Kabat-Zinn sparked my interest when he recounted the time Oprah asked him, "Is there life after death?" His reply to her: "Oprah, I'm interested in the... Read more
Mindfulness, Conscious Breathing Exercises, and Cyber Intimacy
Testimonials from the 2015 Psychotherapy Networker SymposiumAlthough I have read his books and seen many videos of him in action, today's Networker Symposium workshop was the first in-person opportunity I've had to hear... Read more
Couples Therapy, Brainspotting, and Truth in Love
Testimonials from the 2015 Psychotherapy Networker SymposiumI had the pleasure of attending the Brainspotting seminar with David Grand today. What fresh and amazing information! I am drawn to anything that involves the... Read more
A few decades ago, when young therapists like myself watched Salvador Minuchin, Virginia Satir, Carl Whitaker, or other leading lights, it was like... Read more
Symposium 2012
Embracing the New WisdomAndrew Weil, Mary Pipher, and Dan Siegel, along with 150 other presenters, not only helped the Networker Symposium celebrate its 35th anniversary, but... Read more
Psychotherapy's Greatest Debates
Assessing the State of the Art 2012The State of the Art, the Networker’s first-ever virtual conference, offered an opportunity for leaders in our field who disagree to debate each other... Read more
Ten Most Influential Therapists
The Most Influential Therapists of the Past Quarter-CenturyTwenty five years ago, in 1982, the first issue of the Psychotherapy Networker was published. That same year, American Psychologist surveyed 800 members of the... Read more
Truth and Reconciliation?
Healing the wounds of apartheidFrom the May/June 1997 issue “Ordinary South Africans are determined that the past be known, the better to insure that it is not repeated... Read more
From the July/August 1994 issue IN A WIDELY PUBLICIZED TRIAL last May anxiously followed by therapists around the country, a jury in Napa County... Read more
From the May/June 1994 issue LEARNING DISABILITIES (LD) AND Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are distinct disorders that not only undermine... Read more
THE PAST FEW YEARS HAVE NOT#160; been friendly to psychotherapists.#160; Probably no other contemporary field has suffered so many widely publicized body blows... Read more
Psychotherapy Networker
The editorial staff of Psychotherapy Networker comprises clinicians, journalists, and writers with a passion for creating a community where therapists gather and grow. Learn more on our About Us page.