Estimated: 5 minutes to read

Understanding Suicidal Ideation: Shedding Light on a Silent Struggle

If you are thinking about taking your life and need to speak to someone now, please call 988 or visit the 988 Lifeline Website. Suicidal ideation is a complex and sensitive topic that demands our attention, empathy, and understanding. Often shrouded in stigma and fear, it is crucial to engage in open conversations to raise awareness […] Read more “Understanding Suicidal Ideation: Shedding Light on a Silent Struggle”

Estimated: 4 minutes to read

Healthy Masculinity

What is healthy masculinity? As with all aspects of gender, masculinity is a socially constructed series of roles, norms, expectations, and characteristics that can help shape someone’s identity. Masculinity has a context that changes across time and place; this means the ‘definition’ of masculinity isn’t static. There tend to be some consistent themes of masculinity […] Read more “Healthy Masculinity”

Estimated: 3 minutes to read

Toward a More Conscious Engagement with Death

On Sunday 10/29/23, Christy Darcangelo was a part of a 5-person panel on end-of-life care within kinky and polyamorous communities hosted by the Chicago Rose. The panel included Brooke Benjamin, a funeral care director with Inclusive Funeral Care, Valerie Nerini, a death doula and celebrant with Our Inevitable Death, Bella Bathory, a death doula with […] Read more “Toward a More Conscious Engagement with Death”

Estimated: 5 minutes to read

Queer Inner Strength: Overcoming Internalized Stigma and Shame

Internalized stigma and shame can have a profound impact on the well-being and self-worth of LGBTQIA+ individuals. Society’s prejudice and misunderstanding often lead to the internalization of negative beliefs and feelings of shame. Exploring the impact of internalized stigma and shame on LGBTQIA+ individuals, I offer some strategies for healing and building inner strength. By […] Read more “Queer Inner Strength: Overcoming Internalized Stigma and Shame”

FeaturedEstimated: 4 minutes to read

Diving In? Reflections on Fear

It seems we are all either facing fear or acting in the face of our fears these days. A once simple trip to the grocercy store is now a strategic undertaking that requires serious reflection on how much personal protection I will need. A recent conversation with colleagues reminded me of this post, from a […] Read more “Diving In? Reflections on Fear”

FeaturedEstimated: 7 minutes to read

When to Hold ‘Em and When to Fold ‘Em

As the year comes to a close, I take a bit of time to reflect on the year that was, and the year to come. It’s one of my favorite parts of the year, because it’s the time when we get to think long and hard about things (long dark nights help) — about things we’re […] Read more “When to Hold ‘Em and When to Fold ‘Em”

FeaturedEstimated: 3 minutes to read

The Art of Noticing: Exploring Shifts in Attention

Theoretically I am a strong believer in carving out creative time. I believe as a practice, it aids in self-reflection, cultivates connection and in turn, empathy. It has the power to remind us why we live. In the last several years though, I have struggled to make time for creative expression and prioritize it as […] Read more “The Art of Noticing: Exploring Shifts in Attention”

Estimated: 2 minutes to read

My One Problem

It is always foolish to oversimplify complex problems. Nonetheless from the viewpoint of the Dreaming, regardless of the complexity of your life, you can have only one problem – ignoring the Dreaming background to reality. Ignoring the Dreaming means marginalizing the deepest unformulated experiences that create your actions in everyday life. Every time you ignore […] Read more “My One Problem”

Estimated: 7 minutes to read

Understanding Your Dreams: Doorways to the Self

This post was originally published in Psychology Today. I have been simply, truly, and totally amazed by dreams for the past 40 years. In 1992, it led me to study with Jungian analyst, Dr. Arnold Mindell, which meant leaving my career as a management consultant, moving across the country, and studying full time for over five […] Read more “Understanding Your Dreams: Doorways to the Self”

Estimated: 6 minutes to read

Cultural Competence and Bias

As therapists, we recognize our ethical obligations to know and acknowledge the limits of our training and skills. We know that our expertise grows over time with experience and supervision, training, reading, dialogue and further training. These activities contribute to our mastery of specialized areas, methods or skills. But what about cultural competence? How do […] Read more “Cultural Competence and Bias”

Estimated: 2 minutes to read

Power: A User’s Guide

We are excited and pleased to announce that our friend and colleague, Julie Diamond, Ph.D., has a new book out — Power: A User’s Guide. Power corrupts. The question is: how? What are the traps of power and how we can avoid falling into them? From bosses to parents, politicians to protesters, power rests in […] Read more “Power: A User’s Guide”

Estimated: 4 minutes to read

8 Ways to Take Action Against Islamophobia

Prejudice, stereotyping, bias—however we understand these tendencies and attitudes, we can learn to identify, confront, wrestle with, accept, and change them within ourselves. Sometimes, however, doing so is possible only with great difficulty. Discrimination takes many forms, including harassment, bullying, hate speech, and scapegoating. Such behaviors put others at risk, cause harm and—at times—may even […] Read more “8 Ways to Take Action Against Islamophobia”

Estimated: 1 minute to read

Knowing Yourself is Power

“Knowing yourself really well and deeply is the best power you can have.” Julie Diamond, Ph.D. is an executive coach and leadership consultant who helps individuals and organizations create cultures of learning and growth.  Julie’s upcoming book, Power: A User’s Guide, is due for publication early next year. Read more “Knowing Yourself is Power”

Estimated: 5 minutes to read

Returning to Therapy — A Profound Act of Self-care

by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D., Dipl. PW & Rami Henrich, LCSW, Dipl. PW “I can’t believe I’m here… again.” Some people returning to therapy for the second, third, or fifth time often wonder “why do I need to go back to therapy?” “was there something I should have handled the last time around?” “maybe I am […] Read more “Returning to Therapy — A Profound Act of Self-care”

Estimated: 2 minutes to read

Going Down with Depression

Process work or process-oriented psychology often takes a paradoxical point of view on disturbance and conflict. In his post below, fellow Process Worker, David Bedrick shares insights on the ups and downs of depression.  DEPRESSION The word comes from the latin “depressare”- to press down. Our culture heavily favors being “up” and many of us have […] Read more “Going Down with Depression”

Estimated: 4 minutes to read

Beliefs and Success: What Box Did You Crawl Out Of?

Beliefs and success – are they connected? How much do your expectations influence your ideas about success? And where do those deeply-held beliefs originate? Our friend and colleague, Julie Diamond, has written extensively about these issues, and we would like to share the following article, which originally appeared on her site. One day, early in […] Read more “Beliefs and Success: What Box Did You Crawl Out Of?”

Estimated: 1 minute to read

Thich Nhat Hanh

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered around the world for his powerful teachings and best selling writings. This quote got such a strong positive response when we posted it on Tumblr, that we wanted to share with you too. People have a hard time letting go […] Read more “Thich Nhat Hanh”

Estimated: 6 minutes to read

Everyone Has Bias

No one is immune from bias, not even us therapists! Everyone has bias. Therapist bias takes many forms, especially with regards to clients’ sexuality, gender, erotic orientation, etc… Bias ranges from misinformed opinions about BDSM to confusing polyamory with infidelity to other subtle perceptions, beliefs and attitudes.  Bias is a part of us all and […] Read more “Everyone Has Bias”

Estimated: 4 minutes to read

Therapist Bias

by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D. & Rami Henrich, LCSW Bias influences all of us — even therapists. In fact, one 2011 study indicates that as many as 50% of clients identifying as polyamorous had seen therapists that they felt lacked cultural competency or were biased. Meanwhile, a 2006 study by Drs. Keely Kolmes, Wendy Stock, and […] Read more “Therapist Bias”

Estimated: 3 minutes to read

Meditation on Weathering

Weathering My face catches the wind from the snow line and flushes with a flush that will never wholly settle. Well, that was a metropolitan vanity, wanting to look young forever, to pass. I was never a pre-Raphaelite beauty and only pretty enough to be seen with a man who wanted to be seen with […] Read more “Meditation on Weathering”