Virtually everything that happens to us has the potential to be a stressor. Some common causes of chronic stress include: 1. Time, 2. Responsibilities, 3. Personal problems, 4. Work, 5. Lack of sleep, 6. Bottled up emotions, and 7. Pressure of finances. What makes an enormous difference is the management of these sources of stress. By management, I mean how one internalizes what happens to us. Internalization of stress is a process and the process is shaped by our attitudes. Some of these att... Read Full Story

Wikizines are interactive magazines that anyone can create or edit - and this one is called "Psychotherapy Works - Eric Kothari". Here you can find fresh voices and respond in real time. Some members write articles about recent news and trends related to the wikizine's topic, others recount relevant personal stories or share their favorite pictures and video clips. Got an interesting idea or story to share with other members of this wikizine? Well, then put on your journalist&... Read Full Story

Recently I gave a talk on Stress for local professionals in the Northern Virginia area and since it was so well received it seemed a natural progression to make the data all the more available through this blog. Its true that in my work as a psychologist I am every day working on the fundamentals of stress management. It’s not uncommon for me to say when life gives you lemons make lemonade, and then to help clients learn the simple ways in which they can shift their attitudes and behavi... Read Full Story

Couples come to therapy for all types of problems, and sometimes what we see with couples who are entering mid-life (ie, 35-45 years of age), is problems that arise for the couple due to one partner mistaking a call for adventure as a call for an affair. A reader recently inquired about this and I thought a response here made some sense. At mid-life it’s often the case that we’ve achieved those goals we set for ourselves in our early adulthood. We’ve successfully achieved a... Read Full Story

Well it’s that time of year, when we labor through the hottest part of our summer months and inch our way forward towards a new academic year. Yes, in most areas, we are a short 3-4 weeks away from the first day of school. All across the country, our children are savoring those last days of “freedom” and department stores are readying their “back-to-school” advertising. Soon, the papers and TVs will be littered with all manner of back to school stuff. Certain j... Read Full Story

As a psychologist whose practice is both academic and clinical, my research in psychotherapy outcomes has been organized around the therapeutic practice of Psychological Mentoring and in two distinct ways. First, in my academic roles Psychological Mentoring has to do with educating the next generation of psychologists so that they have a variety of skills to manage the enormous volume of complexity that is found in working with human beings. In academic psychological mentoring, I feel a respo... Read Full Story