Quest--Clinical Topics

Clinical Topics

Change - Why Is It So Hard?
by Robin Shultz

If I had a nickel for every time a client came into my office and said “I want to change” I’d be a rich woman. Most people who call for counseling want to change something in their lives, and some want to change many things. Sometimes they don’t want to change anything, and sometimes they want to change everything. All of these scenarios give us something to talk about—for awhile. The problem occurs when we start to sort out just what it is that the person really wants to change and find out that . . lo and behold . . . it’s someone else. More often than not, it’s Him that needs to change. Or Her. Or Them. People often abort the counseling process when they begin to realize that the only person that I can really change, no matter how hard I try, or how creative I become, is...me. Ugh!!

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Therapeutic Coaching
by Calvin Iwema

Clients in therapy work to gain awareness of themselves and others, and to acknowledge, accept and understand their feelings. Yet these gains do not necessarily produce the changes they want in their external lives. This has led to the development of Solution Focused and Reality-Based therapeutic approaches.

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Managing Conflict
by Robin Shultz

Healthy conflict is not only natural, but also a necessary part of life. Acknowledging and accepting our differences, while validating another’s experience, can lead to deeper and more satisfying relationships with those that we love, and to more mutually respectful communications with colleagues and acquaintances. Managing conflict effectively can be difficult and scary at times, but there are tools and skills to help us along the way.

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Bipolar Disorder in the News
by Calvin Iwema

Jane Pauley, former co-anchor of “Today” and “Dateline NBC” recently revealed that she was treated for bipolar disorder in her new memoir “Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue”. Pauley, age 53 stated “If you didn’t know me well, you might not have noticed anything strange; I was strange only for me. My tides were fluctuating back and forth sometimes so fast they seemed to be spinning.”
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Anger Management
by Margie Salyer

Anger is a misunderstood emotion. Most of us don’t like it when we have it, and we don’t like it when somebody else has it. We feel “out of control” or worry that there other guy is “gonna lose it.”
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Happiness Interventions That Work
by Calvin Iwema

Martin Seligman, Ph.D., and Tracy Steen, Ph.D. have recently garnered evidence that counting your blessings, using your strengths regularly and expressing gratitude can increase happiness and reduce depression.
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Below are previous Clinical Topics. Click the title to read the article.

Creating Healthy Family Boundaries by Cynthia Dobroski, LCPC

Children have a natural desire for limits and boundaries. Children sometimes act as if they are in charge, but really crave boundaries. Boundaries come in many forms, and are healthy and important ways to establish respect and mutual consideration. In a way they are like fences that protect children.

Creating Change by Patricia Cunningham, LCPC

The road to making life changes is full of pot holes that shake us up and get us off track. Here are some ideas for staying on course!

Managing Grief & Loss by Donna Bredrup, LCPC

In my work as a counselor and psychotherapist, I have seen many clients dealing with losses of all kinds. While each person will experience the grieving process in different unique ways, there are some predictable stages that many people pass through after losing something or someone important. In her work on death and dying, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross outlined five stages of grieving.