Author Archive: counselorbarb
How You May Be Sabotaging Your Mental Health
Congratulations! You have made the brave and potentially life-altering step of getting some counseling. Good for you. But did you know that some very simple things you are doing right now could be sabotaging your progress? When people come to see me, naturally the focus is on whatever relationship, sexual, or emotional issue they are …
Optimize Your Counseling Dollar
Have you been to a counselor lately? That’s OK…don’t answer out loud. But if you have, or are considering visiting one in the near future, and want to make sure you get the most for your money, this blog post will be of interest. As a private practitioner, I see many different people with many …
How Life And Weight Loss Coaches Can Be Bad For Your Health
Look around- life coaches, weight loss coaches, beauty coaches, nutrition coaches…everyone wants to “coach” you on something! And congratulations to you for wanting to improve your life. I’m not here to rain on your parade- I just want to hand you an umbrella so you don’t accidentally get drenched. See, none of these coaches are …
What to Look for in a Counselor
So, you’ve decided you’d like to see a counselor. Now what? Do a google search and you are faced with what seems like hundreds of counselors. Actually, there are about 400 licensed mental health counselors in Florida alone. So, how to pick one? What most therapists won’t tell you, probably because they don’t keep …
Can Spending Money Really Make You Happy?
Can spending money really make you happy? Ask any woman, and of course…well, you know the answer. Shoes, lipstick, a new outfit. It’s in our DNA. Ask any man, and…well, you know. He’ll reflexively check his wallet. But can buying things really make us happy? Well…sort of. If we are purchasing an experience rather than a material …
Can You Go to Couples Therapy Alone?
What if you’re having marriage problems and your husband doesn’t want to go to therapy? Can you go to couples therapy alone? According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, yes you should! Couples therapy is very effective for relationship problems because both partners have the opportunity to understand the dysfunctional patterns and dynamics of …
Depression- What You Need to Know Right Now
According to a recent study described in the ScienceDaily (January 2012), cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic therapy helps those with a depressive personality just as effectively as those without. According to the article 44% of the population have depressive personality traits. This study is important because it suggests that those with a lower level of depression, but chronic, can …
What Your Psychiatrist Doesn’t Want You to Know About Depression
According to a recent article in Psychotherapy Networker (January/February 2012) by Andrew Weil, there really isn’t any evidence that SSRIs are effective, and furthermore, doctors really don’t understand how they work. Why is this? The answer, as is true with many things in life, is “follow the money”. Drug companies make huge profits everyday by prescribing these …
Chart Your Own Course
Recently I attended a lunch where Pam Iorio, former mayor of my home city, Tampa, spoke. She said something absolutely brilliant that she should patent: “Chart your own course.” Only I hope she hasn’t yet because I want to use it in this post. So you need to know where you are going. What are …
Differing Sexual Desires: A Radio Interview with CounselorBarb
In my first radio broadcast, I am interviewed by Drs. Chuck and Jo-Ann Bird on sexual desire, particularly differing sexual drives between partners. I cite research, as well as provide suggestions for bridging this divide. Listen now:
Insurance: A possible violation of privacy
People ask me all of the time if I accept insurance. The answer is “no”. I have many reasons for this, with most of them centered around my clients’ well-being. One of the major reasons I don’t accept insurance is that I would need to code you, as my client, with a psychological disorder. This …
Trusting Your Gut
I had an interesting experience yesterday I would like to share. Like women do every day in the U.S., I made an appointment to talk to a new hairstylist. I was considering switching, and wanted to talk with the new one before doing so. Within five minutes, I began to feel odd. Uncomfortable. Almost surreal. …
Ignorance of Long-Term Couples
According to the November 6, 2010 issue of Science News, researchers in Switzerland have discovered that the longer people are married to each other, the more ignorant they become of their partner’s likes and dislikes. Two psychologists studied 38 young (19 – 32 years of age) and 20 older (62 – 78 years of age) …
Men and Arguing: Fascinating New Information
According to a recent study from the University of Southern California, men shut down emotionally when arguing with their significant other. Any wife or long-term girlfriend will tell you they didn’t need a study to tell them this. Or, as one of my colleagues succinctly puts it: “That’s from the DUH journal of counseling.” But, …
Experience: The New Way to Happiness
Sunday’s St. Petersburg Times contained a very interesting article titled “Living, not buying, is what matters.” Did you read it? If not, or even if you did, here is my take. The article profiled a couple who lived for their stuff. They were in jobs they hated so they could make payments on the debt …
Mental Health Effects of Botox
Botox may do more for you than just erase wrinkles. According to a recent study done by psychology graduate student David Havas of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, women injected with Botox took an average of one-quarter of a second longer to read a sentence describing an angry or sad situation than they had before the …
Do we need couples counseling?
Wondering if you should get couples counseling? I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a Registered Marriage and Family Therapy Intern, and a sex therapist. In my work with couples, I have noted common areas in which troubled couples tend to be deficient. This list of ten questions that I have created will help you …
A Sex Therapist Visits The Todd Superstore
Today I took a little field trip. As a clinically trained sexologist, this little trip should have been no problem. Yet, I felt compelled to enlist the assistance of my supervisor, who graciously walked me through the process. As I nervously pulled into the parking lot, I noted that I was 10 minutes early. No …
Genetic link to bullying harm
According to the June 19, 2010 issue of Science News, there may be a genetic link to the level of emotional damage done by bullying. Researchers at Duke University, North Carolina, found that kids with a short version of the 5-HTT gene were more likely to be emotionally upset by bullying, often severe enough to …
Preparing for Couples Therapy
This is a handout I prepared for couples entering therapy. Although it is oriented toward working with me, I think it provides concise and valuable information about the couples’ therapy process: Welcome. By asking for help with your relationship you are making a statement about how important it is to you. Because it is …
CounselorBarb 