So often we allow our thoughts to run unexamined through our brain. Often those thoughts lead to negative behaviors. Below is a list of 8 limited thinking patterns that I will often explore with clients. They are taken from the book Thoughts & Feelings by Matthew McKay, Martha Davis and Patrick Fanning. It is a…
One of the central facets of addiction is the unwillingness to take responsibility. Without exercising the all-important watershed of self-responsibility, breaking the compulsive cycle that leads to addictive behavior is all but impossible. Systems like AA or the Minnesota Model, which allow the abdication of self-responsibility to The Program, The Meeting, The Sponsor and even…
I used to love the show Law and Order. It was a show I'd watch with my mom when I was younger. I've even written CBS to see if they would be willing to do a show called "Law and Order: Grand Rapids." Ok, I made that part up. I probably will not get as…
Eventually everyone has to move beyond the wounds and the hurts they experienced as children and learn to parent their own children in a new and better way. The excuse that I didn't have good parents simply won't fly in the end.We need to stop the cycle. Beyond that we need to move to the…
4 Potential Myths:
1. Self-Change is Simple
2. It Just Takes Willpower
If you are someone who wants to bring change into your life, I encourage you to consider where on this continuum you might find yourself. I cannot tell you how many clients I have spent time with only to have them leave frustrated because they thought that they were in the action step and in reality they were much more in step 1 or step 2. If you are not ready to change, that’s OK. No one is here to judge you for that, but it is important that you find the courage to admit that you are not ready to change yet.
Obviously, the counselor is not that well trained and did not get a very good education. Her ears must be plugged, or she’s just a terrible listener. So the client tries again to explain that while he really does need to make a few changes what really needs to happen is:
