What is Relational Therapy?by Wendy Allen, Ph.D, MFT  Therapy, coming from a patriarchal paradigm, used concepts and
thoughts that were more specific to helping men grow from the
perspective of male design. read more
Balance Found In Flight I started editing the Santa Barbara newsletter January 2010 and each
month I say, This month I'm writing an article. Each month I have
been over-committed, over-extended, and my own creative life has been
pushed out to the edge, almost to the point of no return. I am "in
flight" once again. read more
How Divorce Mediation Works:Part Twoby Judith Rubenstein  What do your clients need to know before they start the divorce
mediation process, and how should they prepare? In last month's issue,
I discussed the different types of divorce mediation, the advantages
of each and how to assess your client's readiness for mediation. read more
How Divorce Mediation Works:by Judith Rubenstein  Divorce mediation works for most people who try it. In a three part
series, I will give guidelines to help your clients understand the
process and decide whether mediation can work for them. In this first
article I will focus on the individual's readiness for mediation and
the difference between two types of mediation, represented or
unrepresented, and which client is suited for each read more
The Aesthetic Natureof Change: An Upcoming Conferenceby Jacqueline Feather Ph.D. The philosopher, Martin Buber said, Everything depends on innerchange; when this has taken place, then, and only then does the worldchange. Change is a word used frequently these days, yet aspractitioners in psychology we are often well aware of the many layersencountered, both individually and culturally, on the journey frominner change to outer evolution. read more
The Sun is also our HeartSeveral years ago, I was spending
some days and nights fasting alone
in the wilderness as I often do to mark a
transition, celebrate an important event
or simply to reconnect. I spent many
hours on a large rock in the middle of
the Sespe River in Los Padres National
Forest. I was situated in a quiet spot
where the water flowed gently downstream.
On the side of an adjacent rock
I noticed the carcass of a creature I did
not recognize. I had seen these carcasses
before and often wondered to whom
they belonged. read more
Angst in the Face of Economic Meltdown: How Neurobiology and Attachment Theory Can Helpby Daniel Jay Sonkin, PhD The economy is causing many of our
clients great psychological stress.
Although the immediate future may look
grim, this is a particularly exciting time
to be a psychotherapist. The proliferation
of new research in such areas as attachment
and the neurosciences means
that we are in a much better position to
help clients deal with the stresses and
concerns now facing them. read more
Suicide and Violence Prevention: Creating a Safer Communityby The Glendon Association For the past 15 years, The Glendon
Association in Santa Barbara has
been a strong advocate for suicide prevention,
bringing this important public
health concern to the attention of our
community. In order to shed light on
this often feared and neglected issue,
Glendon began hosting free public education
forums in 1994; the next forum
in Santa Barbara forum will be held on
October 8. read more
Creating Community Pathways Announces Its Second Town Hall Gathering
When the Creating Community
Pathways met on Sunday, April
26 at Anny Eastwood�s to finalize plans
for our second Town Hall Gathering
on Saturday June 6, little did we know
that yet another fire would challenge us
in a very personal as well as communal
way. read more
Religious Resonance: A Psychotherapeutic Resourceby Allen D. Koehn D.Min., M.F.T. In the early days of my role as a Presbyterian minister I did a lot of
Pastoral Counseling. The more I did this the more I wanted to know
and understand about psychology. I read widely but quickly realized
that there were two main points of view: first, the traditional,
theologically based view that attempted to explain all experiences and
treatments in terms of accepted and approved biblical and theological
dogma; second, was the variety of psychological schools that tended to
reduce religious perspectives to fantasy and wish-fulfillment. It was
when I was introduced to C.G. Jung’s work that I finally found a point
of view that respected the “religious” experience as a psychological
reality that was rooted in each person’s experience. read more
An Interview with Roger Thompson, Executive Director of the Consumer Advocacy Coalition (CAC)
I first heard about the Consumer Advocacy Coalition (CAC) after reading an article by Margaret Stadler in the The Independent (December 11, 2008, “New Mental Health Coalition Forges Bonds”). From the article I learned that CAC was a fledgling non-profit with a grassroots approach to raising public awareness about mental health and a mission to reduce stigmas about mental illness. read more
CALM's Therapy Groups for Adults Molested As Children Can Benefit Your Clients
CALM (Child Abuse Listening and
Mediation) has offered the therapeutic
groups for AMAC (Adults Molested
as Children) for 33 years. Having said
that, I believe many Santa Barbara therapists
are unaware of these extremely
effective groups that can supplement
and enhance their work with their own
clients dealing with childhood sexual
abuse issues. read more
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A is for AlgebraYou’ll be glad to know that this isn’t really an article about algebra.
It’s about pushing ourselves forward by first respecting our “comfort
zone” and then learning to move beyond it. read more
Chopping and Carryingby Allen Koehn I am often reminded of the Zen saying: “Before Enlightment chop wood,
carry water; after Enlightenment chop wood, carry water.” read more
Falling madly in love at the age of 55by Wendy Allen, Ph.D, MFT  What do you do when you fall madly in love after 30 years of being inpractice? I mean, when you fall madly in love with a new model andparadigm of therapy? I wasn't looking for it, I was thinking about retirement. They saylove comes when you are not looking for it. Then bam! Out of the blue.From left field. A new passion! read more
Homeless InvolvementFor the past two years, I have found
fulfillment in reaching out to
our houseless Santa Barbara friends.
Though I felt I was giving to others as
an MFT since 1976, there was something
more I wanted to offer. Loving the
homeless fills a missing piece in my life.
It's different than anything else, and I
know this is what I am called to do. read more
Our Looking Glass World
In the past one hundred years, psychotherapists have understood relationships in terms to transference. At the Metta Institute in Sausalito, Angeles Arrian presents a variation on transference that she refers to as "the mirror." read more
Teens and Violence: Mental Health Warning Signsby State CAMFT It is estimated that as many as one in
five children and adolescents has an
identifiable mental health disorder that
requires treatment.
It is critical for parents, caregivers and
adults to understand the warning signs
of a mental health disorder so that they
might intervene before teens end up in
situations where they hurt themselves
or others. read more
What Is Gestalt Therpy?
"I just Gestalted one of my clients."
This statement always gets my attention.
I am never sure what the person
who says it means. I do know that the person who says it probably has a very incomplete understanding of Gestalt
therapy. Unfortunately, this is also the case with many clinicians.
read more
Same-Sex Marriage Matters
There is so much to read about same-sex marriage in the mainstream
press these days. I read most of it. It is of direct interest to me,
as I was married on June 21, 2008, at last, to my female partner of 19
years. read more
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