In a recent article, journalist Johann Hari wrote about the doubt some scientists feel about depression being caused by a “chemically imbalanced” brain. For most of his adult life, Hari had believed that his depression was the result of a biological condition. However, after doing his own investigation into the subject, which led to his… Read more »
Learn More
When I first met Rikki in the parking lot of a Motel 6, she effortlessly captured my heart. I had actually started to care about her even before that first meeting. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer preparing for my first case, I had read Rikki’s file. I knew she was 10, she… Read more »
Learn More
Over the years of working with men in therapy, I discovered that the issues that so often come up about careers or relationships could often be traced back, sooner or later, to the lack of relationship with their fathers. A man in therapy who I’ll call “John” describes his experiences with his father as follows,… Read more »
Learn More
We are often so focused on physical and sexual abuse that we forget to consider emotional abuse, which is more difficult to identify when it is happening to our loved ones or to ourselves. Mental abuse can occur in any relationship among adults, in adolescent peer groups and in families. We need to become more… Read more »
Learn More
Years ago, when I was in the process of creating a violence assessment scale, I visited a series of high-security prisons to interview men found guilty of murder and other violent crimes. As I sat down with each inmate, the first question I always asked was, “How did you come to be a violent person?”… Read more »
Learn More
At this point, I shouldn’t have to list off all the reasons spanking your child doesn’t work. It’s science, it’s proven, and we may as well be revisiting a discussion of whether the world is flat. If the damage it does to children’s spirits (not to mention their actual brains) isn’t enough to convince you, maybe it should… Read more »
Learn More
Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. VIDEO: Dr. James Garbarino describes some differences in parenting in the 1950s versus today, specifically the challenges in modern media and exposure. Dr. James Garbarino: I think there’s a range of things that you might call “social toxins” that make raising children more difficult… Read more »
Learn More
Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino talks about his motivations for writing the book, The Psychologically Battered Child. Dr. James Garbarino: I can give you two versions of how The Psychologically Battered Child came into existence. One is the version that I was aware of at the time… Read more »
Learn More
Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. Peter Levine. Dr. Peter Levine talks about child sexual abuse and relational trauma. Dr. Peter A. Levine: What makes it ultimately more complex and more difficult is often that the perpetrator is the parent or the family member. That’s much more common than a stranger. And so… Read more »
Learn More
I recently watched my 11-year-old nephew play basketball in his local league. As I took in the scene of the freshly polished court, the paid referees, illuminated scoreboard, and live buzzers, I couldn’t help but think how grown up my nephew and his team had become. There they were independently taking coach instructions, chatting with… Read more »
Learn More