by Tian Dayton, PhD Which characteristics do you identify with and to what extent? This is something of a self-test and a survey. If you are an Adult Child of Alcoholism or Addiction (ACOA), you may have been both traumatized and strengthened by that experience. Following is a survey of both the positive and the [...]

By Angie Carter This time of year many resolutions are made, only to be quietly dismissed shortly thereafter. But how can such a determined resolution to quit drinking end in another failed attempt to stop a behavior that can be so harmful to self and others? One would think such a person is either very [...]

By Larry Smith, CAS “As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts [...]

By Catherine Auman, MFT Steven is remembering the active days of what he calls his sex addiction: “I was at a party and noticed this overweight, not-so-beautiful woman across the room who was obviously attracted to me.” He drums his fingers on the table. “I did my number on her and got her to go [...]

By Jack Hinman, PhD Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most diagnosed psychiatric disorders in children and is typically associated with a marked level of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. These seemingly straightforward symptoms can impact virtually all areas of the child’s life. Fortunately, however, ADHD is typically viewed as a brain difference, not a [...]

By Kansas Cafferty, MA, MCA, CSC, MFTI I have been in the field of addiction treatment for close to 15 years. During this time, we as a field have changed quite a bit, as have many of our methods. I am among those in our field who went through treatment the “old-fashioned” way. I attended [...]

By Dr. Meghan Marcum, PhD With the New Year and holidays just past, we were most likely constantly on the go. While a time of celebration, the holidays can also bring stress and anxiety to our lives. It’s important to remember to take time to unwind from all the busy hustling and bustling during this [...]

By Daniel J. Tomasulo, Ph.D.,TEP, MFA The gratitude visit (Seligman, Steen and Peterson, 2005) is one of the best-known and most-quoted of the positive psychology interventions. The intervention is simple: people are asked to deliver a letter of gratitude to a person who had been particularly kind to them, but whom they never properly thanked. [...]

We’ve all heard the stories about someone who started out pushing a broom somewhere and ended up running the place. Shahan Suzmeyan can actually claim this story as his own. As a client in a treatment center, he liked the care he received and begged them for a job when he completed his program. “They [...]

When your loved one is in a treatment center, getting clean and working toward his or her recovery, it is likely you are riding an emotional roller coaster. No doubt years of hurt, frustration and worry have led to the need for rehabilitation, so most family members are emotionally spent by this point anyway. So [...]