When I was a child, my favorite summer activity was the two weeks I spent at Lazy J Ranch Camp, an eclectic summer retreat in the hills of Malibu. Lazy J had the traditional array of summer camp activities: archery, [...]
When I was a young child, one of my favorite bedtime stories was The Monster at the End of This Book. It opens with Sesame Street muppet Grover who, having read the title on the front of the book, explains [...]
No one ever comes to a therapist saying, “I’d like to be less happy,” but a lot of people make choices that lead to unhappiness. Having seen this in action, I’d like to share with you the following list of [...]
My very first car was a 1995 Chevy S-10 pick-up truck. I was in college at the time, knew nothing about cars except that I needed one, and my friend was selling his. We exchanged cash for car title, and [...]
I am not an economist, but I live with one. Before I lived with someone who studies and practices economics, the word terrified and mystified me. I had a vague idea that it had something to do with money or [...]
“I made you! And you wanna know why? You wanna know what I did it for? 'Cause I was born too soon and started too late, that's why! I could have been better than any of you! What I got [...]
I have been getting a lot of calls recently from new clients who have just moved to Los Angeles and are having difficulty adjusting. Some of these people moved in two days ago, and some moved here two years ago, [...]
Sometimes music makes you dance, laugh, sing, and feel joy. Other times it grabs you by the guts and makes you feel the things you’ve been suppressing. Either way, it can be incredibly healing. Everyone has their go-to songs, but [...]
I want you to imagine you’re at work, and someone brings in donuts. Do you think to yourself: I’m going to have a donut. I bet they taste really good, and I see no reason to deprive myself. Why the [...]
I was at a therapy workshop about LGBT-affirmative counseling about a year ago, and an audience member asked, “I have a client who told me she is asexual. What does that mean?” “Well,” said the presenter, “You know how some [...]