Anger is often spoken about as if it is mainly a difficulty to be managed. We hear about anger management, anger issues, angry outbursts, angry people. Of course anger can become harmful. It can be used to intimidate, control, punish or avoid responsibility. When...
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When Anger Is Trying to Protect Something Tender
Polyamory in the Therapeutic Space
Holding Multiple Realities A client sits across from you and says, almost in passing, “my partners and I have been talking about…” She does not pause at the plural. She does not look up to check your face. The sentence just continues, because for her this is simply...
Concerns About Gabor Maté’s Teachings Among People with ADHD
Gabor Maté continues to have a strong influence on trauma-informed psychotherapy. His work on addiction, attachment, trauma, stress, and emotional development has resonated deeply with many people seeking alternatives to purely biomedical explanations of psychological...
Experimentation in the Therapy Room within the Integrative Modality
Experimentation in the Therapy Room within the Integrative Modality Introduction In psychotherapy, experimentation means creating small, contained opportunities for new experience within the therapeutic relationship. For therapists working integratively—drawing...
Recognising Selfobject Dynamics in the Consulting Room
Selfobject dynamics are present in every therapeutic relationship, whether explicitly recognised or not. From a self psychological perspective, clients do not merely relate to the therapist; they experience the therapist as performing essential psychological...
Working Clinically with Eco-Anxiety and Climate Grief: Ethical and Therapeutic Considerations
As awareness of climate change deepens, I am increasingly encountering clients whose distress is explicitly linked to environmental collapse, political inaction, and fears about the future. Eco-anxiety and climate grief pose particular challenges for clinical...
A conversation with AI about The Ghost in the Machine
Introduction The phrase “ghost in the machine,” coined by Gilbert Ryle (1949), was intended as a critique of the idea that the mind is a separate, non-physical entity inhabiting the body. While this philosophical position might initially seem abstract, it has profound...
Selfobjects and Developmental Trauma: A Self Psychological Perspective
Developmental trauma is increasingly understood not only as the result of overwhelming events, but also as the consequence of chronic relational failures during early life. From a self psychological perspective, trauma arises when essential selfobject needs are...
Reading on Bisexuality for Mental Health Professionals
Reading on Bisexuality for Mental Health Professionals Despite increased LGBTQ+ visibility, bisexual people continue to experience distinct forms of marginalisation. Research consistently demonstrates elevated rates of anxiety, depression, and minority stress among...