Have you been in therapy? Are you wondering how to succeed in therapy? After nearly twenty years as a therapist, I’ve put together my top 5 tips for helping you achieve your therapy goals. 1. Effort Like most things in life, you get out of therapy as much as you put into it. Effort seems like a given, but many people […]
Tag Archives: counseling in San Jose
Understanding Co-dependent Reltaionships
Understanding Co-dependent Relationships by Sharon Martin, LCSW Co-dependent relationships are out of balance. Co-dependents are extremely caring people, but codependency goes beyond wanting to help others. Co-dependents want to fix others. Co-dependents derive self-esteem and feel valued primarily through the helping role. They, therefore, become attached to people who have problems of various sorts and need to be taken care of.
Asking for Help: It’s Hard
Asking for Help: It’s Hard by Sharon Martin, LCSW Have you been thinking about trying counseling? Have friends or family members suggested you see a counselor? What’s keeping you from asking for help? I very often see people who have been suffering for a long time before finally deciding to come to therapy. Let’s take a look at some of the […]
Depression Busting
Depression Busting by Sharon Martin, LCSW Depression is a very common disease in the United States. The good news is that it’s very treatable. People do recover from depression and/or keep their symptoms manageable. Many do well with a combination of medication, cognitive, and behavioral strategies. A therapist can help you change your negative thoughts and feelings (the cognitive part). […]
How to Journal
I often suggest that my clients learn how to journal. Writing down thoughts can help process feelings, vent negative emotions, and reinforce positive feelings. It provides a “holding place” for your thoughts and feelings so you can temporarily get them off your mind, sort them out, and come back to them. It’s useful for: Anxiety Stress Depression Anger Grief OCD Insomnia […]
Why won’t my loved one stop using drugs and alcohol?
What is addiction? If your loved one continues to use drugs or alcohol despite negative consequences (marital problems, problems at work or school, DUI, financial or health problems), s/he is likely physically and emotionally dependent. This means that the body and brain will react with a strong, negative response if they don’t continue to use substances. If you’ve never been […]
Assertive Ways to Handle Anger (Anger Managment Part 2)
As I wrote in part 1 of this anger management series, anger is not inherently good or bad. Our goal is to learn assertive ways to handle anger, rather than aggressive. Many people tend to primarily operate as either passive or aggressive and fail to utilize the middle ground: assertive. When you are too passive, you are a “doormat”. You let everyone […]
Do you need a vacation?
Are you overworked? Are you tired? Is it hard to separate work and personal time? In need of a vacation? From where I sit, the answer is yes. My clients and colleagues work very hard. So, why aren’t you using your vacation time? The Q1 2014 Employment Confidence Survey by Glassdoor reveals that employees are only using 51% of their […]