When someone comes to me seeking help I want to learn everything I can about them. I'm interested in their physical, emotional, interpersonal, social, sexual, economic, and spiritual aspects of their well-being. I want to know about their hopes and dreams as well as their stresses, fears, and challenges.

A good therapist uses their whole being to engage fully with the whole being of the person coming for help.

It was long assumed that heart disease manifested the same in men and women. But Dr. Legato found that men may experience the classic symptoms of chest pain that radiates down the left arm. Women often have symptoms including shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, and back or jaw pain. A gender-neutral approach left many women under-diagnosed and under-treated and as a result many women died needlessly.

If you plan to read one book this year I encourage you to consider, Find Your Reason to Be Here.

I've been a therapist for more than forty years and certainly there is a place for "wise elders" in the healing process. But most people, most of the time, can heal themselves and those they love, with the help of their family, friends, and community.

Parents and therapists offer unconditional love without needing it to be returned, yet both sides grow in love, understanding, and acceptance.

Effective psychotherapy works because the therapist continues to grow as a person and as a healer.