Matthieu Ricard's book is a joy to read and I recommend you read it slowly so you can fully appreciate its insights. Ricard offers a very accessible and thoughtful analysis of the nature of happiness. Contrary to the concept that happiness is just a random state of being, Ricard suggests that happiness is a skill that can be cultivated. The book is a blend of Eastern and Western approaches to the subject as Ricard is both a molecular biologist and a Buddhist. Read more...

Recently, a client pointed out a very interesting dichotomy in thinking about forgiveness by two respected authors in the mental health field. In "The Body Never Lies", Alice Miller, a Swiss psychoanalyst purports that it is psychologically damaging to follow the Fifth Commandment "thou shall honor your father and mother". In "Hidden in Plain Sight", Dr. Barry Grosskopf, a psychiatrist at the University of Washington School of Medicine tells us that it is absolutely necessary to follow this commandment in order to have mental health. Both see the commandment as an order to forgive our parents. Through their polarized views, they give two very confusing messages to anyone who is working to heal from the legacy of childhood abuse perpetrated by parents. Read more...

> back to top

Parents sense when their child leaves home for college, or just because it is time, that life will never be the same again. And that intuition evokes the intense feelings and grief that may surprise us in its force. To have enjoyed and endured the profound journey of parenting, and to love as a parent loves, opens us up to vulnerable loss as life moves on. The form, the nest, we knew is changing. Empty of the habits and fullness that has been life as usual, we pass through an adjusting period that brings up many things, perhaps unnoticed before. Unattended problems in a marriage and unnamed depression, are two common experiences that can no longer be pushed away in the presence of this new stress. Read more...

Recently I participated in a conference facilitated by Kathleen Adams, a psychotherapist and Registered Poetry/Journal Therapist specializing in "Journal Writing as a Therapeutic Tool." Author of the best-selling "Journal to the Self", Ms. Adams also founded the Center for Journal Therapy in Denver, thus gaining national prominence in the field of therapeutic writing. Her approach is both structured and self-directed--effective in working with depression and anxiety, trauma, abuse, grief and loss and other clinical issues. The writing exercises, which I'm incorporating into my practice, range from simple and concrete to more unstructured and intuitive. Such a range allows for the therapeutic work to be tailored to a client's individual pace and need for containment vs. unboundness. Read more...

The benefits of using the Collaborative Approach to help families resolve legal disputes related to divorce has continued to gain acceptance and support of the legal community as well as the general public. Collaborative Practice has proven to be successful in providing a framework in which divorcing spouses can work together to resolve financial, parenting, and emotional issues in a way that meets each person's primary needs and interests and addresses the needs of their children, while helping families move forward post divorce in a responsible, respectful way. The Collaborative Practice team includes attorneys to provide legal support and information, mental health professionals working as coaches address emotional, communication and parenting issues, and neutral professionals to help the parties gain insight into the effect of various options they may consider. Read more...

What courage it takes to be willing to go where authentic life takes us! As human beings, we often find ourselves suspended between two poles of "survival" (being safe) and "aliveness" (the adventure of making an authentic contribution to the world and humanity). How do we decide what is security and what is the path of authenticity? Borrowing from the new physics, according to the theory of "dissipative structures" and "autopoietic systems" that make life, friction is required to grow. Without friction there is "no" growth or life. Read more...

Chinn Street Groups:

Separation/Divorce/Transition Group for Women: ongoing weekly support group for women in any stage of separation from a long term relationship. Facilitated by Shonnie Brown, M.A., MFT

Co-Parent Empowerment Group: six week class focusing on shared parenting issues: managing and diffusing anger, de-escalation of conflict and effective communication skills. Facilitated by Shonnie Brown, M.A., MFT

Ongoing Men's Support Group: open to men interested in working on recurrent relationship issues including anger, addiction, communication and parenting. Meets Tuesdays from 6-7:30 PM. Facilitated by Kevin Cooper, MFT

Recovery Support Group for Women: for women who are currently active members of a 12-Step fellowship and who want additional support in dealing with the many issues that can emerge when recovering from addictive patterns in life. Ongoing, Monday evenings 6-7:30PM. Facilitated by Gudrun Zomerland, MFT

> back to top