Counselor, Author, and Reflective Eclectic
A therapist not trained in Person-Centered Therapy is like a musician who never learned his scales, basic skills for his profession. But, going to a therapist who only practices Person-Centered Therapy is like listening to a musician practicing scales. Continue reading →
The Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) is a large book, in five editions, that you will likely find in every shrink’s office. It has every kind of mental illness recognized by the American Psychiatric Association defined, classified, and numbered; all 157 of them. Your therapist will refer to it daily, not because it unlocks the door to understanding your psyche, but because it’s needed for insurance re-imbursement. I’m no different. Every client who walks in my door, will leave with a DSM diagnosis if we’re going to bill insurance.
If it weren’t for insurance, I would rarely use the DSM. I think there are better ways to describe trouble. I prefer stories. I’ve written one such story diagnosing the problems with the DSM. It originally appeared in my novel, Fate’s Janitors: Moping Up Madness at a Mental Health Clinic. Here’s my fable about the DSM.Continue reading “The DSM: A Mad Attempt to Classify Madness”
There are two things I’d like to introduce. The first is my newsletter, Fresh Brewed, where I can keep you informed of everything coming out of my laptop.
The second is my new novel, Who Killed the Lisping Barista of the Epiphany Café?, a murder mystery investigating the mysteries of life.
I’ll be releasing this book drop by drop, one chapter at a time in my own online publication by the same name. Continue reading →
I have many role models, but two of them are of the negative type: people who have made mistakes I want to avoid. The first is James Nasmith, the inventor of the game of basketball; the second is Thomas Jefferson. Continue reading →
If you have ever been to a sawmill like the one I used to run, you have seen one of the most fearsome objects you are ever likely to meet: a saw blade at least three feet in diameter with teeth as big as a tiger’s whirring loudly just a couple feet from the operator. There were no safety guards on my sawmill. I’m not sure how there could be. I frequently had to reach close to the blade to remove boards and some debris.
One day while I was working, the thought entered my brain that I could just dive onto that saw blade and have it cut me in half. This thought frightened me so much I shut everything down, went home, put the covers over my head, and talked to no one. What was going on with me? I wasn’t suicidal. Until this happened, I was happy with my life. Was I going crazy? Continue reading →
In the peculiar land of shrinks, evidence-based therapy is a phrase we use a lot. It’s supposed to refer to therapy that’s backed by scientific evidence. But what they call evidence-based therapy is not evidence-based therapy. It’s a term for a standardized, manualized, commoditized therapy protocol. It’s not necessarily the best therapy for you.Continue reading →
No matter how much you love your loved one, you also hate him; no matter how much you depend on him, you can’t completely trust him. This, surprisingly, turns out to be a good thing; not a confusing, frustrating thing, as you might suppose. Continue reading →
As a therapist, I could’ve had a specialty; but I wouldn’t be the kind of therapist I am.
I did some post grad work in family therapy and some more in substance abuse. I sought for ways to address the desire my clients had to quit using tobacco back in the days when few others were doing so. I ran therapy groups for sex offenders. For more than thirty years I had a caseload full of victims of trauma, depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorder. I sought clients with borderline personality disorder, when most thought they were untreatable. I could have specialized in any one of these conditions and turned away clients without them, but I’ve always resisted specializing in anything.
This is why.
If you’ve ever watched a person walk a dog, you’ve seen a good illustration of your mind at work. You have two minds: one is like the dog, the other like the dog walker.
If you’ve ever watched a person walk a dog, you’ve seen a good illustration of your mind at work. You have two minds: one is like the dog, the other like the dog walker. Continue reading →
If you’re ever struggling with a feeling, try to put it in words. Words will reduce the feeling to a manageable intensity. It’s a magic trick they do. But watch out; words will trick you, too. Continue reading →
Keith Wilson - Counseling