Uncategorized – Keith Wilson

The Reflective Eclectic

I’ve written hundreds of articles on mental health and relationships. My latest are published in Substack, in a weekly newsletter, The 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. It gets pretty tedious and you wonder if it’ll ever go anywhere. Carl Rogers, who developedContinue reading “How to Help a Person Grow”

How to Escape the Identity Trap

My client was a young, black woman, anxious about fitting in to her new job, and worried that she’d never find anyone to love, with so few eligible black men available. I wondered why she was seeing me. I am a licensed counselor, but I am not, nor have I ever been a black woman.Continue reading “How to Escape the Identity Trap”

Why I Don’t Specialize in Anything

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 othersContinue reading “Why I Don’t Specialize in Anything”

Announcing My New Substack

Announcing My New Substack I’m Keith Wilson, a psychotherapist in private practice and writer of novels, short stories, poems, self help books, and hundreds of articles focused on mental health, relationships, philosophy, and the practice of psychotherapy. I’m awed by everything a psychology of depth, insight and relationship has to offer and want to share itContinue reading “Announcing My New Substack”

You may not have gotten yourself into this mess, but it’s your responsibility to get yourself out

Some Things You May Not Know About Addiction You May Not Have Gotten Yourself Into This Mess, But It’s Your Responsibility to Get Yourself Out Addiction lands you right square in the middle of an ancient controversy between deterministic views of human behavior and the belief in free will. This is not just a philosophic orContinue reading “You may not have gotten yourself into this mess, but it’s your responsibility to get yourself out”

Something You Can Do About Intrusive Thoughts

Some of my thoughts are almost as old as I am, but they still don’t know enough to knock before they come into my mind. I’d like them to make an appointment, see a receptionist, and fill out a six page registration form before we meet. For some, it’s been years since they took aContinue reading “Something You Can Do About Intrusive Thoughts”

The Hatred of Democracy

And What It Does to Your Mind and Your Marriage Who hates democracy? We all do, says French philosopher, Jacques Rancière in his 2005 book, The Hatred of Democracy. It was hated by Plato, who lived in its birthplace, ancient Athens. It’s hated even by blue blooded Americans like me. Our Founding Fathers weren’t tooContinue reading “The Hatred of Democracy”

Why You Don’t Take Care of Yourself

You care for yourself. You care whether you live or die. You want to prosper, thrive, and flourish. You have sympathy for your point of view. You defend yourself from those who would malign you. You are your own main guy, without whom, you’d be sunk. You may not be the center of the universe,Continue reading “Why You Don’t Take Care of Yourself”

What’s the Best Form of Psychotherapy?

The easiest method of doing something is not always the most effective; but it is the easiest, so that’s saying something for it. Easy is more effective than the most effective if the most effective is impossible for you to do. When it comes to treatment for mental illness, if I were to rank theContinue reading “What’s the Best Form of Psychotherapy?”