Mental Health – Resiliency Mental Health

Interview with Katy Lees, Therapist & Author

I connected with Katy Lees through Twitter because the internet is a wonderful place that keeps introducing me to fantastic people. Katy is the author of The Trans Guide to Mental Health and Well-Being, a comprehensive resource for trans folks and the people who care about them. Information about purchasing their book is available atContinue reading “Interview with Katy Lees, Therapist & Author”

CareDash Therapist “Directory”

Therapists, if you are not already aware, there is a website called CareDash that has created unauthorized profiles of thousands of mental health providers. The information posted is often inaccurate, and most colleagues I have spoken with were not aware that they were featured on the site before I told them. My own profile listsContinue reading “CareDash Therapist “Directory””

Behavioral Scripting: Every Day Can Be Your Birthday

Today’s post is brought to you by Courtney, my friend who I met through the glory that is social media. Courtney is autistic, and like many autistic folks, sometimes she has a hard time making decisions or managing unstructured weekends. Recently, Courtney shared that she was celebrating her birthday – but it wasn’t her actualContinue reading “Behavioral Scripting: Every Day Can Be Your Birthday”

Let’s Talk About The Phrase “Medically Necessary”

Often when someone contacts me for a psychological evaluation, their health insurance requires me to request authorization before starting testing. The reason the insurance companies give is that they want to make sure that the evaluation is “medically necessary” before agreeing to pay for it. But what exactly does it mean for testing to beContinue reading “Let’s Talk About The Phrase “Medically Necessary””

Any Piece of Media Can Be a CBT Intervention

I have talked before about what “makes” an activity have therapeutic value and how this description grows and changes over time. As I have said many times, in therapy sessions, I am not there to make a certain intervention happen; rather, my job is to take whatever happens and make that thing therapeutic. This isContinue reading “Any Piece of Media Can Be a CBT Intervention”

Telehealth Activity: Rush Hour

The first draft of my second telehealth book is submitted, and I am excitedly waiting for my editor’s comments. Of course, days after I submitted the manuscript, I found an online version of yet another game I have used in my in-person office. But that is why I started this blog, right? To offer resources.Continue reading “Telehealth Activity: Rush Hour”

Feelings Versus FEELINGS

One theme that I have addressed with many of my clients is the difference between feelings and FEELINGS. Feelings are emotions we have in the moment, like happy, angry, sad, scared, et cetera. FEELINGS are how we feel towards something. FEELINGS are not fleeting, they are deep, and they are continuous. Kids especially do notContinue reading “Feelings Versus FEELINGS”

The Power of Giving Kids Choices

This post was originally written for a local paper in 2019. Does this sound familiar? You’re running late, and your child has spent the last 30 minutes “putting on their shoes,” which are still across the room. Your patience has run out, and you yell at your child to get going already. Now, you areContinue reading “The Power of Giving Kids Choices”

More Updates on the Autism Database

UPDATE: Kodi Pinks emailed me back regarding my question about going through medical records to determine whether people were being diagnosed with autism but not registered. According to Kodi: “As to your question about whether the department is going into people’s medical records to determine reporting compliance; I can assure you that this is notContinue reading “More Updates on the Autism Database”