Freedom, July 4, 2008
Posted by Allan N. Schwartz, LCSW, PhD on Jul 3rd 2008
"To paraphrase what the Mayor said, there are very few nations in the world where a person could do what Renee Marie did without fearing for the government exacting severe and dangerous revenge. He reminded everyone in the public that our's is a free country, where there is freedom of speech and where people can express their views without worrying about imprisonment, torture and death. " More...

An Interview with Marc Kern, Ph.D on Rational Alternatives to Alcoholics Anonymous
Posted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. on Jul 2nd 2008
"In this episode of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys speaks with Psychologist Marc Kern, Ph.D. on the topic of addiction treatment with an emphasis on alternatives to Alcoholics Anonymous and twelve step programs. Dr. Kern became interested in treating addictions as a result of his own experience dealing with addictions that he had developed while in college. He did attend AA multiple times, but ultimately found that it was not a good fit for him. He objected to the religious nature of AA's philosophy of treatment, their promotion of a general view of the alcoholic self as essentially powerless, and their salvation oriented view promoting the idea that the only path available to the alcoholic through which he can become powerful again is through submission to a higher power. His realization that AA was not for him caused him to look for alternative ways that addiction could be treated. He was surprised to find that there were many alternatives. " More...

New and Improved Stress Reduction Topic Center
Posted by Natalie Staats Reiss, Ph.D. on Jul 2nd 2008
"You can learn to bring your stress levels under better control by enhancing your repertoire of stress-coping skills. This means 1) learning what stress is and how it operates, and 2) learning a variety of ways to reduce the impact of stress on your life. Our newly updated Stress Reduction and Management Topic Center covers this material and more. " More...

Forgiving Dad: A Freedom Song
posted by Calvin Sandborn on Jul 1st 2008
"Dad was an angry, hard-swearing, tattooed man's man. He'd been an Alaska bush pilot, but by the time I came along he was a California traveling salesman, drinking himself to death. When I was two he got drunk and threw my empty crib across the bedroom. When I was twelve, he challenged my brother to a fist fight. He routinely shouted at us in front of our friends. By the time I was 13, I wished he would die. And then he did. I thought I had killed him. For the longest time I couldn't forgive myself. I was scared to death that I would damage someone else. But four decades on, I've forgiven myself for hating him. More difficult, I've somehow forgiven myself for the Dad-like fury I inflicted on my own family. " More...

Under Age Drinking: Nothing New but Very Worrisome
Posted by Allan N. Schwartz, LCSW, PhD on Jun 30th 2008
"The fact that many underage adolescents are drinking should be a matter of concern to parents across the nation because of the death rate among young people as a result of alcohol intoxication. Whether it's from driving under the influence of alcohol, using bad judgement and engaging in risky behavior while drunk, alcohol poisoning as a result of binge drinking or suicide while drunk and depressed, under age drinking is a very serious health concern for the nation. " More...