by Christine Hammond on June 28, 2019
Verbal abuse is powerful. After years of counseling as an adult, Natalia realized that she was verbally abused by her father. His harsh words would wear her down to the point she couldn’t think straight. Then he would spin a situation around so everything was Natalia’s fault. Worst yet, as an adult, her dad’s words… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on June 21, 2019
Maladaptive dads are constantly in the news. They make the headlines with excessive abuse, abandonment of responsivity, neglectful actions, or even the death of their children by their own hands. While the headline is sensational, it can give the appearance that all dads are bad. But this is not true. Unfortunately, not much attention is… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on June 13, 2019
Yes. According to a study reported in March 2019 of US News and World Report, mental health counselors are listed as one of the most stressful jobs next to attorneys and surgeons. The burnout rate for counselors is between 25-67% (depending on the study and type of practice) with a turnover rate of one in… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on June 8, 2019
Brian came into therapy describing his wife’s behavior as having Borderline Personality Disorder. He looked up the definition online and said he knew she had it. He gave numerous examples of how perfectly she fit the profile and how he and the kids had been traumatized by her behavior. Brian said she was fearful of… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on June 7, 2019
For the last ten years, I have made working with people who have a personality disorder and their family members the main part of my practice. I made this choice for several reasons. First, there are numerous family members within my own family that have a personality disorder and I have a natural talent for… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on June 6, 2019
“Not everyone who comes to counseling wants to get better.” Amanda, a mental health supervisor, told her intern. “Some are here because of a blown-up relationship, an employer who demands change, or there is a pending legal case mandated it. The key is to distinguish between those who want to improve from those who just… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on June 5, 2019
“I hate him, with every fiber of my being, I hate him,” Marie said as she looked back on her day. “But while I hate him for this moment, I won’t let the hate linger because I’m not going to give him that power over me.” After years of silence, her bio dad sent a… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on June 2, 2019
As Pam was driving on a highway bridge overpass, she was suddenly struck with the thought that the bridge could collapse and she would die. She had driven on this overpass a dozen times without ever thinking twice about it so she dismissed the thought as ridiculous. But that did not work. Almost immediately, her… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on June 1, 2019
Chuck knew he was a jerk. He cheated on his wife several times, placed his work before his family, rarely went to his kid’s activities, drank heavily on the rare occasions that he was home, and verbally berated anyone who challenged him. And yet, he was a highly successful businessman, intelligent about a wide range… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 31, 2019
Kevin was looking for reasons to stay late at work to avoid going home. The previous night had so exhausted him that he relished the extra work assignments as excuses to steer clear of his wife of 9 years. The problem was that he missed his kids and wanted to be there to tug them… (more…)