by Christine Hammond on May 27, 2017
For many, high school graduation day rightly marks a transition from childhood to adulthood. No longer acting like a child, this new adult is properly equipped to embrace life and move forward with excitement and determination. Unfortunately, too many graduates fail to make this shift and thus drag out the transition well into their twenties…. (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 13, 2017
There is a lot of talk about dysfunctional moms: those who harm their children, fail to parent, or even over parent. But not so much attention is paid to those moms who are excellent. Some are capable by instinct, others have good modeling from other moms, and others learn from the mistakes of others. These… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 6, 2017
One of the defining characteristics of Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a lack of accurate perception of reality. The narcissist sees the world through a self-absorbed lens in which they are the stars and others are there to support and serve them. Those attracted to the narcissist are dazzled by the superficial self-confidence, convincing opinions, charming… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on August 3, 2016
The primary purpose of parenting is to raise fully functional adults who can take care of themselves and make a positive contribution to society. Generally speaking, this should be accomplished by eighteen. After this age, parents have less verbal influence but can still be positive role models through actions, not words. It is with the… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on August 24, 2012
Do you have a client who doubts nearly everything they did? The issue could be resolved yet they still question past decisions or actions. Their doubtfulness even extends into future choices parellizing them long before an act is required. How can they be free from this? Erik Erikson in his eight stages of psychosocial development explains… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on August 24, 2012
Do you have a continually guilty client? A person who feels bad over things they have no control over? A person who takes responsibility for other’s mistakes? Or a person who can’t seem to rest because there is so much to do? Frequently their thoughts of “I should not have”, “I can’t believe I did… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on August 24, 2012
“I never do anything right.” While this is an overgeneralization with evidence to the contrary, some people actually believe they can’t to do anything right. Perhaps you have a client like this. It is unproductive to argue the specific points of the matter with them because no amount of reason stops the inferiority feeling. What does work is… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on August 24, 2012
Has a client ever struggled with answering a simple open ended question such as, “Tell me about yourself?” Perhaps they look like a deer caught in the headlights, responding with confusion, “Well, what do you mean?” Or “What do you want to know?” Occasionally they may reply with overly generic statements which still provide no… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on August 24, 2012
A bad outcome of a mid-life crisis tosses people into counseling. They report that the person they knew became entirely different over night. It is almost cliché that with a mid-life crisis comes the impractical sports car, the extramarital affair, late nights at bars, new friends who are twenty years younger, hipper clothes or a… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on August 24, 2012
Do you have a client who pushes away good companions for no real reason? Just when they were getting close, they pull back to the beginning of the relationship refusing to go any deeper. If your client’s behavior is challenged, they react with intense resistance and denial, claiming they are just not in a good enough… (more…)