Category Archives: Therapies and Interventions

Written by Lane Gormley, EdS, LPC, BCC

Case History: A Childhood Drama
Gia was raised by unhappy parents. They were unhappy as individuals and unhappy as husband and wife. Her father, a functioning alcoholic with a corporate job, had low self-esteem. He frequently humiliated his wife and children in order to bolster his sagging ego. His anger was constant and his sarcasm was caustic. As a child, Gia tried hard to please him, and part of that effort involved becoming like him.

Written by Lane Gormley, EdS, LPC, BCC

Myths of Creativity: Art History, English Lit, Introduction to Classical Dance, and Music Appreciation
In many academic courses – especially those taught in this country and in this century – the professors would have us believe that painters paint in order to entertain and instruct us, to document a time and place, to distinguish themselves, or (best case scenario) to sell their paintings for $250 million, which was the going price for Paul Cézanne”s The Card Players in 2011. Similarly, teachers and critics of literature appear preoccupied with anecdote, form, technique, and other externals. Music and dance theorists invariably praise composers, performers, and choreographers for the “beauty”, “interest”, or “relevancy” of their efforts.

Written by Lane Gormley, EdS, LPC, BCCO

Extreme Mental and Emotional Symptoms
Depression, mood instability, compulsions, constant anxiety, and other mental and emotional symptoms are horribly uncomfortable. Swirling, spiraling, interconnected, intrusive, obsessive thoughts of sadness, anger, fear, and even impending death and disaster can make life seem hopeless and not worth living.

Written by Lane Gormley, EdS, LPC, BCC, DCC

It is often said that change is the most difficult thing that we do. A reason for this could be our uncertainty about what is new – our fear that the new job or person or habit is not going to be as satisfying or as fulfilling as the old. Or perhaps we doubt our ability to adapt to something as yet unknown, even if it promises to be better than what preceded it. Whatever it is that makes us avoid change, some of us would rather be miserable in the old, accustomed way than to move forward resolutely toward a new joy. When I am having trouble with a change, it helps me to think in terms of patterns.

Written by Lane Gormley, EdS, LPC, NCC

Diet is a prevalent concern for most North Americans. If you watch television, you will see just how prevalent it is, and you may even see why. Two-thirds of us are obese. Forty-one percent of us get cancer. Over eight percent of us are diabetic. Five to eight percent of us have an autoimmune disorder. Most of us are interested in diet because it is a major factor in our health. I am also professionally interested in it because I believe that there is a strong correlation between diet and mental health. Anything that could affect my Clients is of interest to me.

Written by: Lane Gormley, EdS, LPC, NCC

When leading morning group for the psychiatric patients at Ridgeview Institute, I frequently asked my Clients to “check in” by assessing their current mood. I drew a line on the dry erase board and numbered it like this:

______________________________
1………….3…………..5………….7……………10