It may come as a surprise to those who know me or rely on me for their emotional stability, but from time to time I too suffer from bouts of depression and anxiety. Every therapist does, just as every healthy person experiences mood vacillations. Like waves in the sea,...
Why do I volunteer as a Victories staff person? Twenty one years ago a good friend of mine, my therapist at the time, suggested I take a chance on making a change in my life. I was less than fulfilled in my career and was ready for something, but...
Social Emotional Retreat at Little Village Academy This year I had the pleasure to be a presenter at a wonderful program for Chicago Public School middle school students at Little Village Academy (LVA) in the primarily Latino Southwest Chicago neighborhood. The school, faculty and students face a multitude of...
Two recent events prompted me to write down some thoughts on the growing field of Art Therapy. First came Andrea Watkins’ informative article on the Adult Coloring Craze, its benefits and its limitations. The second being the death of one of Chicago’s own, Art Therapy pioneer Harriet Wadeson. Ms Wadeson...
Talking about abuse and neglect in children is such a difficult topic. Until roughly 20 years ago the professional literature including the DSM took a stance that abuse and neglect were very rare occurrences in the United States. So it is understandable that as a nation we have little...
Robert Ryan, Art Psychotherapist, Chicago; Dr. Neelum Aggarwal, neurologist at Rush University Medical Center; and Skip Landt, music teacher at the Old Town School of Folk Music join Dave Hoekstra as he shares some of his own experience in caring for a loved one with dementia. Over 90 minutes...
