Dear Drama Observers, How many times have we heard this story? A celebrity gets caught doing something despicable—a reputation-destroying deed. The public is shocked. Shortly thereafter, we hear that the celebrity has entered “rehab” and will be out of public view for awhile. They reemerge at some later point, having “recovered.” Their careers get back […]
Dear Drama Observers, The subject about which I write, Drama People, is not a happy one. For that reason, I often try to introduce some levity into the discussion to lighten it up a just a bit. That’ll be a challenge this week because I’m going to tell you a story about Ted Bundy. Humor […]
Dear Drama Observers, Last week, I posted the first five of ten tips for managing holiday dramas from my ingeniously entitled ebook, “10 Tips for Managing Holiday Dramas.” This week, I’ll give you tips six through ten. In case you missed last week’s letter, you may read here. Holidays are fun occasions for some people […]
Dear Drama Observers, It’s the most (something) time of the year. Holidays are enjoyable for some and miserable for others. I’ve already had several discussions in my office this week with clients who are dreading the next month and a half because their holiday experiences have never been so “wonderful” or “happy.” I’m reposting something […]
Dear Drama Observers, This week, I’d like to tell you the contrasting tales of two individuals. As you know, I’m bound by confidentiality constraints, so I can’t use their actual names nor be too revealing about the details. So, I’ve altered some of the particulars, and I’ll refer to them using made up names, Ben […]
Dear Drama Observers, During my internship after graduate school, I had the opportunity to work on the locked unit of a psychiatric hospital. For those old enough to remember One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, this unit housed similar patients—those we sometimes use the word “crazy” to describe. However, most people in psychiatric hospitals are […]
Dear Drama Observers, “Every generation is invaded by barbarians,” wrote twentieth century philosopher, Hannah Arendt. “We call them children.” People sometimes ask me, “Do you see children as clients?” I usually respond with a somewhat smart aleck answer: “I do… they just have 50-year-old bodies.” Here’s what I’ve observed in my 30+ years of practice: Adults […]
Dear Drama Observers, I have a friend who was raised in a family with an alcoholic father who took center stage in most family dramas… More on that in a moment. In the small town where they lived, Dad was a revered figure. He’d fought in a war, returned home to build a thriving business […]
Dear Drama Observers, I’ll be traveling to New England this week to present a new seminar to mental health professionals entitled Emotional Manipulators: Effective Strategies to Manage the Manipulator and Empower Their Victims. Since my time is so limited this week, I’m re-posting part of a letter from February, 2018 having to do with the […]
Dear Drama Observers, There are some sports that would take me several years to notice if they ceased to exist. Like Olympic curling, for instance. Or underwater hockey—yes, there actually is such a thing. But, not so with collegiate football. I love almost everything about it—from ESPN’s College Gameday to ragging on certain commentators (whom […]