Author: Dr Wolf
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ACA & Al-Anon 12-Step Groups

I was recently at an ACA meeting, which stands for Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families, where one member wondered why it had taken so many years of therapy for a therapist to tell them that they were an ‘adult child’. Some people like labels and find them useful and others don’t, so most…
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Imago Relationship Therapy

Imago Relationship Therapy is a method and theory conceived by Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt, authors of the self-help book for couples, Getting The Love You Want: A Guide For Couples. Originally published in 1988, this best-seller was famously endorsed by Oprah Winfrey who first exposed Imago to millions of people on her show…
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Therapy basics and more…

Therapy Basics and More… As I begin working with new clients, there are practices that I suggest and areas that I request individuals and couples pay attention to, which I think of as the therapeutic basics. These aids to healing, change and growth are available to anyone who wants these things – and who doesn’t…
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Expecting a Gift?

Having conversations in relationships about how to manage expectations around holidays where gift-giving and receiving is traditional can really save massive disappointment, misunderstandings, and resentment. Here are 3 typical scenarios: It’s Christmas day with your beloved and they give you a seemingly thoughtless and low-price gift that they bought from the duty free on their…
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To self-love or nay?

Today’s post considers a contradiction in the philosophy of self-love. Prompted by a comment I once made to a client that we can’t really give love to others unless we have it for ourselves, she argued that this was not true and her conviction profoundly affected me. An exceptionally intelligent and capable young woman who…
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Mindfulness Gauge

Over the years of helping people recover from trauma, I have built a tried and tested toolkit of strategies. I know these are powerful catalysts for change that work when clients practice them regularly – even though some individuals have resistance to using them (which is another post). But when clients dedicate themselves to their…

