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This article discusses the importance of not always remaining neutral in couples therapy, especially when one partner is clearly in the wrong. The author argues that therapists should not suppress their natural impulses to point out ethical imbalances in the relationship, as these imbalances are often at the heart of couples' problems. The author shares a case study of a couple where one partner had engaged in harmful behavior, and the therapist used guilt as a therapeutic tool to help the wrongdoer understand the harm they caused and make amends. The article emphasizes the power of guilt in redistributing the suffering caused by hurtful actions and making the aggrieved party more receptive to apologies and making amends. The therapist also highlights the importance of being partial to whichever member of the couple shows kindness and goodwill, as this can help rebuild trust. The article acknowledges the delicate balance that therapists must strike in not pushing the wrongdoer too hard into guilt or blaming the victim too much, and the ongoing nature of couples therapy as a process of hope and hurt. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the film "You Hurt My Feelings" directed by Nicole Holofcener, which explores ethical dilemmas in therapy. The movie raises questions about the responsibility of therapists for their clients' progress, the use of non-directive therapy, and the impact of honesty on relationships. The article also highlights the importance of providing practical feedback and tools to clients, rather than just emotional support. Overall, the film serves as a teaching tool for therapists to debate the merits and drawbacks of different therapeutic approaches. [Extracted from the article]

To avoid the built-in confusion between the methods used to study these therapies versus their benefits to clients, we'll avoid the ambiguous term evidence-based therapy and instead refer to the treatments descriptively as instruction-manual therapies. "Evidenced best practices are not universally synonymous with the patient's personal idea of treatment success", resulting in treatment dropout and "the potential for life-long negative associations and treatment alienation". Narrowly defining progress in terms of symptom reduction, as most research on instruction-manual therapy does, not only ignores what clients want from therapy, but leads to false conclusions about treatment success. "In psychotherapy, who provides the treatment is between five and nine times more important than what particular treatment approach is provided", he says - which is why he counsels beginning therapists to work on relationship skills. [Extracted from the article]

This article proposes a semi-structured activities group model for addressing the fragile self-esteem and social discord often shown by hyperactive children. Included is a discussion of the amount of structure and types of activities necessary to foster effective group work with this client population. The author asserts that hyperactivity oftentimes is better conceptualized in terms of unmet exhibitionistic needs, the sensitive handling of which can impact the acquisition of healthy self-esteem. Another key focus is the role of shame in manifestations of aggression and externalization of blame that diminish the social competence of hyperactive children. Clinical vignettes are used to illustrate key points.

85 male and 122 female college students completed the Parental Bonding Instrument, provided written descriptions of both parents, and rated themselves on two religiosity questions. The descriptions were assessed for level of acceptance of parental imperfections using the scoring criteria from the De-illusionment subscale of the Thematic Patterning Scale of Object Representations. Participants scoring low in maternal De-illusionment as well as high in maternal Care and Overprotection tended to perceive God as an omnipotent protector and provider. There were no significant effects for any of the paternal bonding variables. Results suggest that religiosity in young adulthood may arise out of variations in maternal bonding.