Blog
All the writing that isn’t the Tools
Fears of a First Time Coach
Two hours before my debut as an U7 baseball coach, and I kept thinking, “What have I gotten myself into?” A part of me even wished we’d have a rain-delay. Yes, I was afraid of little league!
Saving the Sugar in our Relationships
Attention, compassion, and patience applied the right way can bring goodness back to any relationship worth preserving. Sometimes it takes help finding the "right way" and sticking with it! I was reminded of this this morning when my wife mentioned she's saved the...
How Not To Let Your Bad Behaviour Ruin Your Child pt. 1: Shame
Parents sometimes act badly and in trying to fix their mistakes, they make the situation worse. Often a parent's responses to feelings of guilt or pity undermines their child's capacity to grow as a person. That, in turn, deprives their child of their full humanity....
Apologies are Vital to Sanity
Honest, well timed apologies are a vital part of emotional health. Both when we give and when we receive them.
Therapist Office in a House?
Some people think a therapy practice at home is weird. Not only at home, but in my living room. It's not like on the HBO show "In Treatment" where the Dr. Weston has a whole separate entryway for his therapy practice. Nope. When clients come to Pear Tree, they come...
The Alarm Clock of Guilt: Let it Wake You (so you can turn it off)
Treat guilt like an alarm clock, waking you up to gratitude and making amends.
Flooded with Emotion? – Flood Proof Your Nervous System
It happens to people all the time: negative emotions like anxiety or anger build up and we flood. We start crying on the bus or yelling at our children (or yelling at the bus and crying on our children). The rivers of emotion simply overflow the banks of our nervous...
Welcome Pearl, Volunteer
About a month ago, I got a call from a young woman named Pearl asking if she could volunteer at Pear Tree. She explained that she was studying psychology and wanted to get to know more about being a therapist. As we spoke, I racked my brain for things that Pearl could...
Ancient Egyptian Hockey Dads
Dads: What matters the most to you when you watch your child play sports? Their personal development? How well they play with others? How badly they beat the other players or how good they make you look? In short: are you a "hockey DAD" or a "HOCKEY dad" My own dad's...