Blog
13 Apr Can Marriage Counseling Help When Summer Break Disrupts Family Routines?
Posted at 4:52 pm in Couples Therapy, News by jlbworks
Summer break is often associated with relaxation, travel, and more time together as a family. However, the shift away from structured school schedules can also introduce unexpected stress into a household. When routines are disrupted, responsibilities shift, and expectations go unspoken, even strong relationships can feel strained. For many couples, this seasonal transition highlights underlying…
23 Mar Psychotherapy as the Raising of Consciousness: Considering the Ideas of Brazilian Educator Paulo Freire
Posted at 9:41 am in Individual Therapy, News by jlbworks
By Philip Chanin, Ed.D, ABPP, CGP Board Certified Clinical Psychologist Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry Vanderbilt University Medical Center www.drphilchanin.com philchanin@gmail.com Paulo Freire (September, 1921—May, 1997) was a Brazilian educator and Marxist philosopher whose work revolutionized global thought on education. He is best known for his book Pedagogy of the Opp…
16 Mar When Every Interaction is a Referendum on One’s Partner’s Self-Esteem: Seamless Mirroring, Blitzkrieg Affects, and the Immense Challenge of Coping with Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Posted at 9:29 am in Individual Therapy, News by jlbworks
By Philip Chanin, Ed.D., ABPP, CGP Board Certified Clinical Psychologist Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry Vanderbilt University Medical Center “We all view life through the lens of (our) experiences, but the narcissist has something more, not just a lens but a prism that refracts and distorts incoming messages to avoid the intolerable feeing of shame. This means that you are…
12 Mar High-Functioning Anxiety: Why Success Doesn’t Mean You’re Okay
Posted at 11:01 am in Individual Therapy, News by jlbworks
From the outside, people with high-functioning anxiety often appear confident, organized, and successful. They meet deadlines, maintain relationships, and excel professionally. Yet internally, they may experience constant worry, pressure, and self-criticism. If left unaddressed by a psychologist for anxiety in Nashville, TN, high-functioning anxiety can affect relationships, career satisfaction, a…
10 Feb Is It Narcissism or Trauma? Understanding the Overlap
Posted at 4:54 pm in Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), News by jlbworks
When you’re in the midst of a challenging relationship — whether with a partner, friend, or family member — it’s all too easy to use big psychological terms like “narcissism” to describe what’s going on. But what exactly lies beneath behaviors that seem self-centered, insensitive, or defensive? Are these traits truly rooted in narcissistic personality disorder in Nashville, TN or are they instead…
12 Jan Internal Versus External Locus of Control: Am I Responsible for My Successes or Failures, or Are They Due to Luck or Fate or Other People?
Posted at 9:06 am in Individual Therapy by jlbworks
By Philip Chanin, Ed.D., ABPP, CGP Board Certified Clinical Psychologist Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry Vanderbilt University Medical Center www.drphilchanin.com philchanin@gmail.com “My teenage son and I were padding a canoe in a small river that flowed out to the sea. In the late afternoon, our canoe got stuck on a huge sand bar. As it was starting to get dark, I complete…
29 Dec Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: What is it, Is it Effective and How does it Differ from Other Types of Psychotherapy?
Posted at 9:59 am in Individual Therapy by jlbworks
“The goals of psychodynamic therapy include, but extend beyond, symptom remission. Successful treatment should not only relieve symptoms (i.e., get rid of something) but also foster the positive presence of psychological capacities and resources. Depending on the person and the circumstances, these might include the capacity to have more fulfilling relationships, make more effective use of one’s t…
29 Dec Resistance to the Interpersonal Contagion of Anxiety or Anger: Reflections on the Concept of Differentiation as Developed by Murray Bowen, the Father of Family Systems Theory
Posted at 9:43 am in Couples Therapy by jlbworks
“In a nutshell, self-differentiation means the capacity of a family member to define his or her own life goals and values apart from the surrounding ‘togetherness’ pressures, to say ‘I’ when others are demanding ‘you’ and ‘we.’ It’s the ability to firmly and gently stand up and be who we are while staying connected to those around us. It includes the capacity to maintain a (relatively) non-anxio…
25 Nov How Social Media Fuels Narcissistic Traits in Society
Posted at 5:13 pm in Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), News by jlbworks
Scroll any platform for five minutes and you’ll see it: perfectly curated lives and an endless pressure to stand out. It’s no wonder so many people worry that social media is making us more self-absorbed, or even narcissistic. But what’s really happening? And what does it mean if you or someone you love is struggling with narcissistic traits or narcissistic personality disorder in Nashville, TN? W…