Resources
Here you will find links to articles and resources that could be helpful on your journey to greater psychological health.
The Vulnerable Self of the Adult Child of an Alcoholic, a dissertation
My doctoral dissertation The Vulnerable Self of the Adult Child of an Alcoholic (ACA) was published in 1983 and has remained of interest to many over the years. It was a seminal dissertation in the field at the time and therefore the literature review was sparse and is out of date. Nevertheless, I provide it here in its entirety.
The Secret of Marital Success
Good marriages/committed relationships are always a work in progress, so for me to claim there is one secret that will insure the success of such a complicated enterprise is a bit misleading. But in the tradition of all Self-Help books, I probably did get your attention. I will say that if you manage to securely embed this one secret into your relationship, you will well be on your way to success.
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Shame
Shame is at the core of so many of our psychological afflictions. We are all familiar with guilt— we do something we know is wrong and our conscience signals us to feel bad about it (and perhaps correct our behavior). Shame goes deeper. It is not about what we do but who we are. An example of this difference would be if you commit the act of adultery: you could feel guilty about this action. But if you start seeing yourself (or your partner does) as an adulterer, then shame can infect you along with impacts on the self (self esteem, self concept, etc.) This Atlantic article from 1992 is still the best essay I know of covering this complicated topic.
The Upward Spiral
There is a lot of advice out there about how to reverse a downward spiral and make yourself happy. But how do we know it works? This interesting article spells out four things we all can do to create a virtuous cycle of happiness and backs it up with some very interesting brain science.
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Low Cost Counseling Services
If affordability is an issue, please consult this list for opportunities to find low cost counseling.
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Read more about Additional Resources for Low Cost Counseling Services >>