Columnists

Sometimes when people, systems, or organizations create problems, a little bit of pushback can go a long way toward resolving them. If a person wants to harass, intimidate, or otherwise create obstructions or problems for you, it can be important to show that you are not a pushover. Even when dealing with assaultive men, some counter-intimidation, or at least standing up to the person, can help with putting a stop to that. -more-

The results of the November 2nd elections were not good for Democrats but the sky is not falling. Democrats still have time to salvage the midterms if we pay attention to what went wrong; particularly in Virginia. -more-

The mechanisms in the mental health treatment system will work better for us when we grease its wheels with assertiveness. This is where, in a manner considered appropriate, we strongly ask for what we want, and ask effectively that we don't get what we don't want. This can pertain to almost anything.

In recent years I've pushed them for empathy-based therapy rather than analytic therapy. Analytic therapy, to me, resembles an unwelcome individual getting under the hood and tampering with the settings. The problem seems to stem from how therapists often receive their training. They are taught how they should perceive "clients", and this includes presuppositions that could be far from accurate. When I've worked repeatedly with intern therapists who have fresh doctorates, it seems that they all ascribe to the same playbook. And this playbook isn't any good. Therapists, with few exceptions, will behave toward "clients" in ways defined by how they are trained. Therapists don't see their clients as human beings; they see us as objects of their work. -more-

Democrats are their own worst enemies. Consider the Trump-endorsed Republican Glenn Youngkin won the Virginia gubernatorial race and New Jersey Democrat Phil Murphy’s race for reelection, supposedly a slam dunk win, turned into a nail biter. -more-