Contrary to popular belief, depression is not a "normal" part of the aging process, but a treatable mental health condition. Symptoms of depression include feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness, guilt, isolation and unrealistically negative beliefs about oneself. These feelings not only affect the depressed person, but also their family members and loved ones.

Depression is unlikely to go away by itself, and the guidance of a professional counselor, in addition to a physician, is often warranted. In fact, psychotherapy has been found to very likely help the depressed senior live a happier, more fulfilling life and decrease the risk of suicide.

There are a number of things a loved one or caregiver can do to help alleviate a depressed senior's depression.

These include:
* Making sure the depressed person sleeps and eats
regularly.
* Reinforce rewarding experiences and activities
* Explore spiritual/religious beliefs as a source of
    personal comfort and support
* Allow the depressed person to tell his or her story
   through techniques such as guided journaling, letter
   writing, autobiography or collage.

A counselor or psychotherapist trained in narrative therapy can be particularly helpful for helping seniors find meaning and a sense of integrity and ease their feelings of depression.

Narrative therapy is particularly helpful in helping depressed clients reconcile the inevitable losses incurred over a lifetime and find meaning in those losses in the context of their lives through the telling of the story of their lives. The role of the narrative therapist is to bear witness to the complexity and rich nuances of the evolving story and collaborate with the client in to make sense of his or her losses and find healing and growth through the process of reconciling those losses and acknowledging the contributions they have made in their lives.

Call or e-mail Beth Patterson at 303-817-8571 or bethpatt@mac.com

Good communication will help you Enhance Positive and
Decrease Negative interactions with your partner by enabling both of you to:
   1. Avoid Misunderstandings, Fights and Emotional Distance
   2. Disagree, Yet Argue Respectfully and Constructively
   3. Know When and How to Talk, and When and How to Listen
   4. Resolve Problems Through Discussion
   5. Engage in Frank Discussions in Which Each of You a) Reveals to Your Partner Your Agenda of Needs,Wishes, and Expectations and b) Develops a Clear Understanding of How to Fulfill This Agenda to Your Partner's Satisfaction
   6. Share Your Life With Your Spouse in Love, Companionship and Bonding

Getting the message across to the other person is the essence of communication. Therefore, the communicator should be able to: 1. Express himself clearly, concisely and in a friendly manner, 2. Use skill in gearing his words to the setting and context of the situation as well as the person to whom he is talking, and 3. Make sure that he is understood. In all relationships, but especially in the context of a marriage or couple relationship, the speaker should also encourage and be warmly receptive and sensitive to his partner's communications.

The psychotherapy process requires the deliberate joining of two human beings, mainly orchestrated by one, and requiring heartfelt collaboration by both. Breaches in the relationship are plumbed for the information they provide, the two continually surprised and in-spired as they move to new, uncharted views about what the patient needs and how to get there. Indeed there are rules, procedures, and boundaries, but knowing when these guidelines contaminate the therapy's authenticity and sap its power is one of the therapist's most subtle challenges. Therapists constantly work to identify how their craft differs from the commonsensical stuff of everyday relationships. They are not supposed to hug their patients, attend their weddings, or even have the smallest need for their patients' approval.

Many of us who label ourselves as lacking in assertiveness skills, tend to misunderstand what being assertive really means. Each semester, when I teach a class on assertiveness, I am reminded how many of us confuse assertiveness with the bossy, demanding, sometimes angry behavior that is actually a hallmark of aggression.  If we think such antagonistic behavior defines assertiveness, it is no wonder that so many of us prefer to remain silent. Rather than being perceived as selfish, overbearing or unreasonable, we keep our opinions to ourselves. We are reluctant to tell people when we have a schedule conflict. We hesitate to voice our preference for a movie we want to see or a restaurant we want to visit.  We fail to tell people when they delight us and we fail to tell them when they have overlooked or offended us. Our relationships, therefore, stay distant or lukewarm and we feel not only overlooked and offended, but probably resentful or angry.  Although we feel frustrated and misunderstood, we blame ourselves for not being assertive and internally berate ourselves for not standing up for our values or wants.  We want to be more assertive, but we fear being selfish bullies.

What is the purpose of group psychotherapy?
How does group differ from individual psychotherapy?
Is group for me?
What are the rules in group?
What else should I know before joining a group?

Are there parts of yourself that you do not like? Do you sometimes wish that you did not have an angry part or a shy part or some other part that gets in the way of you being who you want to be? Do you feel, at times, that you have been hijacked by your emotions or that you are reacting to things in extreme ways that do not reflect who you really are? 

With Spring approaching, many people are thinking about "spring cleaning" their homes and offices. But what about the most important part of you? How can you spring clean your soul?

When gray weather gets you down, try these simple things to get you light again!

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, thoughts are turning to romance. But why rely on someone else? Romance yourSelf!