Cherry Creek Psychology, Dr. Maximillian Wachtel

I am going to be leading a group on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:00 P.M. starting in November to help individuals who struggle with emotional issues during the holiday season. I have noticed in past years that there are a lot of people who start calling in October and November for short-term therapy to help ease their stress/depression during the last few months of the year. I thought it could be helpful to have a group for these individuals so that they can learn great strategies for beating the “holiday blues,” along with gaining the satisfaction of supporting others through a difficult emotional period.

From a financial perspective, the group is a great deal ($395 for 8 sessions), and group therapy has been shown to be a very effective form of treatment. In some cases, it is even more effective than individual therapy. I have led a bunch of groups in the past, and I am excited about starting this new one!

If you want more information, please visit my website (www.cherrycreekpsychology.com or click on the snowman). You can also register online.

Thanks for reading– Max Wachtel, Ph.D.
www.CherryCreekPsychology.com
maxwachtel@cherrycreekpsychology.com

A provocative title, I know.

A recent study published in the journal Health Psychology found that, in households where both spouses work and have school-aged children, women in happy marriages rebounded more quickly from daily stress than women in unhappy marriages.

Although the study doesn’t make this claim, it would seem that, if you are a woman in an unhappy marriage, working on improving you married life could potentially help you recover from stress more quickly. This could have a significantly positive impact on your physical and emotional well-being.

Another interesting article, this one in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, found that women who engage in religious activity are less prone to feel depressed than women who do not engage in religious activity. Interestingly, men are less likely to be depressed if they are not religious. I’m not sure why this is. Any thoughts?

Thanks for reading– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (www.CherryCreekPsychology; maxwachtel@cherrycreekpsychology.com)

It may seem too early to start thinking about the 2007 holiday season, but I was at the Cherry Creek Mall last night buying a coat for my daughter, and I noticed that the mall staff had already set up the Christmas pavilion, filled with snow globes and various other holiday accouterments (did I come anywhere close to spelling that correctly?). Incidentally, the pavilion appears to be sponsored by the movie “Fred Claus,” which if you haven’t seen an ad for it yet, promises to be in the running for worst movie of all time (I would love for readers to comment on movies they think are worse).

Anyway, since the mall thinks it is time for the holidays, then time for the holidays it is. Along with all of the festivities, family fun and presents often comes stress, sadness and grief. For some, the thought of spending so much time with family is terrifying. For others, the absence of a recently-lost loved one weighs heavily this time of year. For still others, the notion of overeating and gaining more weight leaves them feeling hopeless.

As most of you are well aware, November and December can be extremely difficult months for a lot of people. But, it is important to keep in mind that this is supposed to be a joyful time where our everyday lives can be suspended while we spend time with friends and family and show others how much we care about them. And at the very least, no one expects you to get all that much done at work, so you can afford to slack off a bit, right?

Of course, many people find working through issues brought up around the holidays with a a professional to be helpful, and I would recommend that you talk to someone if you are feeling a lot of anxiety or depression. Even meeting with a therapist for one or two sessions to gain some tips on how to deal with holiday stress could be useful.

Good luck, try to remain calm, and beware of Fred Claus– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (www.CherryCreekPsychology.com; maxwachtel@CherryCreekPsychology.com)

I have had a few new clients meet with me recently who have asked the same question: Do I need to be in therapy?

That is a hard question for me to answer. As a psychologist, I truly believe that most people could benefit from meeting periodically with a therapist. It can be helpful to talk with an objective person you trust about what is going on in your life in order to reduce stress, make changes here and there and remain satisfied with the direction in which you are headed. On the other hand, I don’t want to give anyone a “hard sell” on therapy. I am not going to tell someone that she needs to be in therapy if she doesn’t really NEED to be in therapy. I might tell her it could be helpful, but I will also be clear that it is not absolutely essential. I might lose a little business that way, but I would rather be ethical and honest than try to convince everyone who walks in my door that therapy is the only way for them to make positive changes.

So, do you need therapy? I would say you need therapy if you are struggling with something in your life that is truly getting in the way. Is your stress or depression keeping you from performing well at work? Are you using all of your sick leave or are you at risk for losing your job? Do you hate your life? Are you losing friends and alienating yourself from your family? Are you feeling the need to “self-medicate” or numb yourself out with drugs, alcohol or overeating? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might really be in need of therapy to help you break out of your current cycle and get into a more positive frame of mind.

If you answered “no” to all of these questions (and you were truly being honest with yourself), then chances are that you don’t absolutely need to be in therapy. You might still benefit greatly from meeting with an objective, empathic therapist who can help you stay on the right track, though.

In my practice, I see people who need therapy. I also see people who don’t need it but feel like they are benefitting from it anyway. The best part of my job is when I get to witness an individual transform from someone who NEEDS therapy to someone who can do it on their own. Some of those people continue in treatment with me, and others don’t. It is hard to say goodbye to some of those clients, but it is great to see that they have truly benefited from my services.

If you think you NEED therapy, or if you think you are doing okay but could benefit from an objective point of view, feel free to call me at (303) 399-5300 or check out my website at www.CherryCreekPsychology.com.

Thanks for reading– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (www.CherryCreekPsychology.com)