The Couch

Insights, how to’s and guides on improving your mental health with professional therapy. Read about treating conditions, improving your relationships, therapy trends and more. Educating yourself is the first step toward achieving better mental health.

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old photos used for remembering events

Psychology

What Is Selective Memory?

By Michelle Overman, LMFT

anxious child on way to school

How to Reduce Back-To-School Anxiety

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

Separation Anxiety in Children

Separation Anxiety in Children: Causes and Treatment

By Katie Tyrrell, MS, LPCC

Depression and Anxiety Chat Rooms

Depression and Anxiety Chat Rooms: An Overview

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

Assertive choleric business man

What Is a Choleric Temperament?

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

couple holding hands

7 Reasons Open Relationships Don’t Work

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

father and adult son doing dishes

How to Stop Enabling Grown Children

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

picky eater

Eating Disorders

What is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder?

By Jennie Lannette, MSW, LCSW

friends with eating disorders

How Eating Disorders Affect Friendships

By Alyssa Greene, LPCC

Panic Attack

How to Stop Panic Attacks: 7 Helpful Tips

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

woman comforting her sad friend

What is Repression in Psychology?

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

Fear of Vomiting

An Overview of Emetophobia (Fear of Vomiting)

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

elevator

What is Cleithrophobia?

By Michelle Overman, LMFT

older man driving convertible car

Coping With a Midlife Crisis

By Yocheved Golani

speaking to someone with PTSD

PTSD

20 Things Not to Say to Someone With PTSD

By Alexander Draghici, MS, LCPC

emotionally unavailable girlfriend

How to Spot Emotionally Unavailable Partners

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

sad lonely woman

Can Sexual Frustration Lead to Depression?

By Alexander Draghici, MS, LCPC

psychopath sitting in car

Sociopath vs. Psychopath: Understanding the Difference

By Kristen Frescoe, MSc

paranoid man staring out a window

Why Am I So Paranoid? Learning to Cope

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

man being left out of conversation by two friends

What Is Triangulation in Psychology?

By Karen Doll, Psy.D., L.P

Sociopath walking in the woods

What Is a Sociopath?

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

objects submerged under water

Phobias

What Is Submechanophobia?

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

Quenza Platform

When Your Therapist Goes Digital: A Review of Quenza

By Alexander Draghici, MS, LCPC

fear of the passing of time

What is Chronophobia?

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

afraid of clowns

What Is Coulrophobia?

By Michelle Overman, LMFT

Anatidaephobia

Is Anatidaephobia a Real Condition or Just Quackery?

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

lady seeking help

How to Find an Affordable Therapist

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

fear of outer space

What Is Astrophobia?

By Katie Tyrrell, MS, LPCC

Serial Monogamy

Relationships

What Is a Serial Monogamist?

By Katie Tyrrell, MS, LPCC

Hot flashes in men

Are Hot Flashes in Men Anxiety-Related?

By Dawn Ferrara, LPC, PsyD

parsimony psychology

Parsimony in Psychology: An Overview

By Karen Doll, Psy.D., L.P

types of love

What Are the 7 Types of Love?

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

women using grey rock method by acting distracted

What Is the Grey Rock Method?

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

Reunification Therapy

What Is Reunification Therapy?

By Jennie Lannette, MSW, LCSW

woman sleeping on couch

What is Somnophilia?

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

married couple on date

Relationships

How to Bring Romance Back Into Your Marriage

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

women suspecting husband of texting with another woman

Emotional Affairs: Cheating Without Sex

By Amanda Caswell

marriage counseling session with couple

Does Marriage Counseling Really Work?

By Dawn Ferrara, LPC, PsyD

married couple holding hands

15 Tips for Falling Back in Love With Your Partner

By Amanda Caswell

upset ADHD child

Are Children With ADHD More Likely to Lie?

By Amanda Caswell

family walking together

Is Mental Illness Genetic?

By Adebolanle Ade, MSW, RBT

mental health patient taking pill

Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist: What’s the Difference?

By Michelle Overman, LMFT

play therapy

Psychotherapy

Play Therapy: An Overview

By Adebolanle Ade, MSW, RBT

mother and baby

Object Relations Theory and Therapy: An Overview

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

sociopath staring at lake

Signs Your Child May Be a Sociopath

By Kristen Frescoe, MSc

adhd procrastination

The Link Between ADHD and Procrastination

By Alexis Dent

Lady Gaga

10 Celebrities Who Have Struggled With Depression

By Amanda Caswell

mental health professional

How Are Therapists Different From Psychologists?

By Michelle Overman, LMFT

Female Psychopath

Signs of a Female Psychopath

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

woman leaving therapist office

Psychotherapy

How to Break up With Your Therapist

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

having feelings for therapist

What to Do When You Have a Crush on Your Therapist?

By Alyssa Greene, LPCC

interviewing a therapist

Choosing a Therapist: A Detailed Guide

By Adebolanle Ade, MSW, RBT

Type C Personality

What Is a Type C Personality?

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

people together on a mattress

Polyamory and Polygamy: Understanding the Difference

By Michelle Overman, LMFT

smiling depression

Smiling Depression: What You Should Know

By Yocheved Golani

perfectionism

10 Signs You Might Be a Perfectionist

By Karen Doll, Psy.D., L.P

Narcissistic mother

Personality Disorders

Do Narcissistic Mothers Raise Narcissistic Sons?

By Michelle Overman, LMFT

Angry sweaty man

Does Hot Weather Make People Aggressive?

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD

Traumatic event

How Does Trauma Therapy Work?

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

risky behavior

Why Do People Engage in Risky Behavior?

By Karen Doll, Psy.D., L.P

skype for therapy

Is Skype Secure for Therapy?

By Alexis Dent

group of people together in a kitchen

Can Extroverts Experience Social Anxiety?

By Katie Tyrrell, MS, LPCC

mother and daughter cooking

How to Deal With an Overbearing Mother

By Amanda Caswell

free online therapy

Teletherapy

Free Online Counseling: What You Should Know

By Adebolanle Ade, MSW, RBT

Nomophobia

Nomophobia: Cellphone Separation Anxiety

By Karen Doll, Psy.D., L.P

woman in conversation listening intently

What Is Engaged Listening?

By Karen Doll, Psy.D., L.P

woman sitting calmly

How to Calm Down When Life Is Too Stressful

By Adebolanle Ade, MSW, RBT

young girl working on a puzzle

Fluid Versus Crystallized Intelligence

By Emily Mendez M.S., Ed.S.

teddy bear

What is Regression in Psychology?

By Tracy Smith, LPC, NCC, ACS

loss of identity

6 Signs You Have Lost Your Identity

By Shannon V. McHugh, PsyD