September 25, 2009: On the Fading ‘Guiding Light’

Last week marked the final telecast of the longest-running “soap opera” in history, “The Guiding Light”, which was originally on radio in the 30s and then on television for decades (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiding_Light). Although I hadn’t watched it in years (and apparently I wasn’t alone in this), I was very sad to see it go. Like so … Read more

August 22, 2009: Hang In There: More Tips for Coping with the Recession

During recent sessions I’ve conducted in my psychotherapy practice, I’ve seen increasingly frequent signs that our national recession is abating. That’s good news for all of us. However, in the news and in the headlines there are also some signs of its persistence, and the resulting stress and grief that causes. I’d like to offer … Read more

Celebrity Deaths and What They Mean for the Rest of Us

OK; I suppose I should say something about the recent deaths of three American iconic figures: Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. From a mental health point of view, or even a “life management” point of view, obviously Michael Jackson stands out, and a therapist could write for eons about those issues for analysis. … Read more

Self-Empowerment for Gay Men and the Three Resources: Time, Energy, Money

Self-empowerment for gay men means managing your resources of time, energy, and money. 

Over the course of my 18 years as a psychotherapist in private practice in West Hollywood, California, I’ve come to utilize a number of phrases that summarize the wisdom of various theorists from Sigmund Freud, the “founder” of psychotherapy, to Louise Hay, an 80’s New Age inspirational author. But, also along the way, I’ve developed a few phrases of my own, “Ken-isms” I like to call them, based on my many observations, that have helped many people in various classic problem situations that I see over and over. Perhaps my favorite concept in treatment is “self-empowerment” (which is the name of my upcoming book, Self-Empowerment: Have the Life You Want!), because I believe in helping people empower themselves to improve their quality of life in various areas, such as your health, mental health, relationships, career, and finances. One of my favorite “Ken-isms” is encouraging my clients to spend their resources of Time, Energy, and Money according to their Values, Priorities, and Goals. What does this mean? Let’s take each one of those six elements:

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CoachTeam Group Coaching Services

CoachTeam is a new, patent-pending Group Life Coaching program offered in small groups in my office.  It’s different from traditional group psychotherapy (though it uses some of these concepts, as I am a licensed psychotherapist) in that there is a focus on short-term and long-term ATTAINABLE goals.  Based on the concepts of mutual support, mutual challenge, team-building, … Read more

Boo! Scary – Conquering Your Fears

I love Halloween.  Maybe it’s because of the theatricality of it, with costumes and props, or maybe it’s because of my addiction to chocolate.  Author Peg Aloi, an expert on Pagan holidays, explains that Halloween, or “Samhain” as it is sometimes called (which means “summer’s end”), is observed as a celebration of the last harvest … Read more

Three Keys for a Successful Gay Life: Something to Do, Love, and Hope For

There is a quote from philosopher Emmanuel Kant that says that we need three things to succeed in life:  “Something to Do, Someone to Love, and Something to Hope For.”  In my psychotherapy practice specializing in therapy and coaching for gay men, when I see truly thriving people, I think these three things are key … Read more

Managing Recession Anxiety: How to Cope with Layoff

gay depressed man

[THIS WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2009, DURING THE “GREAT RECESSION”.  HOWEVER, IT IS STILL RELEVANT TODAY FOR ANYONE REGARDING THE TOPIC OF LAYOFF OR JOB LOSS, OR EVEN WORK SLOWDOWN DURING ANY ECONOMICALLY-STRESSED TIME.] While the current economic recession* (2009) may spare many of us as gay men, who are often considered an “affluent” segment … Read more