The 8 Subtle Signs You Could Benefit from Therapy/Coaching

During my 22 years of clinical practice providing psychotherapy, mostly to both gay (www.GayTherapyLA.com) and straight (www.MensLifeSkillsCenter.com) men, I have helped clients with the well-known challenges that people seek therapy for: depression, anxiety, relationship concerns, career concerns, and loss.  The general public knows all of these.  But there are more subtle situations and reasons for … Read more

PrEP (Truvada): An HIV Mental Health Specialist Therapist Weighs In on One of the Hottest Topics for Gay Men Today

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At GayTherapyLA.com, (which can also be accessed via www.PozTherapist.com, to coincide with my identity as a psychotherapist with over 22 years experience providing gay-affirmative therapy to gay men and couples, as well as my 24 years being HIV-positive, and an HIV mental health expert and advocate in Los Angeles), my staff of clinical associates and … Read more

A Secular Appreciation of Easter

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Keep Calm and Read Blog.  This is gonna be radical: Can we all just celebrate the religious holidays of this week without the religious part? I’m not a “believer” in anything supernatural.  No Samantha Stephens twitching her nose.  No Jeannie blinking her eyes.  No Casper the Friendly Ghost.  No Ghosts.  No Vampires.  No Werewolves.  No … Read more

Fred Phelps is Dead. We Can All Breathe a Sigh of Relief. Or Can We? In the Age of “ChristianMingle.com”, Maybe Not

You know, it’s not the Fred Phelps “God Hates Fags”/”Matthew Shepard In Hell” style of anti-gay hate you have to worry about. Phelps is dead, and his “movement” locally probably gone with him. No one ever gave Phelps any serious consideration; his and his family’s peculiar and theatrical expressive style of anti-gay sentiment was widely … Read more

Gay Men’s Relationships: Ten Ways They Differ from Straight Relationships

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As I think back on the past 24 years (by 2014) of providing couples counseling for gay male relationships, I sometimes get asked what the differences are that I see (in general) in gay male relationships that are (in general) different from straight relationships.  In no particular order, below, are some of my thoughts.  I … Read more

Tales from a Crispy Couch: A Therapist Leaves a Burned Office Building

So many of my articles begin with “as a psychotherapist in private practice…”, and what I meant by that was “at my office in West Hollywood, California”, where I made my home-away-from-home for the past 9 years. I think I spent more time in that room than in any other room in the course of … Read more

Why No One Starts Therapy in December — And Why You Should

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Happy December!  How are those New Year’s Resolutions working out for you? You know, the ones that you had in January, almost a year ago?  Do you remember what they were?  Did you make any?  Did you have goals for this year?  Did you reach those goals? The other day, I reviewed my Goals List … Read more

Powerful Thoughts for Fabulous Living at Every Age for Gay Men

Louise Hay and the Power of Thoughts Lately, I’ve been revisiting the writings of Louise Hay, the New Age spiritual author and speaker whom I’ve followed for a long time now.  She’s 84, and lives a very vibrant life in San Diego.  Her whole message is about loving the self, and using the power of … Read more

Shrink at the Movies: “The Exorcist” (1973)

Happy Halloween! Here is an essay that I wrote a while back on my favorite horror film, “The Exorcist” (1973), now celebrating its 40th anniversary: ******************************************** “The Exorcist” (1973) [SPOILER ALERT BELOW} My favorite horror film of all time is William Peter Blatty’s “The Exorcist”, directed by William Friedkin (1973). It is now celebrating its … Read more

Can You Afford to Be in Therapy? Can You Afford Not To?

After being in private practice and specializing in therapy and coaching for gay men for over 21 years, I have sometimes seen clients start therapy, and then decide they “can’t afford it” – yet they pay their drug dealer weekly full-price for crystal meth.  Or they still pay $15 for a cocktail at the Abbey … Read more