Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”
120+ Articles Driven by Research and Practice
Get Unstuck: Your Intro to Facing Fear & Getting Healthy
As a gift to my subscribers, the guide, Get Unstuck: Your Intro to Facing Fear & Getting Healthy is YOURS, FREE. Not a subscriber? This is the updated version of the prior “Thriving Mental Health Alongside COVID-19,” leaving the best intact along with new considerations for 2021 and several new handouts, connected articles, guides, and […]
Read More >An Introduction To The “Over-Active Conscience”: Understanding Scrupulosity & Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Dr. Ted Witzig
This article is aimed at Christians but also provides a rich overview on scrupulosity. It was written by Ted Witzig, Jr., PhD and was graciously allowed to be reproduced in its entirety. I first met Dr. Witzig at IOCDF conferences. He is compassionate, intelligent, and provides some of the best overviews I’ve seen with OCD […]
Read More >Stop Trying To Have Positive Thoughts
As with many of my clients, Anne* was befuddled as to why she couldn’t stop obsessing. She was a high performer at work and revered in relationships. However, she couldn’t get it out of her thoughts that she was failing, that imminent doom was about to befall her, and that it would all come crashing […]
Read More >You’ve Decided to Stop Therapy. First, 11 Important Considerations.
Your best treatment is closely connected to how closely you stick to the evidence base. However, you as the client always need to advocate for your best treatment. Successful clients are assertive for their treatment, ask good questions, and sometimes even disagree with their professional. This is healthy. Client involvement and assertiveness is a fundamental […]
Read More >Practice Failure
You heard me. Yes, practice Failure. Not just “accept your mistakes” when they happen. It’s a technique in exposure to social anxiety, perfectionism, scrupulosity, and more. It’s genius if you ask me. The Brilliant Rationale The rationale and purpose of practicing failure is to develop more flexibility and to lean in when it’s “game-time.” Hunter* […]
Read More >Women-tal Health: Tips to strengthen women’s health and combat illness!
Women’s mental health is getting more attention now than maybe ever before, which I think is awesome. Acknowledging the beauty and uniqueness of strengths and struggles helps women to be more successful in their lives. Here are some key considerations in mental health for women. In the U.S., women are twice as likely to be […]
Read More >Video: How To Write an OCD Exposure Script- With Nathan Peterson!!
Two OCD Specialist colleagues (and friends) just having fun on how to write exposure scripts in OCD. Exposure Therapy, in a phrase, is the systematic and intentional triggering of fear while minimizing- and ideally eliminating- all pathological responses. Imaginal Exposure accomplishes this with thoughts and ideas. It is done in the context of addressing unhelpful/pathological responses […]
Read More >3 Ways I Got Unstuck From Anxiety & Depression
Check out my featured article as part of the Mental Health Grace Alliance. This is my most vulnerable personal writing yet on my journey with mental health. I hope you’ll be encouraged. 3 Ways I Got Unstuck From Anxiety & Depression Not familiar with MHGA yet? They are a strong voice for mental health recovery in […]
Read More >Behavioral Activation: Move Your Body, Change Your Feelings
Behavioral Activation: Move Your Body, Change Your Feelings Relatively new is our understanding of Behavioral Activation (BA), which is an incredibly useful tool in fighting depression and mood problems. As with most things in the clinical realm, it has a lot to say for the average person, too, who doesn’t even have a disorder. Behavioral […]
Read More >Why I Say ‘Thank You’ to Amazon Alexa (It’s Not What You’d Think)
The power of habit is a currently popular topic, no doubt through the lens of James Clear, Harvard Business Review, and similar ilk. Social media influencers give us all sorts of ‘hacks’ to make a habit in 30 days, get a flat belly, and more. While there’s a mix of good and a lot of […]
Read More >What’s Your Why?
Yvette had a hard time breaking through in therapy. She knew and understood well the rationale for putting in the work. Her grasp of when she felt anxious and distressed, and even what to do, was excellent. I mean, the research speaks for itself, right? Just do it- just practice what your therapist teaches? I […]
Read More >Intrusive, Unwanted Thoughts and Faith
“I feel like I really love my baby, but, I just don’t know. I have these terrible thoughts that pop into my mind. Thoughts of harming my baby. I actually vomited last night it made me so upset. I don’t know why I’m having these” “Everyone around me, including my pastor, seems to think I […]
Read More >Journaling vs. Exposure Scripting in CBT (Therapy Insider Tip)
When clients become experts in doing exposures (Social Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, Phobias), they become used to facing fear, disgust, and other uncomfortable feelings square on without tricks and escapes- while still pursuing the valued behaviors and thought processes they want. Sounds too good to be true? It’s not, but it takes discipline and hard work, […]
Read More >What is CBT? What it is, how it started, and how it can help.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a mental health psychological treatment, or psychotherapy. The range of problems it treats is broad, from anxiety and depression to substance abuse and relationship problems. It is considered gold standard treatment. Let’s nerd out and understand a bit more about where it comes from and ideas on how it works!
Read More >When and Why ERP Isn’t Working (OCD Therapy Insider Tip)
Short summary of post can go here that appears on the blog archive pages.
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