Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”

This four part series is meant to be a brief, yet fairly comprehensive, overview into the world of uncertainty for Christians.  SUMMARY: In Part 1, uncertainty is explored as a human experience- one for which Christians do not escape simply in lieu of being a faithful follower.  Part 2 addresses what ways people generally handle […]

This four part series is meant to be a brief, yet fairly comprehensive, overview into the world of uncertainty for Christians.  SUMMARY: In Part 1, uncertainty is explored as a human experience- one for which Christians do not escape simply in lieu of being a faithful follower.  Part 2 addresses what ways people generally handle […]

When I first learned to implement mindfulness, relaxation, and deep breathing into my therapy practice, I have to admit I was surprised when some clients quickly stated one of a few things: They didn’t want to continue. It was distressing to them. It didn’t work for them.  It threw me off a little as a […]

The Question It was a good question.  Anne* suffered extensively with fear, anxiety, and OCD.  She wanted any relief she could find.  “Can I drink a little alcohol during exposures?” Little Therapist Justin As an early specialist in OCD, I said to Anne my favorite thing to say when I don’t know: “I don’t know.”  […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Short summary of post can go here that appears on the blog archive pages.

In poker, a “tell” is a sort of behavioral or observable change that, usually unbeknownst to the person, can reveal information that can be used for another player to get the upper hand.  Smirks, scratching of the nose, looking away, smiling- expert poker players work hard to conceal these (why many wear sunglasses). Notice Something […]

Teddy pumped the sanitizer bottle for the second time in three minutes.  “I know, I know, it doesn’t help when I haven’t touched anything else, but I want to be sure.  You never know these days, right?”  Freda waits to enter gatherings and meetings until everyone else has shown up- “It just helps me know I […]

One of my first questions to a professor in my earliest IOCDF BTTI (Exposure Therapy training) at Massachusetts General Hospital was, “What happens if someone actually gets sick after a contamination exposure?”  I haven’t forgotten the simplicity of the answer that went something like this: “People get sick all the time. Yes, that might create some additional […]