The Presenting Problem đ I remember Tessa sitting across from me, doing that thing people do when they’re trying to convince themselves more than youâthe forced smile, the quick “I know it sounds bad, but…” qualifiers. She’d just spent ten […]
In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: Dealing with Exclusion and Emotional Pain
The Setup: Your Inner Committee Is Having a Meltdown đ§ Here’s what most people miss about exclusion: it’s not a single emotion. It’s a full-blown internal coup. When Jenson got that text, multiple parts of his psychological organization activated simultaneously, […]
In the Therapy Room - Sophia Rivera
In the Therapy Room: Infidelity, Blackouts, and Rebuilding Trust
The Presenting Problem đš Brandon walked into my office twenty-five years old, eight months away from marriage, and carrying a weight that hollow eyes can’t quite hide. He’d watched his fiancĂ©e kiss her best friend at a partyâa moment seared […]
In the Therapy Room - Lola Adams
In the Therapy Room: The Anxiety of Online Discourse and the Search for Authentic Desire
The Coffee Shop Conversation đ€ It was a Tuesday at 4:47 p.m. when Saskia arrivedâthree minutes early, as high-achieving professionals always doâher perfectly pressed Reiss blazer somehow still crisp despite the humid Manhattan afternoon. She ordered an oat milk cappuccino […]
In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: Emotional Numbness in Men
The Man Who Showed Up But Wasn’t There đȘ The man across from me had good teeth and good posture. He held his coffee like someone trained by military or corporate Americaâor both. His watch cost more than my first […]
In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: Emotional Numbness in Men
â A Bloke at the CafĂ© Who Couldn’t Feel Anything He sat across from me at Three Bags Full in Fitzroy on a Tuesday morning, the kind of cafĂ© where Melbourne’s thin winter light cuts through the windows like a […]
In the Therapy Room - Samuel Hartwell
In the Therapy Room: Toxic Workplaces and the Lasting Impact of Emotional Trauma
A Confessional đȘ Tabitha sat across from me on a Tuesday afternoon, autumn light casting long shadows through my office windows. She was doing that thingâthe one I’d learned to recognize over twenty-five years of sitting with wounded professionals. She […]
In the Therapy Room - Sophia Rivera
In the Therapy Room: Rebuilding Trust After Betrayal
đ The Spreadsheet of Betrayal I once knew a woman who kept a mental inventory of her boyfriend’s daily behaviorâevery delayed text, every defensive flinch when she mentioned the party where he’d entangled himself with someone else. She calculated percentages […]
In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: Trauma, Shame, and the Complexity of Adolescent Narcissism
When Survival Skills Look Like Character Flaws đ§ The rain fell heavy outside my office that Tuesday. Kaia-Renee sat across from me, rocking slightly in her chair, eyes fixed on her hands like they might betray her. She’d been coming […]
In the Therapy Room - Monica Dean
In the Therapy Room: The Paradox of Longing for Romantic Intimacy
The Tuesday Afternoon Realization đ€ I met Brynja on a Tuesday afternoon when Manchester was doing that thing it doesâgrey skies threatening rain but never quite committing. She walked in with the sort of composure that immediately told me she’d […]