LIFE GOES ON: How To Make Your Home A Family Affair
A Country Called ‘HOME’ DEAR DOCTOR KATHLEEN, I am lonely in my own home. I am married to a wonderful man who loves to work, and when he’s home he loves his computer. I…
Articles by Dr. Kathleen Cairns
LIFE GOES ON: Doctor Kathleen’s Answer To A Depressed Person
Kathleen Cairns, Psy.D. DEAR DOCTOR KATHLEEN, I seem to be stuck in a depression due to my childhood. My parents were alcoholics who are now in recovery and doing very well, but I still suffer…
LIFE GOES ON: Rules For A Good Argument
Dear Doctor Kathleen, My wife and I love each other very much. We’ve been married a little over 4 years. BUT, I worry that sometimes our fights are getting out of control. We don’t seem…
LIFE GOES ON: Grace’s Gift To Patients
WORKING WITH GRACE By Kathleen Cairns, Psy.D. Dear Doctor Kathleen, I have heard that you work in your office with your Maltese dog Grace and that she was a therapy dog in a hospital in…
LIFE GOES ON: A Mother’s Issue With Adult Magazines In Stores
DEAR DOCTOR KATHLEEN,
While waiting in line at the grocery store, my 6-year-old daughter asked., “Mommy, how do you have lots of orgamas?? What’s an orgasma???” I realized she was reading and mispronouncing the cover of a popular magazine! I felt so embarrassed as the other customers looked at me to see what I would say, (as if I would know the answer!). How can we protect our little children who can read from these ridiculously inappropriate headlines in public places? I don’t know what to do, other than not taking her to the grocery store with me. What a sad world!
LIFE GOES ON: How Do You Tell If Your Therapy Is Working?
Dear Doctor Kathleen,
I have been in therapy with a very nice woman for about 8 months. Although I like talking to her because she’s a good listener, she doesn’t say very much. I feel better talking to her, but nothing has changed in my life. How can I tell if I’m getting the help I need? How do I know if my therapy is “working”?
Am I Getting Help?
LIFE GOES ON: Doctor Kathleen Helps Us Establish Boundaries
DEAR DOCTOR KATHLEEN,
I hope you can help me break a life-long habit of collecting “strays.” I have always been drawn to people who are needy, helpless, dependent, and hurt. I love to help and to give, but eventually I always feel used and resentful that no one is there for me. And my house is filled with junk I’ve collected over the years. Somehow I think it’s all related? How can I stop this self-destructive behavior?
AMATEUR SOCIAL WORKER