Wilson Counseling: The Armchair Chronicles

As an eating disorder therapist, I get a lot of questions from parents about how to feed children and how to prevent eating disorders. A great resource for answering some of these questions is the Ellyn Satyr Institute. Ellyn Satyr is a Dietitian and Family Therapist and is recognized as a leading expert when it comes to issues related to eating and food. I strongly recommend her website if you want answers to questions like these: How do you handle a picky eater? What feeding errors can make your child too thin? Should you worry about your child's weight? How do you raise a child who is a joy to feed? What can you do about a child who does not eat fruits and vegetable? How can you raise children who trust themselves and their bodies? What is the role of the parent/child in terms of aiding feeding and exercise? If you are concerned that your child's eating issues are more serious and might indicate an eating disorder, I recommend talking to an eating disorder...

Sometimes sex is about more than sex One of my favorite songs to belt out in Karaoke is Radiohead's "Creep." It is a song I reserve for moments when I feel low because singing sad songs when I'm sad seems to make some of the angst dissipate.  The song came to mind when I was thinking about writing this blog post about what sex means to men. There are many misconceptions about what sex means for men. One of the biggest ones is that men seek sex primarily to satisfy their own physical pleasure. Therefore, when men are rebuffed, it can't really hurt that much because they have just missed out on physical pleasure. Nope.  I have found this to be a harmful misconception because it minimizes the importance of sex for men's identity and self-esteem. Look at the lyrics to "Creep" to illustrate in song what I have found that men can actually gain in a loving sexual encounter with their partner - identity, acceptance, self-worth...

Reclaiming Love: Improving Communication and Appreciation in Your Marriage Struggling to love your spouse well? Tired of fighting about the same things over and over?  Do you miss the spark and warmth you had when your marriage began? Sometimes we get stuck in a pattern of arguing, taking each other for granted, or reenacting hurtful habits. Just because you love your spouse, does not mean you have a perfect marriage. We are all a work in progress and our marriages are a work in progress. Join me and Leslie Peacock, Director of Counseling at Christ the King Presbyterian Church as we lead a for a 4-week marriage counseling group. In the group,  you will learn to: Deal with conflict without hurting your spouse Improve your communication Recover the romance in your relationship Enjoy the benefits of a deep connected relationship We will meet on Sundays from 5:00 to 7:00 at Christ The King On April 2, 9, 23, and 30. The cost is $20...

In my last blog post , entitled "Life With A Narcissit,"I talked about what it was like living with someone who has characteristics of narcissism or even full-blown narcissistic personality disorder. You may have recognized someone you know when reading about narcissism. It can be very overwhelming to deal with individuals who have these traits. Even as a victim, you may start to feel like there is something wrong with you. What can you do to remain emotionally intact? Elly Prior has a great article about this entitled " How to Deal With a Narcissist Partner. " Below is an infographic I created showing some of Elly's top 10 tips for surviving life with a partner who has narcissistic traits. Top 10 Tips For Surviving Life With a Narcissistic Partner One of the most important skills you can use to protect yourself with a narcissistic partner is boundary setting. Setting boundaries simply means you are communicating what is and is not okay. It...

During the recent presidential election cycle, people threw around the term narcissist or narcissistic personality disorder a lot when talking about Donald Trump. Many articles were written and tweets tweeted about the subject. As a therapist, I know that I can not diagnose someone I have never examined, but the discussions did call to mind my clients who have partners that exhibit traits of narcissism or even full-blown narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)? NPD is a mental health diagnosis that is characterized by an unhealthy sense of self-importance, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. Many people have traits of narcissism, but very few, about 6.2% of the population, would meet diagnostic criteria for NPD. You can learn more about it from this nifty animated video: How does narcissism affect you in a relationship? I can recall one client, Cindy,  who came to me feeling...

The Houston Eating Disorder Specialists conference is coming up on February 18th. This conference is not just for those struggling with eating disorders, it also has a track for professionals who treat eating disorders as well as a community track which will have useful information for caregivers and loved ones of those who have an eating disorder. These conferences have been extremely valuable to my client's and their families in the past. If you want to know more about it, or to register, please check out the Conference website below. http://www.houstoneds.org/2017-heds-conference-schedule/

Happy New Year! Make it your New Year's resolution to have a less stressful year. Go to the link below to to find out how to get my audio book (which teaches techniques on how to be less stressed) for 50% off (just $4.99). With this audio, you get two therapists walking you through a new technique every week for 6 weeks to help destress and enjoy your life more. All from the comfort of your home. Use discount code "2017STRONGER" here