Published: September 21, 2009
Life coach, meditation guide or New Age therapists,? Allen Salkein in the New York Times takes a look at women versed in self-help therapy and new age spiritualism who work to lead others. Seeing Yourself in Their Light. Â
A decade ago, young women like Ms. Bernstein might have been expected to chase the lifestyle of high-heels and pink drinks at rooftop bars of the meatpacking district. But now there is a new role model for New York’s former Carrie Bradshaws — young women who are vegetarian, well versed in self-help and New Age spirituality, and who are finding a way to make a living preaching to eager audiences, mostly female.
Some more established self- help and spirtual leaders are more sceptical of this new wave of female self-help gurus.
Esther Hicks, who co-wrote a series of books explaining “the law of attraction” said she is dubious of those who preach a hodge-podge of philosophies.
“When they mix what we’re teaching with other stuff that doesn’t work, people get confused,” Ms. Hicks said.
Patrick Williams, the founder of the Institute for Life Coach Training, which certifies life coaches, said untrained coaches probably won’t cause any harm, but they may not do much good.
Link to read the full article
Source: Seeing Yourself in Their Light“>New York Times
Published: September 19, 2009
Slate   Another great piece on parenting by Alan E. Kazdin and Carlo Rotella. When there’s something you really, really want your child to do…………
As President Obama has discovered in pushing health care reform, antecedents that convey even a slight pressure or urgency and even the appearance of a reduction in choice can sometimes have the effect of strengthening opposition that would not otherwise occur or be so strong. Urgency can inspire push-back and resistance to even the most rational pitch—not by everyone, but by a lot of people. The psychological term for that reaction is normal.
In the home, a parent’s regular vigilance and responsible parenting can rise to the level of desperation and in turn lead to a reaction: a little more digging in of the heels on the part of the child. Are we merely blaming the parent here? No. What the parent is doing and the child’s reaction are both well within the normal range, even though each may see the other as perversely manipulative or unreasonably controlling. Rather, the antecedent conditions (urgency, eagerness, explicit or implicit pressure) in which the request for behavior is sandwiched now make it more unlikely to occur. continue reading
Published: September 18, 2009
Grandma’s on Facebook from uabnews on Vimeo.
Many elderly adults are increasingly isolated and grapple with depression, loneliness and declines in physical health. The UAB Department of Sociology and Social Work will use a five-year, $1.9 million National Institute on Aging (NIA) grant to study the ability of computer use and social media networking to enhance the quality of life of elderly adults through online social connections and easier access to health information. [continue reading…]
Published: September 18, 2009
What are we drinking and what does it say about who we are?
That’s the question Temple historian Bryant Simon contemplated one day five years ago while sitting in a Starbucks. And it’s one he addresses in his new book, Everything but the Coffee: Learning about America from Starbucks (University of California Press, October 2009). [continue reading…]
