About Michael

Doctor of Clinical Psychology, Professional Counselor, Professor, Professional Speaker, Author, Podcast Host, Husband, Father

Things That I Believe

  • Everyone IS Capable of Positive Healthy Change

  • Emotional Regulation (or lack of) Is the Root Of Psychological Distress

  • Selfcare Is Essential For Psychological Health

  • The Fundamental Issue Facing Humanity Today Is The Loss Of Human Connection And Attachment

  • Love CAN Be The Answer

How I Engage in Selfcare

More than twenty years ago, I began traveling by car from St. Louis, Missouri to ski resorts in Colorado to ski with a few friends. This not only provided the opportunity to decompress and enjoy the physical activity of skiing, the car ride provides a wonderful opportunity to reaffirm the connections and attachments with important people in my life.  I love the sport and hope that we will be able to ski together for many, many years to come! This picture is from Arapaho Basin, one of the highest elevations in the continental United States. 

Another activity that I love is scuba diving. The first time I rolled into the water with a scuba tank straped on and was able to BREATH UNDERWATER, I was hooked. I like to tell people that my GoPro has been to the highest point in the United States and 130 feet below the surface of the ocean. This picture was taken by my divemaster on this dive Juan Carlos. He was able to capture this french anglefish at about 35 feet below the surface in Cancun, Mexico

A Gallery Of Pictures Of Selfcare

Why Is Emotional Regulation So Important

So if anyone asked me to explain how I think that emotional regulation works in humans, I would tell them that I subscribe to the developmental model proposed by Heinz Kohut in his theory called Self Psychology. For more on that I have linked the title of this section to an article that explains this in detail. WARNING: the article is fairly complex so the specific concepts that are the foundation of emotional regulation development are:

  • mirroring
  •  Idealization
  • Twinship
Let me know if you would like to discuss your emotional regulation in more detail 
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