Licensed Clinical Social Worker
by Sarah Alexander, LCSW “Early in human history emotions were known as the passions, because people were passive receivers of them. It is only in the more recent centuries that the term emotion (e-motion, to move out, emphasizing the action tendency aspect) began to be used” (Greenberg, 2008, p. 14). Currently, we tend to view […]
by Sarah Alexander, LCSW “Emotions are action-requiring neurological programs” ~ Antonio Damasio As a therapist, I’ve been sitting on the front lines of what feels like a slow-motion mass trauma-in-progress since February as we began seeing changes the COVID-19 pandemic is creating in our every-day lives here in the US. I have been talking with […]
by Sarah Alexander, LCSW “Emotions are action-requiring neurological programs” ~ Antonio Damasio The sadnesses are a much-maligned bunch (much like the character of Sadness at the beginning of Pixar’s “Inside Out” movie). As a family, they are particularly susceptible to being avoided or outright exiled. We as a culture tell even very small children to […]
by Sarah Alexander, LCSW “Emotions are action-requiring neurological programs” ~ Antonio Damasio Karla McLaren’s work (2010, 2013, 2020) teaches us to channel our emotions. To channel something is “to direct or convey something along a chosen pathway in a conscientious manner. If we can learn to properly channel our emotions, we can begin to … […]
by Sarah Alexander, LCSW Emotions are a crucial aspect of psychology and, thus, mental health. Unfortunately, families and society tend to pass judgement on emotions rather than teach or honor their function. To give you an idea of just how very emotion-phobic our culture is, even professional therapists (social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists) are not educated […]
by Sarah Alexander, LCSW When flight attendants give their pre-flight safety instructions, one of the things they tell you is that, in the case of a change in cabin pressure, be sure to place the resulting oxygen mask over your own face first before assisting anyone else, even your own children. This instruction flies strongly […]
by Sarah Alexander, LCSW John F. Kenney Jr.’s fatal plane crash in 1999 made an impression on me. I was baffled by the speculation that he died flying nose-down into the ocean. Even in poor visibility, I didn’t understand how that could happen. Wouldn’t gravity tell him which way was up? It turns out that […]
