Voices in the Family

After the devastating and deadly fire that raged across Maui, Hawaii, mental health professionals warn that survivors could face many challenges related to both the trauma and smoke inhalation. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the specifics.

Anxiety disorders are on the rise in this country, especially since the pandemic.
What are the reasons for this steep increase? In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss anxiety, and Dan suggests a different way to look at the issue.

Your neighborhood affects your quality of life in many ways – whether you feel safe, comfortable, or have access to healthy food or green spaces. But – it goes beyond that. Rutgers researchers have found that the connections we have with our neighbors really matter.In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the findings:

A lot of people carry shame – about who they are, things they’ve done – or failed to do. And when that shame becomes overwhelming, therapists refer to it as “toxic shame.” What are the roots of that kind of deep shame – and how can people get over it?

In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb explore this issue.

Levels of anxiety are way up among adults and children – and many people cope by avoiding activities and things they are afraid of. An approach called “exposure therapy” has long shown promise in helping people with anxiety – and it’s coming into play more these days.

In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss how it works.

A new initiative headed by theAmerican Board of Internal Medicine aims to re-build trust in healthcare organizations across different dimensions – within the organizations themselves, and with the patients and communities they serve.

In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and WHYY’s Maiken Scott discuss what is at stake with this effort:

Do you ever feel like you’re just not good enough at your job – that any moment, you could make a huge mistake, and everyone would realize that you’re a fraud? That sentiment is often called imposter syndrome.

In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and WHYY’s Maiken Scott discuss what to do when you’re feeling like that.

Mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or eating disorders among kids and adolescents have been on the rise since the beginning of the pandemic. Many educators, pediatricians, and mental health providers are calling the situation a crisis.

In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and WHYY’s Maiken Scott discuss what families can do to help kids navigate these difficult times.

A targeted psychotherapy approach shows promising results in treating chronic back pain, and potentially other forms of chronic pain. The approach was studied at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

“For a long time, we have thought that chronic pain is due primarily to problems in the body, and most treatments to date have targeted that,” said lead author Yoni Ashar, who conducted the study. “This treatment is based on the premise that the brain can generate pain in the absence of injury or after an injury has healed, and that people can unlearn that pain.

In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and WHYY’s Maiken Scott discuss the approach and results.

The coronavirus variants have brought new worries – and new restrictions. And in many ways, it feels like our lives are on hold. This prolonged period of living with uncertainty has put many people into a state of limbo, feeling like they are languishing.

In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and WHYY’s Maiken Scott discuss this feeling, and how we can deal with it.

When you have a health issue that requires surgery and a prolonged recovery period, you can feel a lot of anxiety and dread. How will you get through this time?

Psychologist Dan Gottlieb is very familiar with this situation – and those feelings, and offers some advice in his weekly conversation with WHYY’s Maiken Scott.

We tend to look for silver linings – even during this difficult past year with the pandemic. What will we learn or take away from this time?

WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb talked about that in their weekly conversation.

Many people continue to feel a lot of anxiety because of the pandemic. What is safe or not safe once somebody is vaccinated? What will it be like to return to the office? Will I feel okay in social settings?

In their weekly conversation. WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb ways to cope with that kind of anxiety.

Human touch is important for our well-being and health, but with the pandemic, lots of people are experiencing much less of it. In their weekly conversation. WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the impact – and potential solutions.

A new study finds that people who are cheerful and content, what psychologists call “positive affect,” are less likely to experience memory decline as they age. This new study adds to the growing body of research on the relationship between positive emotions and healthy aging.

In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and WHYY’s Maiken Scott discuss the findings.

Being rejected hurts, not being accepted into a group, being turned down for a date, or being ditched by a friend. Chances are, if you think of a time when you were rejected that happened years ago, you will still feel a little pang of “ouch!”

But why does rejection hurt so much?

In their weekly conversation, psychologist Dan Gottlieb and Maiken Scott discuss some surprising reasons.

A lot of people feel overwhelmed by the news lately. The pandemic continues, the political landscape is polarized, wildfires rage on the West Coast. This kind of upsetting information can leave people feeling conflicted if they are otherwise having a good day. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss these feelings, and how we can handle them.

The beginning of the school year is coming into very sharp focus for many families – and many schools and school districts are still working out the details on how they will teach children. Return to the classroom? Stay online? A hybrid model? It’s a time of high anxiety that can be tough to navigate.

In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss coping strategies for parents and kids to deal with this uncertainty.