Vintage

Member therapist Suzanne Baars was just featured on The Abundant Life Show with Johnnette Benkovic on EWTN.  Sue was discussing her father, Dr. Conrad Baars’ work.  The title of the show is “Ask the Psychotherapist” and is available at www.lhla.org

Books by Dr. Conrad Baars are featured in our online store. 

As Christians we know that love is the answer to all of our ills, as regrettably cliché as that may sound. Ultimately it is the love of God and the love relationship with Jesus that heals and transforms. But how do we make that a reality? How do we put it into practice and get results?

We are so excited to make available to you a life changing spiritual classic. Described as “a personal retreat based on the writings of St. Therese of Lisieux”, I Believe in Love is a must read for anyone struggling with pain, loneliness or despair or anyone wanting a deeper love relationship with Our Lord.

I Believe in Love is now available in our online store. We can’t recommend it highly enough! Click here to order. And then let us know what you think!

USCCB Letter on Marriage, 11/09

2. Same-Sex Unions

One of the most troubling developments in contemporary culture is the proposition that persons of the same sex can “marry.” This proposal attempts to redefine the nature of marriage and the family and, as a result, harms both the intrinsic dignity of every human person and the common good of society.

Marriage is a unique union, a relationship different from all others. It is the permanent bond between one man and one woman whose two-in-one-flesh communion of persons is an indispensable good at the heart of every family and every society. Same-sex unions are incapable of realizing this specific communion of persons. Therefore, attempting to redefine marriage to include such relationships empties the term of its meaning, for it excludes the essential complementarity between man and woman, treating sexual difference as if it were irrelevant to what marriage is.

We all struggle with it…the “stuff”…all those items that jam our houses and come into our mailboxes. Even those with the tidiest homes can have closets and storage spaces filled with items they just can’t part with, feel guilty getting rid of, or don’t know what to do with.

I’ve noticed in my practice, in dealing with the psychological and emotional “stuff” clients may struggle with, that many are also stymied when it comes to organization and it creates a feedback loop that needs to be addressed. Psychological and emotional issues can contribute to a tendency to hoard or just get overwhelmed in papers and all sorts of junk and that can contribute back to further emotional distress and interfere in efforts to resolve emotional problems, like depression or anxiety or even marital difficulties.

If that describes you or someone you know, you’ll want to tune into EWTN on Friday, July 9 at 11:00 am EST when I’ll be joining host Johnnette Benkovic and author Dale O’Leary for a live call in show entitled: Saver, Collector, or Hoarder: Which Am I?

In that spirit, we’ve added some great links that can help you to get more organized so you can focus on your more important emotional and spiritual and family life. We’re also creating a great program to help you in DEALING WITH STUFF! In this program you’ll receive some great audio discussions from professional organizers, life coaches, ADD coach and productivity specialist. You’ll receive worksheets, and resource sheets that can help you, whether you’re in therapy or not. We know you’ll love it! Click here to pre-order or to learn more.

There’s no arguing that we live in a dysfunctional world.  Nearly everyone, conservative or liberal, Christian or not, can agree.  The world is in trouble.  Families are in trouble.  People are in trouble.

But what does dysfunctional actually mean?  Simply put, we’re not functioning properly…we’re not living the abundant life that Jesus died to give us.  In short we keep trying the same things over and over and getting the same bad results because the ways we’ve learned to deal with things growing up simply don’t work very well.

Sometimes it is simply stated as an adjective… “Well, you just have to understand he’s (or she’s or I’m) dysfunctional.”  Well, after over 20 years sitting opposite the couch, so to speak, I’ve come to this conclusion:  Dysfunctional is as dysfunctional does.  It’s really that simple.  If you don’t want to be dysfunctional, learn behaviors that are more functional.   What really strikes me is that most people are a lot more normal than they think.  They feel what most people feel but they haven’t learned how to deal with the feelings in a way that helps them solve problems and resolve conflicts.

Many thanks to Janice Gentles-Jones at www.onlinesuccessmap.com. Building a website like this is no small endeavor and Janice tackled the job with skill, enthusiasm and a whole lot of patience. When we were searching for a designer to give us a face lift and bring us up to speed in form and function, it was not easy to know where to begin. So we prayed. Janice came highly recommended from two separate sources. As you know, when God answers a prayer, He often confirms it. So we listened and we're glad we did! We are deeply grateful to Janice for her expertise and wisdom. If you know anyone who is looking to build a website, we at Catholic Therapists give Janice 5 halos (our highest rating)!