Here are some links to sites that you may find useful. Please feel free to explore them and to email me if you have questions about them or about issues they raise.
While I may not agree with everything on the sites (as is true throughout the Internet), much of their information is valuable and presents a point of view that may be helpful for you to consider and for us to discuss together.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PSYCHOTHERAPY AND MENTAL HEALTH
California Psychological Association (CPA) (http://www.cpapsych.org)
- Consumer Resource Information (http://www.cpapsych.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=4)
- Patient’s Bill of Rights (http://www.cpapsych.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=52)
Mayo Clinic
(http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mental-health/MH99999)
– Information on mental health, substance use, treatment, and a variety of other related issues.
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia)
– This can be a valuable source of information, but readers should be cautioned about the authenticity and accuacy of information found there.
– As stated on their site: “Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 16 million articles (over 3.4 million in English) have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site…. Although the policies of Wikipedia strongly espouse verifiability and a neutral point of view, critics of Wikipedia accuse it of systemic bias and inconsistencies (including undue weight given to popular culture), and allege that it favors consensus over credentials in its editorial process. Its reliability and accuracy are also targeted. Other criticisms center on its susceptibility to vandalism and the addition of spurious or unverified information, though scholarly work suggests that vandalism is generally short-lived, and an investigation in Nature found that the material they compared came close to the level of accuracy of Encyclopædia Britannica and had a similar rate of ‘serious errors.'”
– So, please exercise caution when relying on information found on the site. See what else is written on the Internet and in other source materials, assess the scholarship, authenticity and reliability of those sources, and weigh the various points of view offered.
ALTERNATIVE DIVORCE – COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE
Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association (LACFLA) (http://www.lacfla.com)
– Explains how a divorce can be accomplished in a fair and equitable manner with the help of both an attorney and a psychotherapist.
Coalition for Collaborative Divorce (CCD) (www.nocourtdivorce.com)
– Explains how a divorce can be accomplished in a fair and equitable manner with the help of both an attorney and a psychotherapist.
International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) (http://www.collaborativepractice.com)
– An international community of legal, mental health and financial professionals working in concert to create client-centered processes for resolving conflict.
DRUGS, ALCOHOL, MEDICATIONS, FOOD, AND OTHER ADDICTIONS
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (http://www.nida.nih.gov)
– Provides information on a variety of drugs, with sections for parents, teachers, and young people.
Self Help Groups
Each of the following groups has their own focus and philosophy. Explore which might be a good fit for you. There often is overlap of ideas, such as similar views about 12-step programs, but there are differences as well, including those groups that don’t use the 12-steps. Sometimes, people find it helpful to go to a group whose name doesn’t really fit their drug of choice, but the issues and “flavor” of the group seem to fit them better. Also, people sometimes find it helpful to go to more than one group, such as AA and GA, because they find something of benefit in each, and they are able to integrate on their own the messages and lessons of what each group offers.
SUBSTANCE ORIENTED GROUPS
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) (http://www.aa.org)
Narcotics Anonymous (NA) (http://www.na.org)
Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA) (http://www.crystalmeth.org)
Cocaine Anonymous (CA) (http://www.ca.org)
Marijuana Anonymous (MA) (http://www.marijuana-anonymous.org)
Gamblers Anonymous (GA) (http://www.gamblersanonymous.org)
Debtors Anonymous (DA) (http://www.debtorsanonymous.org)
Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) (http://www.sexaa.org)
Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) (http://www.slaafws.org)
SMART Recovery® (http://www.smartrecovery.org)
FOOD ORIENTED GROUPS
Overeaters Anonymous (OA) (http://www.oa.org)
Weight Watchers (WW) (http://www.weightwatchers.com)
FAMILY ORIENTED GROUPS
Al-Anon (http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/for-alateen)
– If your family member has an alcohol problem.
Alateen (http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/alateen)
– Alateen is part of Al-Anon. for teens who have family members with alcohol problems.
Nar-Anon (http://www.nar-anon.org)
– If your family member has drug problem, especially with narcotics.
Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) (http://www.adultchildren.org)
– For those of all ages who are children of alcoholics.
Co-Dependents Anonymous (CODA) (http://www.coda.org)
– For people who are co-dependent on others, including family members of addicted people.
EATING DISORDERS
National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) (http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org)
– Provides many articles on various types and aspects of eating disorders.
GAY, LESBIAN, BI-SEXUAL, TRANSGENDER ISSUES
PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and Transgender) (http://www.pflag.org)
– Is devoted to educating and supporting everyone involved in the life of a sexual minority individual. There are local chapters all over the United States.
COLAGE (http://www.colage.org)
– A national movement of children, youth, and adults with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer (LGBTQ) parents. Their goal is to build community and work toward social justice through youth empowerment, leadership development, education, and advocacy.
Pop Luck Club (http://www.popluckclub.org/)
– A Los Angeles based organization of gay dads, prospective dads, and their families. It is largest known gay fathers organization in the world, with hundreds of families.
MEDICATION
MedLibrary.org (http://medlibrary.org)
– An online medication information library, including medications for mental health.
SOMATIC PSYCHOTHERAPY – “BODY WORK”
United States Association for Body Psychotherapy (http://www.usabp.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=8)
– Defines somatic psychotherapy or body psychotherapy and discusses forms of the practice (http://usabp.affiniscape.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=5)
International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis (http://www.bioenergetic-therapy.com)
– Explains the mind/body practice of bioenergetics.
North American and New Zealand Institutes for Bioenergetic Analysis (http://www.nanziba.com)
– Includes Southern California.
Bioenergetic Press (http://www.bioenergeticspress.com)
– Carries all 14 books by Alexander Lowen, M.D., as well as related books.
TRAUMA
California Victim Compensation (http://www.vcgcb.ca.gov/victims/)
– Describes who is eligible for victim assistance, what kinds of assistance are available, and provides application forms, in both English and Spanish. Use the menu on the left to find forms.
When All Your Best Efforts Haven’t Worked
Maybe It’s Time to Talk to a Professional
CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION
(310) 772-0520