Ask the Psychologist: Online Clinical Psychologist

Can Understanding Personality Types Help Your Marriage?

Dr Shailagh Clarke, PhD — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:03:41 +0000

Q: I have trust issues with my wife of 26 years. It came to a head this summer when I found out she did not have an important discussion with her sister about the cost of moving their aging mother into a care facility. The mother isn’t wealthy and I wanted to be sure that [...]

Tags: boundaries, marriage, relationships, self awareness

How Do I Become a Trauma Psychologist?

Dr Jennifer Ritchie-Goodline, PsyD — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:00:12 +0000

Q: If I wanted to become a psychologist specializing in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder what degree would I need to obtain to do so? A: In general in the U.S. (the details of this process may vary in other countries), in order to become a psychologist you need to obtain a graduate doctoral degree in psychology [...]

Tags: psychology profession, school and studies

How Can I Forgive Myself for Watching Porn?

Dr Misty Hook, PhD — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:43:16 +0000

Q: In the past, on and off, I would look at rather violent and deviant pornography. This progressed into looking at illegal pornography. It is hard for me to even admit the things I saw but I assume you can figure it out. Needless to say it was the worst of the worst. I would [...]

Tags: guilt, self awareness, sexuality

My Girlfriend and I Have an Abusive Relationship

Dr Misty Hook, PhD — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:28:36 +0000

Q: My girlfriend and I have known each other for about one year. We had a difficult start. She was doing prostitution and I did not know that. In addition, she had three men in her life and I was one of them. I was not exactly an angel either. I had three women in [...]

Tags: abuse and trauma, relationships, self awareness

My Best Friend Doesn’t Want Me to Date

Dr Misty Hook, PhD — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:15:35 +0000

Q: I am 15 years old and there is a boy who is my friend. Lately we’ve started talking a lot and I started liking him (I think it’s been 2-3 months). He told my best friend that he likes me. I told her to tell him that I like him too and she did. [...]

Tags: boundaries, relationships, suicide

I Was Sexually Abused; I Don’t Want Sex Now

Dr Shailagh Clarke, PhD — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:20:19 +0000

Q: I was sexually abused years ago. Now I have a boyfriend and I’m afraid I am losing him, because I refused to have sex with him because of what happened in the past. What should I do? A: I am very sorry that happened to you. Given what you have experienced, you may or [...]

Tags: abuse and trauma, boundaries, relationships, sexuality

Was I Sexually Abused?

Dr Misty Hook, PhD — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:52:46 +0000

Q: For years I have suspected that I may have been sexually abused as a young child. I am 20 years old now. I am my mother’s only child. My father left when I was two and a half years old. Six months after my Dad left, my Mum met a man who was working [...]

Tags: abuse and trauma, boundaries, child development, parenting and children, sexuality

Why Do My Stepchildren Nibble On My Shirt?

Dr Shailagh Clarke, PhD — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:32:17 +0000

Q: My 10-year-old stepson nibbles on my shirt and so does my 8-year-old stepdaughter. Is that normal behavior? They don’t break skin, they just nibble the front, shoulders and sleeves of the shirt. A: There could be a few different reasons underlying this behavior, or it could be something that is resolved as the kids [...]

Tags: anxiety and stress, child development, parenting and children

I Met My Boyfriend Online, Lied About My Age, Now Feel Guilty

Dr Shailagh Clarke, PhD — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:22:05 +0000

Q: I am a girl from Lithuania. I am a teenager, sixteen years old. Actually, I’m turning seventeen next month. I have always been on the social sites — since I was eleven or even ten! One day I signed up on a dating site and I chatted and talked with a lot of people. [...]

Tags: guilt, love, relationships

Emotional Intimacy Lacking in the Marriage

Dr Misty Hook, PhD — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:07:31 +0000

Q: I got married following a whirlwind long-distance romance. It was working perfectly and we were over the moon. So we got married and soon after, I started to erect a barrier between me and my hubby. I later saw that this was because my dad had been emotionally abusive most of my life and [...]

Tags: love, marriage, parenting and children, relationships, self awareness