Theravive Home

In a recent survey of 27,715 transgender adults in JAMA Psychiatry, gender identity conversion efforts (GICE) were associated with higher odds of attempted suicide and severe psychological distress. Many jurisdictions ban this practice and several professional organizations oppose it because they recognize the adverse mental health outcomes seen in those who experienced these efforts. [More]

Traumatic experiences create long-lasting memories that can negatively impact our lives in a myriad of ways. A common treatment to overcome fear is called exposure therapy, or fear extinction, where patients are repeatedly confronted with the source of the fear. This typically is effective at dampening the fearful response, however, the original fear tends to relapse outside of the clinic, limiting the effectiveness of the treatment. Anthony F. Lacagnina and fellow researchers at the University of Texas at Austin wanted to know how the brain changes to adapt to extinction training, and what happens when relapse occurs. [More]

Physiological responses to negative emotions, activities we regularly engage in, mobile phone use and other passive signals tell a lot about a person. With advances in technology including wearable devices and smartphones, medical professionals can collect passive signals that may indicate a particular state of mind. [More]

More health plans offer telehealth as a service, including for mental health concerns, as research shows telehealth is effective. But will the increase in telehealth services improve mental health treatment, with more people seeking it out in the privacy of their homes or a more viable option for those in rural areas? Or will it become less effective with issues such as subtle nuances of body language missed on a video? [More]

15 years in practice, 6 years of graduate school, three professional licenses, countless continuing [More]

In some states, licensed counselors are banned from providing therapy to change sexual orientation or gender identity. Yet, there are still organizations that offer to help those who no longer want to identify as LGBT. [More]

Compassion fatigue is often described as a loss of caring about clients, often to a degree of feeling irritated by their problems (Brown, 2017). A person-centered approach is often noted as the foundation for any therapeutic relationship. A person-centered approach includes having unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence for a client. Compassion fatigue and person-centered therapy simply cannot go together. In fact, most experts would agree that the therapeutic relationship is the most important indicator for the likelihood of success in treatment. The question becomes how can therapists continue to practice to earn a living while also making themselves susceptible to compassion fatigue? [More]

In the past, the line between agoraphobia and panic attacks was blurred. But ongoing research has resulted in psychotherapy professionals recognizing the phobia as completely separate from the panic attacks that may result from it. Agoraphobia is not a panic disorder. It is, instead, being recognized as a fear of being afraid and losing control. [More]

Suicide is the 9th leading cause of death in Canada and the 10th leading cause in the U.S. And suicide numbers for youth aged 10 to 24 continue to rise year after year. In an attempt to provide healthcare professionals in emergency rooms, hospitals, and other facilities with a fast, accurate resource to help assess youth at risk of self-harm, researchers this month unveiled a new tool that holds a lot of promise. [More]

What is the one activity of childhood that is, in all likelihood, universally accepted as an effective way to withdraw from the pandemonium of daily life? What will occupy the mind and restore serenity in less time than one can measure? What is the diversion that has been adopted by the world of adults and has sold over 12 million units of functional escape from reality as the numbers continue to grow? [More]