Author: Yehuda Lieberman, LCSW-R, QCSW, DCSW

December 3rd, 2018

Dear Therapist: One of our children is obsessed with death. He is 6 years old and is constantly asking questions about it. He asks us when we will die, when bubby [Grandma] and zaidy [Grandpa] will die, etc. It used to be kind of cute when he planned for our demise, but recently he has been getting much more serious about it. He has been worrying more and has been waking up with "bad dreams" in middle of the night. We try to b …
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Author: Yehuda Lieberman, LCSW-R, QCSW, DCSW

February 7th, 2019

Dear Therapist: I have always struggled in several areas such as concentration, inability to complete projects, and too much talking. I have read articles about this and some seem to suggest that this is about anxiety while others indicate that it is ADHD related. How do I differentiate between these two possibilities?   Response: There are many symptoms that can apply to various disorders. Sometimes it can be difficult to ascertain which pr …
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Author: Yehuda Lieberman, LCSW-R, QCSW, DCSW

December 3rd, 2018

Dear Therapist: I am currently involved in a medical crisis (I was diagnosed with an illness, but we are not sure how serious it is yet). I need to get a lot of opinions from doctors and make choices regarding my treatment. I have never really been an assertive person but now I am really lost. Everyone has an opinion, I have no idea what to do and the doctors are talking over my head. It seems that if I don’t push I don’t get answered …
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Author: Yehuda Lieberman, LCSW-R, QCSW, DCSW

February 7th, 2019

Dear Therapist: I often experience what seem like dramatic mood changes. One day I'll wake up with loads of energy ready to take on the world and the next I will sit in bed trying to convince myself to get out of bed. I am sometimes full of joy and optimism and other times just retreat into myself. My friends joke that I am "bipolar." I asked my doctor about it and his response was something to the effect of, "We all have our ups and downs" and t …
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Author: Yehuda Lieberman, LCSW-R, QCSW, DCSW

May 14th, 2013

I don't believe that anyone can reach the peak of true self-esteem. We all view ourselves externally at least to some extent. The goal is to reduce externally based feelings about ourselves and to increase those intrinsically based. Some people will focus on building self-esteem so as to reduce or eliminate depressive or anxious feelings. Others can continually work toward an increasingly better sense of self. The great irony of self-esteem is th …
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Author: Yehuda Lieberman, LCSW-R, QCSW, DCSW

June 25th, 2018

Dear Therapist: Thank you so much for your insightful column each week. I gain a tremendous amount from your suggestions and advice. I am hoping that you can guide us. We...have a wonderful almost 10-year-old son; he is a fantastic kid, smart, conscientious, studious, well-behaved, bright...The problem is that he likes to eat and has been steadily gaining since 5 years old. First it was 10 pounds, then 20, and now more each passing year. At almos …
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Author: Yehuda Lieberman, LCSW-R, QCSW, DCSW

March 27th, 2019

Dear Therapist: I am a 19-year-old boy...When I introduce myself to new people I turn red in the face. This is something that I feel I can't control as much as I prep myself before. This is extremely embarrassing. Can you please explain why this happens and how I can deal with it?   Response: I well understand your concern. It’s humiliating to be overtly embarrassed. It’s one thing to feel a little uncomfortable; it’s quite …
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Author: Yehuda Lieberman, LCSW-R, QCSW, DCSW

May 14th, 2013

I have, in the past, defined true self-esteem as a positive feeling about oneself based on intrinsic attributes, similar to the way that we feel about others for whom we have esteem. What are the benefits of having true self-esteem, and what are the consequences of not having a positive sense of self? While there are many mental health issues that can be strongly impacted by low self-esteem, anxiety and depression appear to be the most common. In …
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Author: Yehuda Lieberman, LCSW-R, QCSW, DCSW

February 14th, 2019

Dear Therapist: Without going into the gory details my husband and are having serious problems in our marriage. We have been married 10 years and have 3 children...Some have suggested that we go for therapy as a couple. This might be a good idea but others have warned us not to because "therapists will wind up pushing you to get divorced." Things are bad but this is not what we want at all. Can you please give us some guidance (reassurance?) rega …
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Author: Yehuda Lieberman, LCSW-R, QCSW, DCSW

August 9th, 2018

Dear Therapist: My brother went through a very difficult...[time]as a teenager...He is doing much better now and continues to grow. He has always been welcome in my home and behaved appropriately around my children (his nephews). He is great with them, they love him and he adores them. As my children grow older I am becoming more concerned about his influence on them. He is not always careful about the language he uses in front of them and recent …
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