Most people begin a new role filled with excitement and ideas, eager to make an impact. They arrive at their first meeting, bursting to share insights on improving returns, only to collide with the notorious “Great Wall of No” that others have lamented for years. This is the start of a journey toward apathy, minimal effort, and eventually burnout and turnover—a particularly harsh...
“I am isolated. I sit in a glass ball, I see people through a glass wall. I scream, but they do not hear me.” – Ellen West (Carl Rogers) A few weeks ago, someone asked a friend of mine if I was okay. She was referring to the fact that it has been over half a year since my mother passed, and I have seemed different. My friend answered truthfully that I was not. To be clear, my “not okay” is...
In Rabbi Jonathan Sack’s profound exploration of spirituality (Studies in Spirituality, p. 205-206), he reflects, “It took me two years to recover from the death of my father, of blessed memory. To this day, almost twenty years later, I am not sure why. He did not die suddenly or young. He was well into his eighties. In his last years he had to undergo five operations, each of which sapped...
Following the recent horrendous Hamas attack in Israel last week, my initial disbelief was quickly overshadowed by the magnitude of the reports. In the subsequent week, I grappled with a complex mix of emotions, concerns for friends and family, and the responsibility of supporting friends and colleagues through their profound sorrow, anger, and, in some cases, a paralyzing search for a path...
Dear students, Today you had your last final, and unless you are doing a final on the make-up day, this is officially your last day of school. This is always a day filled with joy and excitement for the summer. This is a bittersweet day for me. While I am excited about the future, I am saddened this is my last day with all of you. The last two years that we shared were unique. I came in...
As individuals dedicated to the emotional well being of our clients, I am always surprised when I come across a mental health professional who has seemed to have lost the muscle strength to smile. Clearly, smiling is not appropriate all the time. I have learned this the hard way as I have often found myself smiling in situations where my colleagues have had to kick or elbow me under that table...
