A counselorssoapbox.com video by David Joel Miller, LMFT, LPCC
Parentified children grow up too soon. They often must take care of siblings or work at an early age. Children in dysfunctional homes don’t get a chance to be children. This can result in problems when they become adults. This video discusses the signs that you may be a Parentified child.
By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.
Children’s mental health.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
When it comes to mental health services what’s needed and what’s actually provided can vary tremendously. Treatment for each client should be individualized.
Therapy for children needs to be appropriate for both their age and their developmental stage. There are also some differences in the way the counselor or therapist may need to approach treatment. In selecting a therapist, it’s important to find someone with both the training and experience required to work with the person receiving services. Here are some of the differences between mental health services for youth and adults.
Children don’t have the vocabulary to describe feelings. Children often express themselves by actions rather than words. For very young children therapy is best done through speaking the language of “play.” How a child expresses themselves through action will change as they age.
What’s appropriate for a baby to say at age six months will be very different from what they should be saying at five years. The same is true of their behaviors and the way in which they play.
Children are usually referred to therapy because an adult has either recognized the problem or is afraid the child may develop a problem. The counselor must consider whether the reason this child is in therapy is that the child is doing something an adult doesn’t want them to do or because they aren’t doing something the adult wants them to do.
More than one female single parent has brought their male offspring in for counseling because they did not want that child to “be just like their father.” In these cases, often the father was either physically abusive, drug-addicted, or engaged in criminal activity. Unfortunately, being told repeatedly that you are “just like your father” can be extremely damaging to the child’s development.
A similar problem happens when male parents are raising female children and, in their effort, to prevent their daughters developing sexuality, they continually accuse the daughter of promiscuity “just like your mother.”
In cases like these, where a parent is projecting their own issues and negative life experiences on to their children, the counselor tries to help the child develop the skills to make their own healthy choices. Frequently, what needs to happen is for the parent to get into therapy for their issues and for help in becoming a more effective parent.
The counselor will at most see the child for an hour a week, while the parent will provide the care for that child for 167 other hours each week.
If a child isn’t hitting their developmental milestones, walking, talking, learning schoolwork, and appropriate behavior on time, this warrants a referral to medical or mental health professionals. Unfortunately, many parents have unrealistic expectations for their child. Parents often push their children to do things that they are not developmentally ready for. I’ve had parents request that their child be assessed for ADHD because the child was getting B grades instead of straight A’s.
While the child is often the one identified as having the problem, it’s entirely possible the problem is with the home situation. Children who grow up in a home where parents have frequent violent fights may be awake all night. When they go to school, they can’t concentrate because of their lack of sleep and their fears about what is going on at home while they’re at school. If they witnessed domestic violence, they might learn to use hitting as a way to get what they want.
While the child is referred for assessment for attention problems the real issue may lie with the parents. Children are afraid to report problems at home for fear that their parents will punish them or that they may be taken away from their parents.
Many children are taught not to talk to strangers and to never talk about families “business” outside the family. Children from lower socioeconomic status homes may be embarrassed. Children may have been instructed not to talk about parents who are engaged in illegal activity, or they may be reluctant to talk about having a parent or caregiver who is incarcerated.
I see many files for teenagers in which they were treated in the early grades for developmental issues. Later they were treated for attention deficits. In middle school and high school, they may have been treated for bad behavior. It’s not until late high school or college that some of these clients are diagnosed with severe depression.
It’s important that anyone working with children not write off poor attention and behavioral problems as a result of “bad child” diagnoses. A specialist in child developmental issues should be looking for serious mental health issues such as anxiety disorders and depression.
Counselors working the children must be careful not to think that it’s the child who has the problem. Sometimes what the child needs are the skills to cope with a dysfunctional family and a challenging world. Social skills are tough for some children to develop. The majority of adults who develop anxiety disorders had the symptoms by the end of middle school.
Counselors may need to normalize the challenges of growing up. Most children go through a stage of feeling insecure and worrying about whether they measure up. Helping the young client through the transition periods can reduce or possibly even prevent the development of anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and other mental health problems that are the result of judging themselves in overly negative ways.
These are some of the major differences between working with children and adults. The techniques and materials the counselor uses are also likely to be different. Please feel free to leave additional questions or comments.
Staying connected with David Joel Miller
Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!
My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.
Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.
Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.
As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.
Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.
Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.
Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.
Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.
Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.
What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?
Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.
For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller
Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.
For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel
Sunday Inspiration. Post by David Joel Miller.
Parenting.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
Parenting.
“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
― Margaret Mead
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
― Albert Einstein
“One thing I had learned from watching chimpanzees with their infants is that having a child should be fun.”
― Jane Goodall
Wanted to share some inspirational quotes with you. Today seemed like a good time to do this. If any of these quotes strike a chord with you, please share them.
Look at these related posts for more on this topic and other feelings.
Sunday Inspiration. Post by David Joel Miller.
Happy Father’s Day.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
Father.
“We never get over our fathers, and we’re not required to. (Irish Proverb)”
― Martin Sheen, Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son
“My father taught me to work, but not to love it. I never did like to work, and I don’t deny it. I’d rather read, tell stories, crack jokes, talk, laugh — anything but work.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Wanted to share some inspirational quotes with you. Today seemed like a good time to do this. If any of these quotes strike a chord with you, please share them.
By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.
Holiday Gift your child needs.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
Christmas is almost here, but then it could be any day and this principle still holds. Parents want to be good parents. Even when you are struggling you still would like to think that you are doing the best you can for your children. Many people have been out shopping the whole season trying to find the just right thing. If you could just buy them the perfect present, then that would mean you were a great parent.
Don’t try to be the perfect parent. No one has ever been both perfect and a parent. The perfect gift will not mean you have arrived as a parent. Work on being a good enough parent. The really important gifts you will give your children are ideas and values, not physical things. Concentrate on the gifts that will last a lifetime.
Here is my list of wonderful gifts you can give your children which cost nothing in terms of dollars.
Make sure you give your child the gift of feeling loved. Teach them how to love themselves and love others. Don’t make your love conditional on anything they need to say, be or do.
Make sure your children know that you accept them. Let them know they are worthwhile just the way they are. Don’t insist that they be stronger, faster, or smarter, in order to win your approval.
Teach your children to have and to respect boundaries. A cardinal rule of parenting is that parents need to be parents and they need to allow their children to be children. Don’t try to make your children into your best friend. Don’t encourage them to grow up faster than they need to.
Teach your children life skills that are consistent with their developmental level. Don’t expect them to do adult things when their small but don’t continue to do things for them when they’re old enough to be able to do them themselves.
Teach your kids the consequences of their actions for good or for bad. It’s not healthy or good for your child to let them get out of the punishment they have coming.
Allow your children to grow into responsibilities. Knowing your responsibilities and being able to fulfill them gives children a sense of accomplishment. To build their self-esteem and self-efficacy children need to do things that can make them proud.
Help your children to learn the distinction between what’s real and what’s fantasy. Allow them to have their dreams and be creative. Don’t encourage them to pretend that things are other than as they are.
Give your children the gift of being a really good listener. Having you listen to them teaches them how to listen to others.
To a child, particularly a small child, the gift of your time and attention is far more valuable than the presents you will buy.
Encourage your children to become happiness experts. Teach them to live a joyful life. Please encourage a positive, can-do attitude.
Be a good example for your children. Teach them the rule do as I do. They are going to copy your behavior anyway.
Help your children to see that happiness does not come from getting everything you want. Not all needs are physical, material ones.
Make learning an important part of your family life. The more words your child knows the better they will do in school. When they are small read to them. As they grow, encourage them to read out loud. Help them to write communications which convey what they mean.
Give your children the gift of curiosity, help them to explore the physical, natural, and mental worlds.
Don’t leave your children unprepared for the day they become adults. Teach them about what it is to work and the types of jobs that they might be able to do as they grow. Encourage them to research some of the careers that they dream about doing.
Don’t give your children the job of settling old scores. Don’t bring them into adult quarrels. If you have baggage from the past work on unpacking your own suitcase.
Make sure your child knows that they will be different from you. Let them explore what it means to be them.
Staying connected with David Joel Miller
Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!
My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.
Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.
Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.
As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.
Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.
Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.
Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.
Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.
Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.
What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?
Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.
For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller
Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.
For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel
Sunday Inspiration. Post by David Joel Miller.
Raising good children.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
“If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money.” Abigail Van Buren
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” James Baldwin
“Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.” Marcus Tullius Cicero
Wanted to share some inspirational quotes with you. Today seemed like a good time to do this. If any of these quotes strike a chord with you, please share them.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.
Girl Talking.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
People who talk to themselves out loud can make people around them very nervous. When we think about somebody who is talking out loud many people are likely to think of the psychotic person who was speaking to the voices or the disturbed person who is rambling on and on for no particular reason. There can be some very definite positive benefits to talking to yourself.
Children are particularly likely to be talking to themselves out loud. They have not yet developed the skills to self-monitoring and only speaking out loud when they are alone. If you find that you are still talking out loud to yourself, this does not necessarily mean that are losing your mind. But it may mean is that you have something very important on your mind and are forgetting to self-monitoring for other people around. Below are some reasons that speaking to yourself out loud may be helpful.
Many famous public speakers began by practicing their speeches out loud. If you know that you’re going to need to make a presentation, it can really improve your performance to practice that speech out loud.
If you just heard something and you need to remember it, saying it over and over again to yourself can help. Going over a chain of events A happened and then B can help you to remember those events in sequence.
Sometimes we know we’re going to have to have one of those difficult talks with someone. It’s important to get the words just right. Practicing what you’re going to say can help you identify things that may come out other than the way you want them to. Listening to what you have to say can help you find just the right way to convey that information.
When you’re trying to learn a new procedure and there are several steps, it can help you to remember this process if you repeat each step as you do it. In skills training, the trainer may initially repeat the steps out loud to the client. They will then have the client do the process while repeating the steps out loud. Finally, the client repeats the process while saying the steps silently in their head.
People with very active, busy minds find that it can be helpful to clear that mind by going ahead and saying the things that are bothering them. Sometimes this can be an automatic unconscious behavior. While this is helpful to the person with a busy crowded mind it can be upsetting to others who might accidentally overhear.
Good storytellers practice telling their stories over and over. If you’re going to be telling that story out loud to others it’s best to practice the story out loud. Highly creative people often tell themselves stories. Sometimes when they’re alone they tell them out loud. As you develop your storytelling and your self-monitoring skills you are likely to learn to tell the stories with your mouth closed and the words retained in your head.
You’re going to spend a lot of time with yourself. Work of becoming your own best friend. One way of becoming supportive of yourself is to have those self-talks that you wish you could have with other people. The more you practice these self-talks the better you will be able to contain them within your head instead of having them leak out and others hear them.
Sometimes we repeat things out loud during a conversation with another person. It can help to confirm that we’ve heard things accurately. You can also use talking aloud to help you focus your attention on what is being discussed or what you need to do.
People who are working on their self-monitoring skills may find it useful to comment on their activities as they do them.
When you’re feeling upset or on edge talking to yourself can be helpful. Remind yourself that you are safe.
Creative people may find it useful to have these conversations out loud to explore possible conversations.
So if you or someone in your life makes a habit of talking out loud consider whether this is a helpful skill or a lack of self-monitoring.
Staying connected with David Joel Miller
Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!
My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.
Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.
Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.
As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.
Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.
Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.
Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.
Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.
Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.
What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?
Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.
For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller
Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.
For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel
Sunday Inspiration. Post by David Joel Miller.
Closeness.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
“Closeness means you get hurt; closeness means letting down your defenses and letting people see the tender skin under the carapace.”
― Cathy Kelly, Never Too Late
I tried to put things in perspective but sometimes you’re just too close to it.
Cormac McCarthy
You can’t find any true closeness in Hollywood because everybody does the fake closeness so well.
Carrie Fisher
If your relationship with someone is based on your desire for them to change into something radically different, there’s no real closeness there, no real communication.
Patrick Califia
Wanted to share some inspirational quotes with you. Today seemed like a good time to do this. If any of these quotes strike a chord with you, please share them.
By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.
What is Selective Mutism (F94.0)?
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.
Selective Mutism is an interesting disorder. It is one of the less common anxiety disorders and one which commonly first appears in childhood. This disorder often co-occurs with Social Anxiety Disorder. As with all the anxiety disorders, Selective Mutism may continue well into adulthood.
Selective Mutism is not the inability to speak or the willful refusal to speak. Selective Mutism occurs when someone chooses not to speak in a particular situation even when not speaking may cause them difficult. Children with this condition will avoid starting a conversation with other children. When spoken to they will fail to respond.
Children with Selective Mutism do poorly in school because they do not respond verbally to the teacher and do not read out loud. Those with this disorder may use other ways of communicating rather than speaking. Sometimes they will point, grunt, or used personally significant gestures. They may also be willing to engage in social activities when speech is not required.
Children with Selective Mutism are able to speak normally at home with their parents or primary caregivers. They may be unwilling to speak in the presence of close relatives including cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents.
Children who are shy are at extra risk to develop this disorder. Having parents who are withdrawn or growing up in a socially isolated environment may also be risk factors. It is possible that having overprotective or controlling parents increases this risk. There’s some evidence that children with this disorder have difficulty understanding the things that are said to them. Having Social Anxiety Disorder or a family history of it may also increase the risks.
People with Selective Mutism also frequently are shy and experience social embarrassment. They may be isolated and withdrawn. Children with Selective Mutism may be clingy and become easily upset. They may also exhibit temper tantrums and oppositional behavior.
Having this disorder early in life and not getting treatment for it puts the child at extra risk for poor development and failure to learn needed social skills.
To get this diagnosis, this condition of not speaking even when you need to speak must go on for a month or more. If the thing keeping you from speaking is the result of not knowing the English language or being bilingual in some way, this is not a case of Selective Mutism.
Also excluded from the definition of Selective Mutism are things related to speech fluency. If the person involved is experiencing an episode of hearing voices, if being psychotic, or a schizophrenia-like condition, this also is outside the definition of Selective Mutism.
FYI These “What is” sometimes “What are” posts are my efforts to explain terms commonly used in Mental Health, Clinical Counseling, Substance Use Disorder Counseling, Psychology, Life Coaching, and related disciplines in a plain language way. Many are based on the new DSM-5, some of the older posts were based on the DSM-IV-TR, both published by the APA. For the more technical versions please consult the DSM or other appropriate references.
More “What is” posts will be found at What is.
Staying connected with David Joel Miller
Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!
My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.
Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.
Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.
As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.
Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.
Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.
Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.
Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.
Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.
What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?
Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.
For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller
Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.
For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel
By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.
What is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) F94.1?
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) is one of those disorders which was moved in the DSM-5.
It used to be included in the chapter on Disorders First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence.
RAD now appears in the chapter on Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders.
Reactive Attachment Disorder is an internalizing disorder. A related disorder called Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder involves externalizing behaviors. Both conditions are thought to be caused by poor caregiving early in life. RAD involves a consistent pattern of shutting down, withdrawing, and inhibiting emotions. This disorder starts before age five and is rarely given after that age.
While this is a diagnosis primarily applied to very young children, in working with adults we often see conditions that probably began as Reactive Attachment Disorder. A common statement is that they “just don’t get close to others.” This condition involves an inability to regulate emotion and unexplained anger, both issues we frequently see in adults who came from dysfunctional homes.
With children, we usually know that the symptoms are caused by neglect and poor parenting. With adults, similar symptoms show up as depression, chronic sadness, anxiety disorders, or even personality disorders. Our understanding of reactive attachment disorder is pretty much an all or nothing condition. I can’t help wonder about the effects which varying degrees of neglect or failure to meet the child’s emotional needs might be causing.
Most of the Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders are related to anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders and are fear-based. Reactive Attachment Disorder is about shutting down and internalizing. In Reactive Attachment Disorder, there is chronic sadness, depression, and loss of pleasure. There may also be accompanying anger, aggression, and dissociation. This involves a lot of withdrawal and inhibited emotion.
Children with RAD are unresponsive to others. They’re rarely happy or positive. RAD involves frequent irritation, sadness and sometimes being afraid. Children with this disorder often react to adult caregivers in a negative way for no apparent reason. These patterns of poor relationships with adults continue even when caregivers change.
In adults, we see similar patterns with those people who get diagnosed with Persistent Depressive Disorder. They often say they do not ever remember being happy. What we often don’t know is if this person really had deficient care as a child or if they had a temperament which makes them difficult to parent. Sick, or irritable temperamental children are harder to parent and more likely to be abused or neglected.
Characteristics of this less-than-adequate care include emotional needs not being met, frequent changes in caregivers, and being raised in impersonal institutionalize settings. Mostly this deficient care results in poor relationships with caregivers and other adults, but it may also affect peer relationships.
Sometimes children with Autism or developmental delays exhibit symptoms that can look like Reactive Attachment Disorder. In young children, it is important to be sure the problems were caused by poor caregiving. In adults, we see behaviors that we suspect began as Reactive Attachment Disorder, but without a prior diagnosis, we can’t be sure. RAD may affect many other developmental areas.
As with the other things we are calling a mental illness this RAD needs to interfere with the ability to work, or in children, go to school, relationships, or other enjoyable activities or cause personal distress. Otherwise, there may be issues, but the diagnoses will not be given. If the only time this happens is when someone is under the influence of drugs or medicines or because of some other physical or medical problem these problems would need to be more than the situation otherwise warrants. These other issues may need treating first, then if there are still symptoms, the diagnosis will be given.
For children, getting into a situation with a caring, responsible, caregiver, can make all the difference. For adults with problems now, which may or may not be the result of early childhood experiences, there are several therapies which may be helpful.
It is imperative that children who have Reactive Attachment Disorder get treatment early to prevent lifelong difficulties. Adults who struggle with emotional difficulties may find that they still have early childhood issues that need to be addressed before their adult problems will resolve.
FYI These “What is” sometimes “What are” posts are my efforts to explain terms commonly used in Mental Health, Clinical Counseling, Substance Use Disorder Counseling, Psychology, Life Coaching, and related disciplines in a plain language way. Many are based on the new DSM-5; some of the older posts were based on the DSM-IV-TR, both published by the APA. For the more technical versions please consult the DSM or other appropriate references.
Staying connected with David Joel Miller
Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!
My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.
Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.
Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.
As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.
Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.
Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.
Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.
Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.
Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.
What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?
Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.
For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller
Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.
For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel
counselorssoapbox 