Albert Ellis Institute

Believing in Ghosts: Irrational Beliefs And Online Dating Distress

Michael Hickey — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:46:28 +0000

Love in the digital age is a perplexing thing. A left swipe here, a “ghosting” there, and suddenly the landscape of romance looks more like a video game leaderboard than a courting ritual. Why get swept off your feet and wooed when you can get a delayed text, a non-response, or even get blocked instead? Many young adults find themselves navigating this world in which desire, rejection…

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The Weapon of Choice

Michael Hickey — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 14:12:45 +0000

Today’s world is full of a variety (or at least, the illusion) of endless choices. At our fingertips, we are given access to every kind of cuisine, every possible route to a destination, and even every possible single person in our area “looking for something casual.” One would think that these opportunities would lead to a greater sense of freedom and excitement. However, I have observed those…

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I Am Bored, What To Do Now?

kdoyle — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:26:34 +0000

Daily life is full of those little moments where boredom sneaks in. We scroll our phones, check social media, grab a coffee, snack on something, go for a walk, chat with a friend, the list goes on. There’s nothing wrong with any of that. In fact, doing these things mindfully and taking intentional breaks from the grind can be restorative. But sometimes we fall into a trap: trying to force…

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On Being a Fraudulent Artist

Michael Hickey — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:49:35 +0000

Art has been at the core of my identity for as long as I can remember. The “A” at the end of my name was always allocated to “artistic” when making acrostic poems in elementary school. If I was feeling generous, I’d double down and make the “C” stand for “creative”. I took pride in my tiny clay pinch pots from art class and learned new instruments with remarkable ease. My fine art and music…

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Shoulds, Musts, and Mom

Michael Hickey — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:43:58 +0000

In the last few years of my life, I have found myself straddling the gap between adolescence and adulthood with little elegance. After three glorious and unsupervised years of college (might I add, in the beautiful Hudson Valley), I received the news of my acceptance into a prestigious PsyD program. My independence and identity were blossoming. My head began to swim with all of the…

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A Hot Take on the Morning Commute

Michael Hickey — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 17:18:53 +0000

As my second month of commuting to the big New York City apple begins, I feel as though I am embodying the movie character Elle Woods — Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde. Instead, use your imagination and make me her twin sister – a doctoral student – now one of the many Long Island commuters who follows along the train for a day in the big city. I recall spending my first trip quite simply…

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When Rage Meets Reality: Learning to Accept My Friend’s Flaws

Michael Hickey — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:20:39 +0000

The concert I had been looking forward to for months was almost here. We were getting ready to head out, but a few hours before the show, my friend realized he had actually bought tickets for a different date—in a different state. My body shook with a wave of rage, and I felt extremely angry at him. My mind raced with thoughts like: How could he not double-check? Is he that careless?

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MY SUMMER VACATION: I MUST HAVE ALL THE FUN

kdoyle — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 19:18:16 +0000

It’s summertime—warm and fuzzy. All those plans I made while winter raged on have finally come to life. It’s time! Here I am, sitting on a beach, enjoying my drink as the sun caresses my olive skin. But wait—shouldn’t this be more fun? I tell myself to shake it off and get it together. I envisioned this vacation as the pinnacle of joy, a time to live out every bit of happiness I had imagined.

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Oh! Boundaries Apply to Me Too?

Michael Hickey — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 16:05:12 +0000

I am currently in my third year of my Ph.D. program, and from the start of my journey into this helping profession, I have strived to be the best therapist, extern, student, and support I can be—to my mentors, my patients, and to myself. I genuinely want to be there for others, consistently and wholeheartedly, to the best of an externs’ ability. Yet, one core principle we often stress in this…

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Breaking Down Breakups

Michael Hickey — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 15:54:13 +0000

Breakups suck. Nobody likes them, yet most of us have gone through them. I certainly have experienced my fair share of them. Often after a breakup, I find myself reflecting on how I thought the relationship went and what I could have done better. There have been a number of times where all I could think about was “what if I had just done X instead?” or “If only I had done Y.” As if doing one thing…

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