Bowden McElroy

Moving the Blog

bowden mcelroy — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:58:46 +0000

This blog has moved to www.bowdenmcelroy.com. Similar ArticlesNo Related Post

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Defined

bowden mcelroy — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:41:40 +0000

From the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, involves anxious thoughts or rituals you feel you can’t control. If you have OCD, you may be plagued by persistent, unwelcome thoughts or images, or by the urgent need to engage in certain rituals. You may be obsessed with germs or dirt, so [...]

Depression, Counseling, and Medication

bowden mcelroy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:30:31 +0000

(A disclaimer: I am not a physician and cannot prescribe any medications. But I collaborate with doctors on a regular basis regarding the patients we are mutually treating and I have no shortage of opinions on the subject.) Major depressive episode has been called the “common cold of mental illness” because it is estimated that [...]

Marriage Quiz

bowden mcelroy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:20:00 +0000

Howard Markman and Scott Stanley are two of the leading researcher on the subject of marriage. Their Relationship Dynamics Scale can be found here. (If you haven’t already, check out Stanley’s book on Christian marriages – A Lasting Promise : A Christian Guide to Fighting for Your Marriage). Markman and Stanley identify 4 behaviors that [...]

Marriage Myths

bowden mcelroy — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:15:28 +0000

Five common myths about marriage, according to Bill Dougherty: 1) It’s foolish to get married without cohabiting. 2) It’s best to wait to get married when you are financially secure. 3) If a marriage gets rotten it never gets ripe again. 4) If your marriage fails your children really want you to find another romantic relationship because they want [...]

Can People Change?

bowden mcelroy — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:02:10 +0000

Which is it? Can people change or not? The answer depends on how one defines success or change. We can talk about sexual preference (whom do you desire) or sexual behavior (who do you actually have sex with) or sexual identity (how do you view or describe yourself). If sexual orientation is defined solely in [...]

When You Don’t Know What to Do

admin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:14:47 +0000

People don’t know how to listen. We talk, we offer advice, we occasionally work up the courage to confront, but we seldom listen to others. Helping – sharing the burdens of others – begins with listening. Listening starts with simply being present. Don’t know what to do when a friend is depressed or anxious or [...]

Alphabet Soup

bowden mcelroy — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:00:10 +0000

People seeking a counselor can be easily overwhelmed by all of the abbreviations and credentials on a counselor’s business card. All do essentially the same thing; each comes with a different type of training and a different set of underlying assumptions about how best to provide counseling. Let’s start with the title. A psychologist is [...]

Making a Referral: 2

admin — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:00:20 +0000

The first step in making an effective referral is believing that referral is an appropriate and professional service which is in the client’s best interest. If we believe that the client is being short changed by our referring them, we will often not be effective in making referrals. The second step in making referrals is [...]

Making a Referral: 1

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:49:08 +0000

Nearly all helping professionals at some time or another find themselves needing to make a referral to another specialist. Whether one is a physician, pastor, or a psychologist, we sometimes find that the client’s needs and goals can best be met by someone who has special training beyond what we possess. Sometimes we discover that [...]