Several years ago, Consumer Reports devoted an entire issue to the subject of psychotherapy. It published a study that found that, overall, psychotherapy works. But finding that kind of help can be a challenge. Almost daily I get e-mails or telephone calls from people who don’t know how to find a good therapist or don’t […]

I recently received a letter from a man who described living in a “very lonely marriage” for almost two decades. Because his wife apparently had been withdrawn and emotionally unavailable, he took on the role of primary caretaker for their 13-year-old daughter. After years of trying to communicate his loneliness with his wife, he finally […]

As we celebrate the anniversary of our Constitution, think about what the document actually is: words. They are words that shaped this nation. Words can also destroy a nation. The words of Sen. Joseph McCarthy came close to destroying all of the freedoms the Constitution affords. Words can wound a nation, words can begin or […]

Dear Dan, I am in my 50s and have been married to the same person for most of my adult life. We have a very good relationship now after some major rough times early on. We have a very satisfying sex life. But I have a crush every couple of years. I don’t act on […]

Dear Sam, This is the third column I have written to you. The first was three years ago on the event of your birth. Since that time, you have become one of the most beautiful and gentle children I have ever seen. The second column was last year when I explained that you had been […]

My last column addressed the issue of anxiety management in this anxious world. One recommendation was to identify your demons and learn to tolerate them. A woman wrote me and said that although she is clear she has many emotions that interfere with her life, she was having difficulty understanding how to face her demons […]

Everybody seems to be worried about anxiety. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal suggests that although our risk has been greatly diminished over the years, anxiety has actually increased for reasons ranging from greater access to research information to nonstop media coverage of disasters. Newsweek recently devoted its lead article to the psychology […]

I am 17 years old and lately my biggest problem is dealing with death. Family members and friends’ family members are passing away frequently lately. It makes me think about death, and what it is, and the whole thought bothers me. Could you maybe write an article on how to deal with this rough topic? […]

I was supposed to be living out a boyhood dream attending the Phillies’ spring training in Clearwater, Fla. I was supposed to be soaking up rays and watching new players. Instead, I was looking at a doctor who was looking at me sternly and saying: “I want you in the hospital now. What you have […]

This column originally appeared on Feb. 17, but is being republished at the request of readers. Many missed the original because a heavy snowstorm canceled or delayed delivery of the newspaper. An open letter to adolescents: Last time, I talked about some of the stresses you are living with – specifically, the relentless pressure to […]