Michelle Skeen, PsyD, introduces her new book, The Critical Partner, which uses Schema Theory as a framework for learning new things about yourself and your partner. Check it out:

Quick Tip for Therapists by Randy J. Paterson, PhD, author of Private Practice Made Simple

It's sometimes difficult to get hardworking clients to contemplate the value of life outside work. One option is simply to recite the old maxim, "No one reaches the end of their life and says 'I wish I'd spent more time at the office.'" Based on my experiences sitting by a lot of deathbeds in my time, this seems to be true. I've never seen a shred of regret about not working harder.

Another option is to lead the client into the discussion like this:

Quick Tip for Therapists by Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, PhD, NCC, LMHC, author of 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD, 2nd ed.

A therapist can determine if a client's relationship is healthy by looking at the levels of control within a relationship. A healthy relationship is one that is interdependent: the partners are emotionally intimate and rely on each other, but also have their own interests and abilities. One partner does not try to control the other.

Quick Tip for Therapists by Martin M. Antony, PhD, author of Overcoming Health Anxiety and Heather Hood, MA

Although exposure-based treatments can be highly effective for helping clients overcome problems with anxiety, you can enhance treatment outcomes by paying attention to the way that you conduct exposure therapy. Successful exposure therapy follows these guidelines:

Quick Tip for Therapists by Sheri Van Dijk, MSW, co-author of DBT Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder

So what do we do with these unhelpful yes-buts? When the yes-but has become a pattern or habit, the clients need to become aware of it, and the most effective way to begin to increase awareness is for you to bring it to their attention (they can also use mindfulness to help with this if you've already gone over this skill). Gradually, they'll start to notice it themselves

by guest blogger Olga Trujillo, J.D., author of The Sum of My Parts

The more I think about it, the more I marvel at the skill of the psychiatrist who helped me heal from Dissociative Identity Disorder. As I look back on our work together, I can spot a number of creative strategies that he used.

Let's call him Dr. Summer. I don't know whether Dr. Summer drew upon his experience working with other survivors of abuse or spontaneously invented some tools in his work with me. Some of these techniques must have been specific to my circumstances, and should be understood in that context before adapted to others. Here are the tools I found most helpful.

Huffington Post feature by Sheri Van Dijk, MSW, author of The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder and The Bipolar Workbook for Teen

There are so many different types of psychotherapy out there nowadays, if you're dealing with emotional problems, how do you know what will be most effective for you? In my experience as a psychotherapist, clients benefit the most from working with a therapist who is flexible, and who tailors therapy to meet the needs of the client, rather than trying to fit the client to a specific mold. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers a wide range of skills a therapist can choose from, to suit the needs of clients at any given time.