Heart and Meaning Psychotherapy & Coaching

Sasha Raskin, MA. Couples and Family Therapy & Coaching for Individuals Online & in Boulder, CO

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Medical Model in Psychotherapy Versus the Family Therapy Approach

Sasha Raskin, MA

Jun 21, 2018
4 min

Medical Model in Psychotherapy Versus the Family Therapy Approach

At the center of the medical model in psychology lies the idea that there is such a thing as a statistically normal psychological functioning of the individual. If the person experiences any distress, there is a deviation from that “normality,” usually caused by combination of biological, psychological and social factors: “The symptoms in our diagnostic criteria are part of the relatively limited repertoire of human emotional responses to internal and external stresses that

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Gender Bias in Psychotherapy

Sasha Raskin, MA

Jun 20, 2018
4 min

Gender Bias in Psychotherapy

I chose to analyze Salvador’s Minuchin structural family therapy session “Agitated depression in an adult woman.” (Minuchin, Nichols, & Lee, 2007). I want to preface by saying that I have a deep respect for Dr. Minuchin’s work, especially after watching videos of his live sessions. He seems to be a very attentive and attuned therapist, and that is why it is, even more important, to see if he might be subjected to gender bias in his work. If someone, as experienced as Dr. M

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Surefire Signs That You Need Couples Therapy (aka Marriage Counseling / Relationships Counseling

Sasha Raskin, MA

May 26, 2018
9 min

Surefire Signs That You Need Couples Therapy (aka Marriage Counseling / Relationships Counseling

Are you having difficulty connecting, communicating or feeling intimate with your spouse or partner? Do you feel that your marriage or relationship has hit a snag? Does it feel sometimes that you’re living separate lives with your partner? Have you been bickering and arguing over the same issues over and over again? Do you tend to avoid talking about certain hot topics or shy away from each other out of fear of rejection or conflict? Do you desire to express your innermost fe

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Everything you need to know about ADHD, Including How to Deal with It (Counseling, Medication and Be

Sasha Raskin, MA

May 15, 2018
10 min

Everything you need to know about ADHD, Including How to Deal with It (Counseling, Medication and Be

ADHD, short for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, is a mental health condition that has become quite rampant across the world in the past several years. Formerly referred to as ADD, ADHD is more profound in children than adults, with nearly 11 percent of American kids struggling with the attention disorder. Even so, it is estimated that 4-5 percent of adult Americans have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Some specialists argue that even though there is a prev

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Beginner’s Guide to Therapy: Finding the Right Therapist for You, Getting the Most of Therapy, and M

Sasha Raskin, MA

May 11, 2018
10 min

Beginner’s Guide to Therapy: Finding the Right Therapist for You, Getting the Most of Therapy, and M

Are you struggling to find the right match with a therapist? How can I locate a top-notch therapist near me? Are you looking to get the most out of your therapy sessions? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you have come to the right place. Sure, finding a therapist these days might seem like a piece of cake, but finding the right one for your needs is a whole different story. There are a ton of things you need to keep in mind if you want to zero in on a cou

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Suffering, Judgement and Compassion

Sasha Raskin, MA

May 10, 2018
2 min

Suffering, Judgement and Compassion

When reading about compassion in Pema Chodron’s book "The places that scare us", I found a practice I have been doing for years. She is describing standing in line and wishing the defiant teenager in front of her to be free from suffering. As I gradually deepened my meditation practice, I started to notice how many times a day I judge the people around me. The second step was adding action after noticing my judgement. I would say in my mind to the person I was judging, “may y

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Contemplative Psychotherapy, Buddhism, Meditation, Mindfulness and the Paramitas

Sasha Raskin, MA

May 9, 2018
5 min

Contemplative Psychotherapy, Buddhism, Meditation, Mindfulness and the Paramitas

Defining contemplative psychotherapy in three sentences is not easy, but if I were to explain it in a brief way I would describe it as a holistic approach to therapy that is grounded in Buddhist psychology and humanistic psychology. It honors the client as a unique, diverse person that is full of potential. The therapist helps clients identify the underlying emotions and issues in a supportive, compassionate, mindful, and non-judgemental environment. Expanding on this defini

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