When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is comprised of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.

--John F. Kennedy

As reported at a recent meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, first-graders have more behavioral problems on days that they are exposed to caffeinated beverages than on the days when they have caffeine-free drinks. Twenty first graders, including ten boys and ten girls, participated in the study. After three-hour time segments that occurred sequentially over a two-week study period, the children were given ten minutes with which they could "buy" repeated servings of their designated drink. At the end of each session, the teacher, who did not know the purpose of the study or the type of soda each child consumed, assessed each child's behavior with a modified Conners test. (The Conners test is a standard screen for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD].) 60% of the children had significantly elevated Conners scores on days when consuming caffeine, whereas 15% had elevated scores when consuming caffeine-free beverages.

One of the researchers stated, "The study shows why it is important to completely evaluate young children who are having behavioral and emotional problems, and to review the child's dietary habits, including caffeinated beverages, as part of the evaluation."

As a therapeutic coach experienced in mind-body approaches, I coach my clients in taking a holistic approach to health, wellness, and success. It is so important to avoid the trap set with other approaches—such as traditional psychotherapy—that hyper-focus on only a client's emotions or internal life. Achieving goals, solving problems, interacting with others, facing pressures from society, recognizing and managing one's emotions, sleeping well, eating right...it's all connected!

You can read the complete article at this web site (free registration is required before you can view the article).

A recent edition of the Psychological Science journal published an experiment that demonstrates the surprising effect of emotion on decisions about buying and selling. Two hundred college students were divided at random into three groups that watched three separate films: one that evoked disgust, one that evoked sadness, and one that evoked a neutral response (a fish on a coral reef). Subjects who saw the neutral film exhibited the normal endowment effect (buying and selling tendencies): students made the selling price higher than the other students' choice price. (Choice price is the price at which the person wants to buy the object instead of receiving the cash equivalent.) Disgust reduced the selling price to the point at which the endowment effect was eliminated. And sadness had an even more dramatic effect, lowering the selling price and raising the choice price so as to reverse the endowment effect. (When I read the effect of sadness on buying and selling, I was reminded of times I went through a break up of a relationship, and I remembered how willing I was to give away mutual possessions while deeply saddened.)

As this study shows, it is important to recognize emotions, manage them, and factor in your emotional state when facing a decision. Having received advanced training in emotion-management techniques, I am well qualified to assist you in working with your emotions—instead of against them—while working toward life goals such as buying a house, finding a spouse, and more. Feel free to contact me to talk further about emotion recognition and emotion management.

The May 1st edition of the Boston Globe contained an article about building skill regarding sifting through career advice. Rosalind Hoffa, director of the Amherst College Career Center is quoted as saying, "Approach many people and gather all sorts of information. No one has the absolute answer. So, the best way to proceed is to explore and experiment." The article mentions that tests such as the Highlands Ability Battery and the Myers-Briggs Type indicator can be helpful, but the article makes the point that test scores do not change after the age of approximately 14 ("interests and motivations shift, but one's natural abilities are the same throughout life").

The article looked at the situation of music producer and sound engineer John Clark. John stated that he was discouraged with his music classes at Tufts University, which emphasized performance. After briefly considering a lucrative career in medicine, Clark received national honors for a piece of music he produced, pointing him in the direction of advising musicians arranging music. So, there is no such thing as bad advice, just people who are bad at sifting advice.

When my clients tell me they are "stuck," it's often the result of being locked into a one point of view. Much of my work as a therapeutic coach involves making my clients aware of many possible points of view. Once my clients become aware of these other options, I assist them in evaluation and testing, coaching them to develop a "sifting" process that fits their style and that helps them reach their personal goals.

For fast-acting relief from stress, try slowing down.

--Lily Tomlin

The January/February issue of the Psychotherapy Networker reports that a study published in a recent issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology presents research showing that Process-Experiential Therapy (PET) is equivalent in effectiveness to cognitive-behavioral counseling (CBT) in treating depression. PET involves the counselor following the lead of the client in what topics are discussed, using the empty-chair technique (this is an imaginative technique in which the client practices speaking with a part of her- or himself, or with another significant person), and asks a client to connect body sensations with thoughts running through the mind at the time of an intense emotion.

The field of psychotherapy has suffered from not paying attention to measuring the effectiveness of techniques. As a therapeutic coach, not only do I keep informed on the latest research, but I find it important to note the connections between research-proven treatments. For example, CBT and PET both involve assisting clients in gaining some separation between emotions, body sensations, and thoughts. Please contact me to discuss further your thoughts on types of counseling techniques and research on counseling effectiveness.

The December 2004 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter provided an overview of children's fears and anxieties. The overview provides the following list as normative anxieties for children:

• Newborns usually fear falling and loud noises.
• Beginning as early as six months and possibly persisting until two or three, children are afraid of strangers.
• Preschool children usually fear being separated from their parents, and they may also be afraid of large animals, dark places, masks, and supernatural creatures.
• Older children may possibly worry about death in the family, failure in school, and events in the news, such as wars, terrorist attacks, and kidnappings.
• Adolescents may have sexual and social anxieties, and may have concerns about their own or the world's future.

The article takes care to point out that only when an anxiety interferes with daily functioning and persists over a prolonged period of time will such anxious feelings be labeled a "disorder." With the exception of separation anxiety, formally diagnosed anxiety disorders for children are the same as those diagnosed for adults: examples include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, simple phobias, and post traumatic stress disorder. The article cites the cobmined effect of many things that contribute to anxiety disorders in children: heredity, newborns with a temperament of shrinking away from strangers (being "behaviorally inhibited"), irregularities in brain chemistry, and learned responses.

The most recommended mode of treatment for childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders is cognitive-behavioral counseling delivered in a group. A common method is graduated exposure treatment, where the children are gradually exposed to what they fear, with rewards for being able to tolerate facing their fears. Older children can be taught deep breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation, or self talk (which is used to change stressful or exaggerated thinking, to positive and more flexible types of thinking).

In addition to knowing the "Slay the Monster" technique for assisting children who struggle with nightmares (this is also a technique that I can easily teach parents), I also have advanced training in cognitive-behavioral counseling, exposure therapy, and mind-body techniques for lessening anxiety. I invite you to contact me, if you have questions or would just like to discuss any other aspect of childhood anxiety or its treatment.