by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. I first saw her through a window, sitting outside the Earthblend coffeehouse. She wore a bright turquoise pant suit with a colorful scarf. Her hair was a brilliant red, softly spiked, wind blown swirl. Several interesting looking women gathered to sign copies of the books Heart of a Mother, and Heart [...]

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Growing up in poverty, I envied those who lived in houses with garages. To my youthful eyes, having a garage meant you had arrived in the big leagues. Space to store bicycles and roller-skates, skis and camping equipment, with room for a car, or two, symbolized empowerment and possibilities.

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. I know some great people, people I love, who feel a lot of fear right now because they can’t find a job. One worked as a high level engineer for a dynamic, profitable big-named company. Another managed a thriving division of a bank. One is a college graduate with exceptional talent, [...]

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by Jay Schneider, L.C.S.W. Anger management begins when we focus on solutions rather than emotional injuries. One of the most frequently asked questions by Manage Anger Daily students is “don’t I have a right to be angry?” During the first few weeks of class students dwell on this idea that they are entitled to their [...]

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Many times, when we’re angry, we hope to gain power over a situation where we feel threatened. If someone is loudly accusing us of something, we shout back more loudly. If someone criticizes us, we criticize him or her more strongly. Unfortunately, in relationships, and in negotiation, we lose power as [...]

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. A national study in 1999 reported that the average American child spends about 40 hours per week viewing media (television, movies, video games, etc). Think about the lost potential of children spending the equivalent of a full-time job, passively viewing entertainment. No wonder childhood obesity is considered the fastest growing health [...]

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Recently I counseled a couple with marital problems in my office. The husband came to session one day with a coffee stain on his shirt. He said “she did it to me again…made me ruin another shirt.” Apparently the wife was driving the car and had to stop abruptly causing him [...]

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. After a child commits murder we typically see news stories portraying these kids as normal one day and crazy the next. This sells papers, raises your tension level and keeps you watching. The reality is far more disturbing.  Usually the child demonstrates years of disturbing conduct before he or she commits [...]

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Angry, difficult people challenge us in many ways. They scare us with reactions out of proportion to the event that fueled their anger.  When we feel fear or threat we typically feel an automatic anger response.  Our anger then feeds the other persons anger. We can diffuse an angry person by [...]

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. At a Christmas party last December I received a humorous calendar entitled “For Women Who Do Too Much”. We can all relate to that feeling of “doing too much” particularly when we’re late for an appointment, stuck in traffic, or trying to send an important fax just as the machine breaks [...]

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