By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Many years ago, as a lonely starving student, I took a walk to get away from my dingy apartment and my blue mood.  I saw a rumpled flyer on the wall of a store.  It read “Volunteers needed for suicide prevention hotline and food bank.  No experience necessary.  Training provided.  Call [...]

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By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. The 2009 Road Rage Award goes to Dr. Christopher Thomas Thompson, 59. The doctor wins for speeding past two cyclists, slamming on his brakes, causing one to hit the rear window of his red Infiniti, and the other to suffer a separated shoulder. Dr. Thompson, unable to bear the (one-second, two-seconds, [...]

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By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Many years ago my friends and I found ourselves facing a holiday season with no money and no family. Too broke to travel home, we decided to get creative. A twisted, puny, discarded shrub, stuck in a coffee can wrapped in aluminum foil became our Christmas tree. We took needle and [...]

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By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. “I hate happy people,” said Mark, a former anger management client. “I just want to punch them in the face.” Mark wore his unhappiness with a hostile chip on his shoulder. Unable to appreciate the joy in others, even the sweet innocence of a baby’s laughter, he consumed himself with bitter [...]

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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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