Category: Depression/Anxiety

Couple, Depression/Anxiety

Which role do you play, victim, persecutor, or rescuer?—Drama Triangle for Personal Insight/Awareness

Grace Chen, PhD. LMFT

drama triangle

I find thess three roles, victim, persecutor, and rescuer, straightforward to understand in the clinical settings. Often, when a client comes into my office, they are often locked into one of these roles and feels dissatisfied and resentful in his/her life.

One can shift in these three roles. For example, in a particular relationship, I might be the rescuer but a victim in another relationship. For example, in the family of origin, a person might be the rescue to his/her mother but a victim to his/her father. 

One can also shift among these roles in one issue with oneself. For example, a conflict happened at work or with a significant other, and these three roles might play out like this in one’s mind:

Victim: how could he/she say that? It’s so unfair to say that to me considering everything I have done for him/her.

Persecutor: He/she was so ungrateful. He/she behaved like…… and didn’t hold his/her end of the deal…….. He/she has no right to ask for anything. 

Rescuer: Still, how could I let this happen? It is my job to make sure everything goes the way it should be, and everyone gets the best out of the situation. I failed to do so.  Continue reading “Which role do you play, victim, persecutor, or rescuer?—Drama Triangle for Personal Insight/Awareness” →

Couple, Depression/Anxiety

Which role do you play, victim, persecutor, or rescuer?—Drama Triangle Introduction

Grace Chen, PhD. LMFT

drama triangle

In the interpersonal relationship…..(family, couple, work, friendship, etc….)

Have you ever felt that like a victim and being taken advantage all the time?

Have you ever felt like a firefighter and continuously putting out other people’s fire and rescue people around you all the time?

Have you ever felt so angry and frustrated that you want to criticize the other people’s behaviors all the time?

If you do, you might be falling into the drama triangle without knowing it.  Continue reading “Which role do you play, victim, persecutor, or rescuer?—Drama Triangle Introduction” →

Depression/Anxiety, Trauma

Change is Hard (Part II) — Why?

Grace Chen, PhD. LMFT

change-2.pngIs change possible?

As a therapist, I have to believe that people can change. Otherwise, what’s the point of psychotherapy if a person will feel miserable for the rest of his/her life because of his/her personality? Also, what can “I,” as a therapist, do, to facilitate the change? Or, in another word, based on the research result, how can I assist a person’s motivation to change?

It got me to think about the question: why don’t we take action to make changes even when we stuck in the miserable place? Continue reading “Change is Hard (Part II) — Why?” →

Depression/Anxiety

Change your thoughts doesn’t necessarily lead to change your feelings.

Grace Chen, PhD. LMFT

change thoughts change feelings

If you google the effectiveness of “XXXX” (depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc., just put in any symptoms), you will found tons of articles finding the evidence supporting Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I also have many clients told me that they had received CBT for years. 

“However, it did make sense when I talked to my therapist, but I just can’t make myself feel differently.” ~ my clients said. 

Why? Shouldn’t you feel “better” if “it makes sense” after the talk therapy?

Does change how you see things really change how you feel?

Continue reading “Change your thoughts doesn’t necessarily lead to change your feelings.” →

Cedar Cove, Couple, Depression/Anxiety

Family Life Cycle and Couple Relationship: What Does Cedar Cove Teach Us (Part 5)

Grace Chen, PhD. LMFT

launching children
Just a friendly reminder that you might want to read these articles before you started reading this entry.

Family Life Cycle Theory (Reuben Hill, 1949): Stage 5: Launching children and moving on

Once the first child leaves for college, the couple enters into the stage of launching the children and moving on. When the last child leaves the family, the couple enters the empty nest stage. The important tasks for the couple are to realign their relationship with the adult children as they did when they were a young adult with their parents, to “fill” space once occupied by their children, and to deal with the issues from the aging parents.

Continue reading “Family Life Cycle and Couple Relationship: What Does Cedar Cove Teach Us (Part 5)” →