Dr. Kate Marshall

Sometimes life presents painful stumbling blocks. We want to give ourselves fully to our present situations, but we’re unable to move beyond past events that prevent this forward movement. As a Boulder, Colorado psychologist, I have found over the years, that although there are many tools and techniques for helping people recover and reclaim their lives, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the most effective. EMDR is a proven treatment for healing those of us who have experienced difficult events. The American Psychiatric Association endorses it as one of the five recommended forms of treatment for trauma…. Read the rest of the article >

Dr. Kate Marshall

I’m excited to post news about my new Certification in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy.  It was no small undertaking and involved several years of rigorous supervision, workshops, study and practice.  It was worth it!  Although I’ve studied and practiced couple and family therapy within many other relationship models over the years, I find that EFT, based upon the science of love,  provides a more  in-depth road map for creating positive change in distressed relationships. According to the ICEEFT website, EFT, developed by Drs. Sue Johnson and Les Greenburg in the eighties, EFT “is the fastest growing state-of the art research… Read the rest of the article >

Dr. Kate Marshall

According to marriage expert, John Gottman, deep friendship is the best defense against an adversarial relationship with the spouse.  There are different conflict styles in marriages but the important point is that the style works for both parties. Many couples who start out with a close, loving bond often wonder what happened when destructive patterns begin to take hold.  Effective communication feels difficult and negotiations can dead end.  Conflicts erupt over child rearing practices, money concerns, shared activities, health worries, sex, household responsibilities and a variety of other issues.  It can seem as if the “storm of living” has eroded… Read the rest of the article >

Dr. Kate Marshall

Much has been written about forgiveness.  Some see it as the only route out of permanent victimhood.   These therapists and theologians believe that it is at the heart of physical, psychological and spiritual healing.  They point to studies that show how forgiveness can promote openness , and relieve unnecessary physical and mental burdens.   They further cite evidence of  lowered blood pressure, better relationships, and  less depression, stress and chronic pain. Others see the “forgiveness path” as a cop out, a kind of spiritual and psychological shorcutting where the person avoids doing their real work.   In jumping to forgiveness, they maintain, we court denial and avoid the… Read the rest of the article >

Dr. Kate Marshall

  There is a relatively new book out on the life of Charles Scultz, the developer of the the Peanuts cartoon.  Because of a difficult childhood, he grew up in a family where love was withheld and food insecurity was the norm.  “Security is knowing that there’s more pie left.”  He constructed a myth about himself as a loser who was dumb, dull  and meek, even when he was pulling in 40 million plus a year with the Peanuts franchise.   Despite that achievement, he apparently never lost this sense of himself.  Some of us might say, well, if this is… Read the rest of the article >

Dr. Kate Marshall

  The other day I was talking to a friend who was trying to motivate herself to lose weight.  “I’m going to tape a wedding picture of me on the fridge so that each time I want to overeat, I’ll think about how gross I am,” she said.   She was ashamed that she had “let herself go.” I wished to support my friend’s spring intentions,  but wondered how resurrecting a picture of herself taken forty years ago could help, since she had tried this approach before with marginal results. In the next few months, I will offer occasional posts about weight concerns and body image.  This  is a complex… Read the rest of the article >

Dr. Kate Marshall

Welcome to the first installment of Dr. Kate’s Blog. As a practicing clinical psychologist, I’m really excited to use this format to share my thoughts and ideas about a variety of topics. Hopefully, my readers will find them interesting and thought provoking. In future columns, areas such as resiliency, eating concerns, self-esteem and teen issues will be discussed. My posts will in no way be an exhaustive exploration of any of these important issues. Nor will they be a substitute for psychotherapy or counseling if that is necessary. For those who want a more in-depth response to a particular issue,… Read the rest of the article >