[DISCLAIMER] In the United States (U.S.), “ABCs and 123s” refers to the fundamental building blocks of early childhood education, regarding the English (a Latin-script) alphabet (i.e., A, B, C…) for reading and literacy, and Hindu-Arabic numeral system (1, 2, 3…) for counting and basic math. Although I learned my ABCs and 123s at a young age, it wasn’t until adulthood that I was taught of another use for these fundamental building blocks of mental, emotional, and behavior

[DISCLAIMER] In the above photo, I sat in a wheelchair at a hospital and attempted to portray the look of despondency (a state characterized by feelings of hopelessness and despair). Yet, my buddy who took the picture was cracking jokes, so I tried to hold back a smile. We then laughed quite a bit! To some people, my depiction of a person with a disability may seem inappropriate. Moreover, some individuals may claim that my behavior was harmful (of a kind likely to be dam

[DISCLAIMER] I recently spoke with client X about the examination of consequences, as well as allowing for time outs when practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). As it can be challenging to provide this information in a session with limited time, I’ll now share it with you herein. First, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines examination as “a test, observation, or other means of investigation carried out on a patient to evaluate physical or men

[DISCLAIMER] In childhood, my sisters and I owned a vinyl record of the controversial live-action/animated musical drama film Song of the South (1946). Although I’m biracial (white and black), I’m not offended by my beliefs about the film’s racial dynamics. I’ll explain this view in a bit. Based on the collective written stories Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings: The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation (1886) by Joel Chandler Harris, the film follows a young boy named Jo

[DISCLAIMER] The American Psychological Association (APA) defines emotion as “a complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioral, and physiological elements, by which an individual attempts to deal with a personally significant matter or event.” Colloquially, emotions are called feelings. Additionally, the APA defines exhaustion as “a state of extreme fatigue,” as the APA also defines fatigue as “a state of tiredness and diminished functioning. Fatigue is typi

[DISCLAIMER] When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) to the clients with whom I work, I often find that some people require additional information about the conscious, preconscious, unconscious, and nonconscious conceptual functions of the mind. For clarity, I practice REBT in my personal and professional life. Thus, I subscribe to many propositions put forth in REBT theory, which was initially developed by the late psychologis