Excerpt from Being Human Podcast Episode #123: Fake Science and Real Compassion

Although I don’t watch TV often, I recently had some downtime (which also doesn't happen very often!) and decided I wanted to veg out a bit. While perusing through the streaming channels for documentaries, I thought it might be interesting to find a show that would teach me how “the other side” thinks. 

I landed on a talk show hosted by Jon Stewart (who I think it’s safe to say...

Written by Sean Faulkner, IDDM Training Director

Think for a minute about what you are striving for in life. What is it that drives you to work really hard? What’s the narrative that runs through your mind when feeling this drive to accomplish things?

Many of us are trapped in a false narrative, trying desperately to earn what we can’t, despite the reality that we don’t actually have to. Why? Because - unbeknownst to us - we already have it. 

What the heck am I talking...

Why is this relationship so draining? Do I just need to cut this person out of my life completely? 

I can't handle my [parent/child/boss/etc.] anymore! Every conversation we have ends in an argument! Should I stop communicating with them for good?

I get questions like this all the time from clients and friends alike. The questions aren't about just one kind of relationship either. From friendships to dating to parent/child relationships, the question of healthy boundaries pertains...

"Become who you are."

These words from St. John Paul II have echoed in my heart since I first heard them in 1997 at World Youth Day in Paris. My journey has taken me from being a student in the classroom of Peter Kreeft to a Franciscan Friar with Fr. Benedict Groeschel, and eventually to earning a doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2012 before forming the CatholicPsych Institute. 

I formed CatholicPsych to empower people to become who they are by providing services and resources that...

~This is a post written by guest blogger Sean Faulkner, LPC, a CatholicPsych Institute psychotherapist. 

There are many ways that we try to define ourselves. We so often seek to determine our identity based on what we do, what we like, our vices, our personality type, our relationship status, our illnesses, and the list goes on. 

But are we really just “the attorney” or “the foodie,” “the addict,” "the schizophrenic," or “the...

~Written by guest blogger Sean Faulkner, CatholicPsych Institute psychotherapist. 

 There is little more hurtful than to not feel seen, known, or understood. Humans were made for connection, relationship, community, and love, so much so that when we are misunderstood, ignored, dismissed or dominated, the pain of those wounds go really deep. For one’s voice to be stifled or muted is an offense against one’s dignity, and thus a grave injustice. In contrast, the...

~From Guest Blogger Dr. Emily Dowdell, CPI Psychologist~

The #BlackLivesMatter socio-political movement is a call to action.  It is a cry to be seen, to be heard, and for an end to injustice. Movements like this rise from decades and generations of unacknowledged pain.  It represents a call to recognize how our society and culture continues to perpetuate and support the violation of human dignity.  It is a call to reform.

The desire to promote and educate others about their...