OLIVER DRAKEFORD, LMFT, CGP. 
Family Therapy, Couples Counseling and Individual Therapist- West Hollywood
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

Without some pressure, we wouldn't get results. In fact in therapy, we often say that when we feel the most uncomfortable or under the most pressure with the work we are doing, thats is EXACTLY when the magic starts happening. It's a bit like being a lobster: A lobster is a soft mushy creature with a hard, and rigid exoskeleton. The shell, doesn't grow, so the lobster has to get larger by casting off old ones and growing bigger ones. So if you think about it, the lobster beco

A good education can change anyone, but a good teacher can change anything. GPALA announced this weekend at their annual Summer Party, their plan to launch The Nancy Fawcett Memorial Scholarship Fund, after an incredible teacher, and member of the group psychotherapy community. I was honored to be able to say a few words about what an incredible impact Nancy had on my career, and my life. From the first week of PSY-551A, Nancy exuded a passion for group therapy that was impos

Most spiritual practices include an element of gratitude, and psychologists are finding more reasons to promote 'an attitude of gratitude' as a healthy way of being too. It has been seen in studies to improve positive affect, well-being and even increase the length of life. ⠀

Heartbreak is literally one of the most agonizing experiences of the human condition.... yet it can be a source of creativity if you let it. If we learn to funnel our energy and emotional pain into a creative project, as simple as it may be, we are, at the least, distracting ourselves from the pain. At the same time the insight and emotional awareness the pain might be causing, actually stimulates amazing pieces of art. Florence Welch from Florence + The Machine says "content

Burn Out is a serious issue for all of us, and in particular those in the health care provider roles. Herbert Freudenberger is the psychologist who is believed to have first started using the term in the 70's , defining it as "a loss of motivation, growing sense of emotional depletion, and cynicism". The similarities the to the symptoms of depression should not be dismissed: it's a serious and damaging experience both physically and mentally. Workplace stress has a healthy pa