Posts by Kim Jensen, LMFT
Wilderness Therapy Step-Down Programs at OPI
Wilderness Therapies and the Hero’s Journey as Metaphors for Change “I can See! I can See!” said Jumping Mouse over again and again. A Blurry Shape Came toward Jumping Mouse. Jumping Mouse Squinted hard but the Shape Remained a Blur. “Hello, Brother,” a Voice said. “Do you Want some Medicine?” “Some Medicine for me?” asked…
Read MoreYATA Conference 2015: Building Resilience
This year’s annual YATA (Young Adult Transitions Association) Conference was held in Boulder, CO from October 8-10th with the focus of the symposium on Building Resilience in our young adult participants. YATA was developed two years ago to provide a forum for collaboration among young adult treatment facilities on issues of mutual concern, including young…
Read MoreOvercoming Failure to Launch Using Family Therapy: Creating a Space for Dialog (PT 3)
This post is part three in series. Need to read parts one and two first? Part I: Active Communication Part 2: Creating Space for Active Listening Moving On Sometimes family sessions come to an impasse and it becomes more effective to move on, rather than continuing to escalate a disagreement. It is important to acknowledge…
Read MoreOvercoming Failure to Launch Using Family Therapy: Creating a Space for Dialog (PT 2)
PART II Creating Space for Active Listening (Haven’t read Part I yet? Click HERE to read it now, then come back to continue on.) Being able to actively listening means being able to create and hold a space where the individual feels safe and understood. Conversation takes time. To actively hear what someone is saying…
Read MoreOvercoming Failure to Launch Using Family Therapy: Creating a Space for Dialog (PT 1)
On Parenting If your children are objects To fulfill your needs, Chances are they will give up their dance To dance with you, And they may spend much of their lives Just trying to figure out who they are. By Bill E. Goldberg In my work with couples and with families where young…
Read MoreTraumaDrama: An Effective Approach in Therapeutic Treatment Programs
In 2013, clinical therapist Kim Jensen, LMFT, brought his 10-week experiential TraumaDrama program to OPI and OPI Intensive participants, as announced in this July 2013 article. Here, Jensen explains more about why this creative approach to healing from past trauma can be so highly effective. TraumaDrama is an experiential-based treatment group that explores the participant’s…
Read MoreHow to Recognize the 8 Warning Signs of Internet Addiction
For the last two decades, maladaptive Internet use and addiction have been on the rise among adolescents and young adults. Residential and intensive outpatient treatment centers have emerged with treatment programs for Internet addiction. Community centers and college campuses have also begun to address the maladaptive use of online gaming and internet use. The Internet…
Read MoreUnderstanding ADHD in Children and Adults
October is Global ADHD Awareness Month. Here, Optimum Performance Institute/OPI Intensive clinical therapist Kim Jensen, LMFT, shares about his own childhood experiences with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and discusses the condition’s diagnosis, symptoms and treatments. Being labeled as “hyper” in early childhood, my experience with ADHD was one of feeling stigmatized and different than…
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