April 9, 2022
I. From My Desk

II. Blog Articles and Podcast Recordings
Please check out the library of available blog articles and podcast recordings.
III. Recent Seminars
IV. Virtual Seminars on April 16, 2022*
The Men's Group Seminar: Russ Harris on "The Happiness Trap"

Author of The Happiness Trap, Russ Harris focuses on the thoughts and feelings that inhibit or block personal fulfillment. He explicitly confronts the social narrative of aspiring to be happy and, instead, espouses the value of other emotional states including self-knowledge and self-compassion. A proponent of a psychotherapeutic approach known as “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT),” Harris believes that negative emotions are paradoxically intensified by our efforts to control and diminish them. He encourages a rather fluid engagement with recognizing and enjoying pleasurable experiences, all the while avoiding the urge to pursue them directly. He also emphasizes the need to identify one’s internal values and the alignment between what one values and how one acts in the world. In the next virtual meeting of the Men's Group Seminar on Saturday, April 16, 2022 (10:15 to 11:30 AM), we will explore Harris’ main ideas. A discussion about The Happiness Trap featured on Alex Holmes’ podcast “Time to Talk” will be our focus. We will also consider the elements of ACT and its important core assumptions, including its rejection of the notion of "healthy normality."

To register for this upcoming virtual seminar, please see the directions below.
The Relationship Group Seminar: “Love Demystified"

Psychologist Beverly Palmer, Ph.D. is the author of Love Demystified: Strategies for a Successful Love Life. Her work takes on and seeks to normalize the common realities and challenges of long-term committed romantic relationships, including how personal history, unmet or unspoken expectations, personality mismatches, and the naturally occurring changes of love across time impact all couples and stress communication and problem-solving efforts. Palmer is especially interested in the skills for long-term relationship success that have been scientifically demonstrated. In the next virtual meeting of the Relationship Group Seminar on Saturday, April 16, 2022 (11:45 AM to 1:00 PM), we will explore Palmer’s perspectives on love and relationships. Palmer’s interview on the Shrink Rap Radio podcast will be our focus. 

To register for this upcoming virtual seminar, please see the directions below.
V. Psychotherapy Group
The Dynamic Psychotherapy Process Group

This therapy group utilizes the emerging dynamics among group members, and between the group members and facilitator, as a basis from which to examine one's characteristic ways of thinking, feeling, and relating to others. Our next virtual group session will be held on Saturday, April 16, 2022 (1:15 to 2:30 PM). The Dynamic Psychotherapy Process Group is a therapeutic experience and entry occurs only after a pre-group screening interview.
* Registration Directions: If you would like to attend the virtual meeting of the Men's Group Seminar and/or the Relationship Group Seminar on April 16, 2022, please RSVP to me at 949-338-4388 or jt@jamestobinphd.com on or before Thursday, April 14, 2022. The fee is $25.00 and informed consent for participation in these telehealth events must be completed prior to the seminars. Please note that the Men's Group Seminar and the Relationship Group Seminar are psychoeducational in nature, not therapeutic, and do not constitute psychotherapy or counseling.

James Tobin, Ph.D., PSY 22074 | 949-338-4388 | jt@jamestobinphd.com