Haircut Anxiety, Exposure Therapy, and Healing
Marcus Rodriguez
June 26, 2026
Marcus Rodriguez PhD reflects on haircut anxiety, exposure therapy, avoidance, and learning to face an old fear with humor.
Recent News & Articles
Anxiety
Managing Anxiety During High-Stakes Exams
Marcus Rodriguez
May 22, 2026
High-stakes exams can bring intense pressure for students and families. Marcus Rodriguez, PhD, shares DBT-informed strategies for managing anxiety during exam season.
Cannabis and DBT Skills: When Coping Gets Protected
Marcus Rodriguez
April 20, 2026
Cannabis and DBT skills can compete when cannabis becomes the fastest coping tool. Marcus Rodriguez PhD reflects on tracking use without shame.
DBT Skills vs. Cannabis: Fast Relief or Lasting Change
Marcus Rodriguez
April 20, 2026
DBT skills can feel slow next to cannabis. Marcus Rodriguez PhD explains fast relief, lasting change, and why skills improve with practice.
Acceptance and Anxiety: What It Really Looks Like
Marcus Rodriguez
March 7, 2026
Acceptance does not always mean feeling calm. Sometimes it means noticing anxiety, making space for it, and planning with compassion.
Cognitive Defusion: Thoughts Are Like Farts
Marcus Rodriguez
February 23, 2026
Cognitive defusion helps people step back from painful thoughts, shame, anxiety, and self-criticism without treating every thought as fact.
Waiting to Drink Alcohol: How Restraint Became Freedom
Marcus Rodriguez
December 30, 2025
A personal reflection on family history, addiction, and how waiting to drink alcohol became an unexpected path to freedom and wellness.
Primary and Secondary Emotions: A DBT Guide
Marcus Rodriguez
December 17, 2025
Primary and secondary emotions can look like “sadness turning into anger” in seconds. Here’s how DBT helps you slow it down and regulate.
Parenting Anxious Young Adults in an Algorithmic Age
Timothy Hicks
November 21, 2025
Young adults today aren’t acting out—they’re overwhelmed. Here’s how anxiety, anger, and avoidance protect them from deeper helplessness, and what parents can do to help.
Meeting Clients Where They Are At: How Stretching Limits Helps DBT Therapists and Clients
Timothy Hicks
July 4, 2025
Sometimes DBT means stretching your own limits. Dr. Marcus Rodriguez shares a surprising therapy session with a middle school client—and her bearded dragon—illustrating how meeting clients where they are at makes treatment tolerable and effective.
Haircut Anxiety, Exposure Therapy, and Healing
June 26, 2026
Marcus Rodriguez PhD reflects on haircut anxiety, exposure therapy, avoidance, and learning to face an old fear with humor.
Managing Anxiety During High-Stakes Exams
May 22, 2026
High-stakes exams can bring intense pressure for students and families. Marcus Rodriguez, PhD, shares DBT-informed strategies for managing anxiety during exam season.
Cannabis and DBT Skills: When Coping Gets Protected
April 20, 2026
Cannabis and DBT skills can compete when cannabis becomes the fastest coping tool. Marcus Rodriguez PhD reflects on tracking use without shame.
DBT Skills vs. Cannabis: Fast Relief or Lasting Change
April 20, 2026
DBT skills can feel slow next to cannabis. Marcus Rodriguez PhD explains fast relief, lasting change, and why skills improve with practice.
Acceptance and Anxiety: What It Really Looks Like
March 7, 2026
Acceptance does not always mean feeling calm. Sometimes it means noticing anxiety, making space for it, and planning with compassion.
Cognitive Defusion: Thoughts Are Like Farts
February 23, 2026
Cognitive defusion helps people step back from painful thoughts, shame, anxiety, and self-criticism without treating every thought as fact.
Waiting to Drink Alcohol: How Restraint Became Freedom
December 30, 2025
A personal reflection on family history, addiction, and how waiting to drink alcohol became an unexpected path to freedom and wellness.
Primary and Secondary Emotions: A DBT Guide
December 17, 2025
Primary and secondary emotions can look like “sadness turning into anger” in seconds. Here’s how DBT helps you slow it down and regulate.
Parenting Anxious Young Adults in an Algorithmic Age
November 21, 2025
Young adults today aren’t acting out—they’re overwhelmed. Here’s how anxiety, anger, and avoidance protect them from deeper helplessness, and what parents can do to help.
Meeting Clients Where They Are At: How Stretching Limits Helps DBT Therapists and Clients
July 4, 2025
Sometimes DBT means stretching your own limits. Dr. Marcus Rodriguez shares a surprising therapy session with a middle school client—and her bearded dragon—illustrating how meeting clients where they are at makes treatment tolerable and effective.
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