by guest blogger John P. Forsyth, Ph.D., co-author of Your Life on Purpose

Peace of mind is something we all seem to want, and want more of. Few of us get it, and when we do it tends to be fleeting. I think the reason has something to do with how we think of "peace of mind." It is not something we can have and hold, but it is certainly something that we can learn to cultivate and allow to grow.

How do we do that? Here are a few steps:

by guest blogger Susan Pease Gadoua, LCSW, author of Stronger Day by Day

It seems that the news has almost weekly reports of a famous couple who has experienced a breach in the marriage by one party or the other having extramarital relations. Today it's Arnold and Maria, last week it was Shania Twain's husband, before that Jesse James, Kelsey Grammar, John Edwards, David Letterman, Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton, etc., etc., etc. The list certainly seems endless. So, what is going on?

by Suzanne Phillips, Psy.D., ABPP, co-author of Healing Together

Recently, we again witnessed the dismantling of a celebrity marriage with the exposure of an affair. As always, the world watched, condemned, condoned and debated the question: Can a marriage survive an affair?

The fact is that whether celebrity or not and regardless of what the world thinks–only the couple can decide if their marriage will survive an affair.

Quick Tip for Therapists by Bill Knaus EdD , author of The Procrastination Workbook.

Part three of a three-part series on client procrastination

Activity is a useful remedy for depression, but often not easy for your client to execute. When your client's depression lingers, you can use counter-procrastination techniques to spur positive activity.

A five-minute plan to break a procrastination cycle may help limit your client's lingering depression. The method involves getting a client commitment to engage a meaningful, measurable, and achievable activity for five minutes, such as light exercise. The client can choose to do five more minutes, or stop. Here are steps that I follow:

Here is nutritional therapy practitioner Margaret Floyd's wonderful video trailer for her book Eat Naked: Unprocessed, Unpolluted, and Undressed Eating for a Healthier, Sexier You .

Stephanie Silberman, PhD, DABSM is the author of The Insomnia Workbook

Instead of spending countless hours lying in bed counting sheep at night, take control of your sleep by learning about the common mistakes people make that sabotage their sleep cycles. There are many mistakes that people make when trying to get a good night's sleep. Instead of helping you to sleep better, these mistakes can actually decrease your chances of sleeping well and may even cause you to have more trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.

by Randi Gunther Ph.D., author of When Love Stumbles

One of the most difficult dilemmas people face in the dating world is when to tell potential partners something that could scare them away. They hope that embarrassing histories might fare better when they've had a chance to secure a stronger footing first.

Even after we develop trust between us in a therapeutic setting, my patients often wait a long time before they reveal potentially off-putting stories. It can be gut-wrenching to talk about their financial mistakes, religious beliefs, family skeletons, traumas, failed relationships, quirky tastes, inheritable illnesses, or past sexual experiences. Most people are understandably nervous about the consequences of sharing delicate information. They anticipate that someone who is important to them will feel critical of what they've shared.

Most people understandably tell new people in their lives the things about them that are more inviting. Some of their past experiences have shown that partners who have grown to love them might forgive their transgressions more easily. They're willing to risk being seen as untrustworthy rather than give up the chance to prove otherwise from a better vantage point.

by guest blogger Susan Albers, Psy.D., author of 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself without Food

Whether you agree or totally disagree with a plant based diet isn’t the issue. The primary benefit of seeing Forks Over Knives is that it shows change is possible. Before your client can modify their eating habits, they need hope and to truly believe that change can happen. This film successfully meets that goal. The film follows a few individuals from all walks of life and at various ages who are on multiple medications and have critically elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Within a short period of time, these individuals got off their medications and significant improved their lab results. The change is dramatic. The viewer is left with the impression that what you eat does matter to your health and that you can make changes that will significantly improve your well-being. It appears attainable and completely in reach no matter who you are or how old. In other words, Forks over Knives is likely to change the perception of the client who thinks it is a waste of time to be more mindful and attentive to what they eat.

Quick Tip for Therapists by Robyn Walser, PhD, co-author of Learning ACT, ACT for PTSD and The Mindful Couple

Clients may become withdrawn or shut down in session when talking about difficult topics or encountering painful emotions. This may be due to fear of evaluation, thoughts about judgment, or just a simple desire to escape painful experience. These situations can be difficult for the therapist and sometimes end in awkward attempts to get the client re-engaged, including moving away from the difficult topic or pursuing the client with questions about why they have withdrawn. These actions can actually reinforce the shutting down.

Quick Tip for Therapists by Lisa Firestone, PhD, co-author of Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice

No matter what area in life an individual struggles with, everyone encounters those self-critical thoughts that increase anxiety and interfere with the ability to achieve. You can help clients conquer this self-saboteur by asking them to vocalize negative thoughts that they have toward themselves.

This exercise will help clients identify their inner voice as an enemy they’ve come to internalize that holds them back and tries to keep them from being who they really are.