Welcome to Self-Help Ideas and Goal Setting!

The late Clay Tucker-Ladd, Ph.D. is the author of the fantastic free online book, Psychological Self-Help. Clay and I had been colleagues for many years, and I worked with him as the first self-help book ever to be published online. It's a great, in-depth work.

This forum is not just about offering support to one another, but to share experiences and techniques that have helped you out with specific issues and areas in your life.

We've also expanded the forum to help with goal setting as well. Set your goals publicly here, and then get tips on how to stick with them, even when you feel the most frustrated with reaching your goals.

In December 2023, we merged Habit Change into this forum. You're welcomed to talk about habit change, how to set new habits and get rid of old ones you no longer want, here too.

Welcome!
DocJohn

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I would strongly encourage you to go read a chapter of the book that you identify with. It will help ground the discussion somewhat and ensure everyone is on the same page.

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This is a great idea!!! YAY CLAY!!!

Believe in Him or not --- GOD LOVES YOU!

Want to share your Christian faith? Click HERE

Excellent book. I don't know how I found it, but I've been passing around the web site to friends & people in support groups & people at the local Mental Health Assoc. plus NAMI. Thanks for the reminder to go back & read some more.--Suzy

Thanks for the welcome, DocJohn.

It will take me a few days to catch on to some of the complexities on this forum. But it is an exciting possibility and I thank you for making it possible.

drclay

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drclay said:
Thanks for the welcome, DocJohn.

It will take me a few days to catch on to some of the complexities on this forum.
But it is an exciting possibility and I thank you for making it possible.

drclay

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Dr. Clay

...................................................................... <font color="red"> "WE are glad to have YOU join US" </font>


LoVe,
Rhapsody -

Welcome and love the book.

Thank you for a wonderful new forum and and exciting one too!

I look forward to studying the book.

To all the Welcomers:

Thanks for the warm welcoms and sometimes poetic comments. I'd like to welcome each of you with equal enthusiasm.

Several of you promised to read more of my book. You probably know that it is 1750 pages and growing. It may be better to think of it as a reference book that covers many topics. So, much of the book can be covered by just reading about topics you want to know about right now. Topics of interest can be found by going to the Chapter that interests you and then look for specific topics of interest in the Chapter Index. Or better yet, go to the search engine at the top of any page and type in the topic you are looking for.

For our purposes on this forum, it is probably best to discuss "how to change this behavior or feelings or thoughts" as if we were discussing a treating some problem rather than discussing the topics covered in a given Chapter. So, bring some problem to the forum that seems to be resisting change.

Please don't expect me to come up with the answers. My wife gave me a nice plaque that quotes Michelangelo: I am still learning.

Clay

I have a problem that so far resists change. I do not know if anything can be done about it,but here it is. I have always been ''Slow'' concerning micro-movements,such as typing,buttining shirts,even things I love doing. While employed,I was accused of not trying my utmost to ''get the project done''and I had tried to tell the boss that I am doing the best that I can. He thought I was lazy. I have always had to deal with this,and I fell as though my body's system rebels against what I intend for it to do. Sometimes the results are quite funny,sometimes annoying,as in the case of maintaining employment.Is there a way to gain speed without making a mess of things?

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drclay said:
Thanks for the welcome, DocJohn.

It will take me a few days to catch on to some of the complexities on this forum. But it is an exciting possibility and I thank you for making it possible.

drclay

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post"> I am glad you are back here at PC! (((DrCLay)))

This is a wonderful idea! Thanks Doc John!

Thank you DocJohn and Drclay for this site...what a great idea!!!

Hi Posters to Sharing Self-Help Ideas!

I'm still learning the system here. Why do I get the same material by email at home as I read on the forum? There seems to be two or more ways to respond on the forum? Which one should I use? How can you start a new topic or thread? Just type in a new topic for Subject?

First of all, I want to say that there has been 6 or 7 quick, clear, and frank responses to the question of "What would you like to change?" Excellent! They came from Sabrina0805, Perna, alibaby, Rhapsody, devox, Sarah116, Petunia, Sky and others.

Now I'd like to give you another suggestion (a new topic?). Let's see if it is helpful to look at all five parts of any problem. Please briefly read Step 3 about Trying to Understand the Problem. See link http://www.psychologicalselfhelp.org.../chap2_19.html

Does thinking about the five parts help you think differently about the problem or about possible solutions? I have found this technique to be helpful for many people over the years. I am currently writing about psychiatric diagnoses and how they are made. Diagnoses are very complex but it seems to me that for the self-helper the attending to these five parts of almost any problem serves some of the same purposes as diagnoses.

Try it and see if it helps you think about your problem.

drclay

I think in your profile, (up tippy top here on the site after you've logged in) there's an "email notification/subscription" choice you must have checked. I just come to the site rather than get them email (too).

If you click on the forum name (rather than on a specific post) you'll get a list of all the posts in the forum and the opportunity to start a new one.

"Every problem has five parts or levels: (1) the behavior involved, (2) the emotions experienced, (3) the skills you may need, (4) the mental processes involved (thoughts or self-talk, motivations, self-concept, values, and expectations), and (5) the unconscious forces that may contribute to your troubles." http://www.psychologicalselfhelp.org...2/chap2_2.html

That's a really helpful list, Dr. Clay

Hey, there are my posts from yesterday that I have been looking for on this forum. I'm catching on to this site little by little. Keep on helping me out. I'm not out of the woods yet.

Clay

Hi all!

Several of you have mentioned a problem or two you would like to work on. Now, make use of the quote that Perna found: "Every problem has five parts or levels: (1) the behavior involved, (2) the emotions experienced, (3) the skills you may need, (4) the mental processes involved (thoughts or self-talk, motivations, self-concept, values, and expectations), and (5) the unconscious forces that may contribute to your troubles." http://www.psychologicalselfhelp.org...2/chap2_2.html

Describe your problem to us again using the five parts that are involved in almost any problem. When some people do that let's see if the problem becomes more clearly described and see if it might become easier to find ways to deal with the problem. Do we have any volunteers? If not, I'll give an example I'm facing.

Example: My blood sugar is getting a little high. The problem described in 5 parts: (1) simple--eating too many sweets, (2) feeling stressed by piles of work to be done right in front of me; using sweets to settle down, (3) need better writing and organizational skills involved in pulling massive information together, (4) believing a brilliant integration of info is possible and that I should do it alone--without help, and (5) unconsciously thinking that I am as able as I was 50 years ago & being afraid that my memory is declining.

That is short but you can see that a more complete description of the problem (more than high blood sugar) might lead to new ways of coping. Of course, figuring out the self-help approaches and applying them may take weeks or months.

Time to go to bed...that usually clears my thinking!

Clay

This Forum is an excellent idea it will help me to focus on one thing that is positive and see it through... it might take me a while to get through a 1500 pages book i am a slow reader but i use the discipline of staying on track and get somewhere rather that being allover the place and get no where... i will try to have one positive thought everyday and post it... this will be my gift to myself for my birthday today... i am looking forward to meet all the members in this forum and mutually encourage each other bringing the best in all of us.

Mindfully yours!

Thanks DocJohn & DrClay. Yeah! I've found this wonderful self help info long ago. And I love to get in touch with the kind author like you.

Thanks so much

Each new day is a gift that's why it is called the Present

This is interesting I'm axious to see how it goes.