Author Archives: Tom Ruggieri

Faculty-Staff Counselor Shares Observations on Staying Resilient Amid Worry, Grief of Pandemic As a counselor at UMD’s Faculty Staff Assistance Program, I have spent 30 years helping people understand and make sense of what they are going through. I was around for 9/11 and the tornado that swept through our campus two weeks later. That…

Couples often approach therapy reluctantly and hope that the therapist will agree with their individual perspective and “join them” in convincing their partner to see things similarly. They are often surprised (and hopefully pleased) when I don’t go along with their plan and instead use an approach that involves teaching them to: Listening for understanding;…