Family Therapy Center of Mclean

02/11/2026

"How to Make New Connections -- For Individuals and Couples (Escaping Loneliness)."

A recent article provides several suggestions for making new connections. In this era of social loneliness, which has emerged as a serious public health crisis, this is particularly timely …

01/18/2026

Malawer, "Hot Moms -- Really, Not for Some." (2026).

An interesting piece appeared yesterday in the Wall Street Journal discussing the “Hot Mom.” A recent trend on social media. There has been a backlash against this especially from busy moms, w…

12/29/2025

"Fighting Isolation -- How to Foster Human Connections." (2026).
https://counsellingcouples.net/2025/12/29/fighting-isolationism-how-to-foster-human-connections/

11/16/2025

https://counsellingcouples.net/2025/11/16/chatgpt-and-intimacy-risks-self-regulation/

ChatGPT will create and engage in erotic content starting December 2025. Using AI to deliver s*xual content is not exactly new. So, as AI platforms double down on erotic content, how do w…

11/03/2025

Professional Recognition ............... Virginia Board of Counseling (Bd. Member) and CIA/ NRO (EAP office).

10/21/2025

Malawer, "Retirement -- How to Adjust and Thrive." (2025).

Retirement carries a risk of what sociologists call social death. Social death is not inevitable. Remaining socially engaged is the key to flourishing in retirement. Social death can be …

09/15/2025

“Generative AI chatbots are available and accessible, and people are using them. Here are some best practices, as recommended by mental health experts …. I do think that there is some degree of benefit that individuals could have from talking with chatbots about their problems …. Chatbots can also be mentally destabilizing for those who are already vulnerable …. These chatbots can go into sycophantic, helpful assistant mode and validate things that aren’t necessarily good for the user, good for the user’s mental health …. Researchers are concerned about broader emotional risks AI wellness apps pose …. There can be another downside to 24/7 access: AI chatbots can foster emotional dependence, with some power users racking up hours and hundreds of messages a day …. Spending hundreds of hours with a chatbot for therapeutic or romantic use might be a red flag …. The future of AI in mental health continues to rapidly change.” “Ai for Counseling Therapy.” Washington Post (pet. 15, 2025). https://counsellingcouples.net/2025/09/09/ai-and-relationships-future-unclear/

09/09/2025

"Ai and Relationships -- The Future is Unclear as to Couples."

“Nations all over the world are dumping millions and billions into AI research and patenting. The news is saturated with new GPT version releases, people being manipulated by or falling in love wit…

08/27/2025

"Chat, Digital Therapy, Teenagers and Young Couples -- Dangerous?"

” Marketed as conversational agents, chatbots are becoming de facto digital therapists for many teenagers and young couples, for whom this technology now feels native. This raises the stakes for en…

06/04/2025

"Couples as Friends, Not so Easy."

One of the issues confronting couples today is the relationship and friendship with other couples — especially as social isolation has become a plague in our social media era. A decade o…

01/26/2025

https://counsellingcouples.net/2025/01/26/is-lack-of-s*x-a-ground-for-divorce/

“A French court had ruled that a woman had violated her marital duties by not having s*x with her husband. The European Court of Human Rights condemned that decision. Europe’s top human rights cour…

01/20/2025

"Loneliness is an Epidemic -- Why is Loneliness Increasing?

“What do the loneliness epidemic, falling rates of adolescent drinking and dating, and worsening mental health among teenagers and young adults have in common? …. Trends in time spent alone are an …