Our debaters are Phillip Hodson, fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and Nick Cohen, writer and Observer columnist Phillip Hodson and Nick Cohen Published in The Observer, Sunday 21 February 2010 Last Sunday both Gordon Brown and David Cameron bared their souls in intimate television...
Published in The Observer, Sunday 30 August 2009 I reproduce this post because it shows you what can happen by way of mis-communication on a mobile phone. Although the piece carries my by-line, I didn’t write it. I certainly didn’t write or approve of the...
11th April 2009 Published in The Independent Counselling and psychotherapy are first, last and always about being "client-centred". We do not sit in judgement or like a psychiatrist come up with a syndrome such as "sex addiction" to define your feelings away. We provide a safe...
Are you young at heart or ancient in the ways of love? Shakespeare's seven ages of man infant, child, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon and mere oblivion were derived from the seven "planets" of medieval cosmology, each of which governed its own sphere of influence. This...
Published The Times – November 4th 2006 Five main mental health charities have announced their support for an expansion of NHS psychotherapy. But is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy the best investment? An ideological struggle has broken out between two of our leading ‘happiness thinkers’ about whether the claims...
Published the Times 23rd April 2005 Habemus papam! We have a new pope - a man of mature values ministering to a large flock who is joyfully feeding the faithful. Having served loyally for a decade behind the scenes to bring order out of mediocrity he is now...
Finding a soulmate is never easy — and then you’ve got to keep hold of them. First published in The Times October 23 2004 The Ancient Romans used to say that nothing human can be made perfect. I don’t disagree but surely all of us strive to make...
Commissioned by the Daily Mail - 30th September 2004 How many G-spots are there in a woman’s body? With all the authority of the owner of a penis, Dr Desmond Morris now announces to the world that there are four. For what it’s worth, based on years as...
The Daily Mail - September 30th 2004 For those of you still broken-hearted because your final adolescent has left home, let me offer some reassurance. As night follows day, they’ll be back. Children used to cut their apron strings soon after A-levels with just the odd family stopover in...
Published in The Mirror September 1st 2004 THE latest divorce figures suggest we are treating marriage like shopping at Marks & Spencer. If you're not entirely happy with your purchase, you ask for a refund. Modern marriage is rapidly acquiring the status of a rejected cardie. When you promise...