Author: Tzipora Shub, LCSW

March 20th, 2017

Horrible People Unite The young woman speaks earnestly, “I was up all night with a teething baby and then I worked a nine hour day, came home and took care of my other kids and made dinner for the next day. I was so overwhelmed and started snapping at my kids. What kind of person am I? I should just be grateful that I have kids. My friend has been waiting for ten years and my other friend is still not married. I'm such a horrible person" Or …
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Author: Tzipora Shub, LCSW

July 23rd, 2016

I wonder what you’re thinking when you read the title of this blog. That I care too much about whether or not you like my blog? That I am too obviously seeking approval? Or, possibly, that you understand me because you’ve written things before and have also hoped that people would like them? I believe there is a universal vulnerability that is part and parcel of the human condition. We all struggle sometimes with feeling nervous, inse …
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Author: Tzipora Shub, LCSW

January 2nd, 2019

Is Therapy A Game of Parent Blame?   The other morning was one of those mornings. My husband was out at an early dentist appointment, the cleaning lady cancelled that morning, and everyone was moving slower than usual. My eight-year-old was getting dressed while I bathed my two-year-old and dressed my five-year-old at the same time, all with one eye on the clock. She called out "there's a hole in my tights” and I sighed. Those were the …
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Author: Tzipora Shub, LCSW

July 3rd, 2017

It’s A Shame Tzipora Shub, LCSW I have a friend who used to say that there’s a special place in hell for people who cut their fingernails on a crowded train. I apologize for putting that image in your head but I would guess that place is not too far from the place of people who leave chewed up gum on a nice park bench. Neither of those I imagine though, is as bad as the place of the person who coined the phrase, “shame on you.&r …
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Author: Tzipora Shub, LCSW

June 26th, 2016

My Youngest Supervisor As a therapist; I’m always looking to grow. This means reading books, attending trainings, and engaging in clinical supervision and case consultations. As a mother; my hands are full, both literally and figuratively. This means washing dishes, changing diapers, sitting on the floor playing games, and of course multitasking. The newest form of multitasking I have come up with is one that combines these two roles. For I …
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Author: Tzipora Shub, LCSW

November 20th, 2016

Omission, Commission, and a New Mission             I recently got together with a friend who has a 6-year-old daughter the same age as mine. As we watched the little girls play I commented on how nice little Sara’s* American girl doll was. My friend smiled wryly, “It’s a gift from my mother. Trust me, I’d never buy such an expensive doll. You see, when my mother was l …
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Author: Tzipora Shub, LCSW

March 18th, 2020

Pedaling With A Purpose It’s a well-known secret that the sorry fate of most eagerly purchased ellipticals is to end up as a glorified clothing hanger. And we don’t mean for just the clean clothing. In having pondered this life’s mystery at length (what else do social workers do in their spare time), I have come to the conclusion that one potential reason for this is the futility of the activity of pedaling on an elliptical. The …
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Author: Tzipora Shub, LCSW

August 1st, 2017

There's a phenomenon that I refer to as “public restroom mentality.” I’m going to let that sink in for a minute without getting too explicit. Right. So think of the last time you were in a public restroom and let your mind run with that. There’s a certain sense of a lack of personal responsibility in a public restroom. People  can leave it as dirty as they want because they know that someone else will be cleaning it a …
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