I began my career as a child and family psychotherapist. I offer outstanding assessment and treatment skills. I create a learning and problem-solving environment utilizing humor, compassion, trust, respect, and honesty.
Sometimes I write about how my experience as a family psychotherapist guides other aspects of my career. Read my articles about psychotherapy, hopefully they help you. If that doesn’t work, contact me. I love to help families and parents interact with their children.
Peter Getoff’s Psychotherapy Articles:
In February, Paul Inglizian and I sat down to discuss the place of humor in therapy. Watch the video here, or you can find it on our Human Equation YouTube Video Channel. Please go and subscribe so you see every video we post.
I have a social work buddy who asked me to be a guest on his Facebook “show” in a couple of weeks. He interviews fellow mental health professionals about their work-what they do, how they do in terms of therapy services. We decided we would discuss the role of humor in therapy. I’m blessed-I’m a funny guy-I’ve been told. Well, I laugh at my own jokes-sometimes I’m the only one laughing but that’s ok. Humor helps me cope, survive, connect with folks, help people….
So I did a little research. It was fun and fascinating to educate, re-educate myself about where humor comes from, how it makes us feel, the positive effects.
I just wanted to briefly share some of the facts I uncovered, discovered:
- Laughter lowers blood pressure
- It increases the level of oxygen in the blood
- Some research indicates laughter strengthens our immune system
- Research also indicates laughter can enhance brain function
- Humor and laughter reduce stress, anxiety, fear, and depression
- They act as a social lubricant and assist in engaging with other human beings
- Marriages and many types of relationships can benefit from humor and laugher
- The ability to laugh at oneself is correlated with self-acceptance and self-love
- Humor can help us broaden our perspective and enhance our ability for empathy
- When we experience humor we talk more and increase our frequency of eye contact.
This is just a brief intro piece. What is the point? Don’t take humor and laughter for granted. Especially these days during the Age of Covid.
And I know we are all different, and some of us have very well-developed “funny” muscles and others not well-developed at all. But humor, laughing, joy capacity are not genetic. You can learn how to laugh more at yourself, at the world, with others.
Reach out to me if you are interested in exploring your relationship with humor and laughter. For a few laughs. LOL