Carolynn Spezza and her family lost their home to the 2015 Valley Fire. This post was originally published in 2017, and therefore doesn’t include COVID-19 safety or social distancing guidance. Please ...

If you had a friend who fell on hard times, you might be tempted to help them out, but keep in mind that there are some friends you really can’t help. If you tried to help a friend and it backfired, ...

Friendships are critical for mental health. We know this intuitively, and studies back it up. However, what do we do when a friend is hurting? There is no perfect way to help a friend who is ...

In my book Unhealthy Helping, I emphasize that well-intended intervention isn’t enough to effectively help others, and some forms of helping are subject to backfire. This is especially true when it ...

Q. Is it ever a good idea or worthwhile venture to tell your friend that their partner sucks? I have a friend (we’ll call them A) whose partner (B) is rude, inconsiderate, and a bit selfish, but who ...