Therapist | Mark Rubinstein Blog

Sex with a Former Patient

January 31, 2014 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

The temptations of the profession

Some years ago when I was single, Eva G began psychotherapy. She was unhappy because she was repeatedly involved in ungratifying relationships with men who were at least 20 years her senior. She was quite attractive, bright, articulate, and wanted to understand her need to date older men.

The psychotherapy continued once-weekly for about seven months. She quickly developed insight into the dynamics of her choices in men, and began making better decisions in her dating life. When it seemed Eva’s goals were reasonably met, the therapy came to an end. When we parted company, she knew the door to my office was open should she want to look deeper into her conflicts.

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Crossing the Line: Sometimes Rules Are Meant to Be Broken

August 20, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

Alice was a 38 year old, unmarried artist living in a Manhattan loft. She was depressed about her career and life’s direction. Above all, she was distressed that she’d been unable to sell her oil abstract paintings, although she’d displayed them at shows and at a prestigious gallery. Things had become so dire, she thought she might have to sell her loft apartment in order to pay for ordinary living expenses, and to continue painting.

She was seeing me once every two weeks for guidance and supportive sessions. At first, she was not depressed, but I become somewhat alarmed, when in addition to her lack of career success, a relationship with a man—a fellow artist—fell apart and Alice became despondent.

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James Holmes, Aurora & the Psychiatrist’s Dilemma

May 13, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

Lawyers for James Holmes, the man accused of killing 12 people and injuring 70 in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater, now say he will change his plea from “Not Guilty” to one of “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity” (NGRI).

In an earlier post (Crimes, Criminals and the Insanity Defense), I described the basic components of such a defense. The defendant claims he either lacked the capacity to know right from wrong, or had a mental disorder when he committed the crime, causing an inability to act within the requirements of the law.

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Sidney Brought Out The Best

April 13, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

I was an unmarried practicing psychiatrist living in Manhattan. My best friend and nearly constant companion was Sidney, a 27 pound, adorable mutt I’d rescued from the pound. When I had a break between patients, I’d run back to my apartment—six blocks away—to walk him and keep him company. Aware that dogs are socially-oriented animals, I hated that Sid spent so much time alone, but I had to work.

One day, I was faced with a dilemma.

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