A Small (But Important) Matter of Focus

Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft  Whether you’re working or socializing, focusing on what you’re doing is almost always a good idea. If you’re working, focus virtually guarantees improved job performance. If you’re...

Death Is Inevitable. Fearing It Is Not.

Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft In the natural world, cause and effect is not always clear cut. We see an effect and wonder why something is happening. For a striking example that is continuously unfolding today, look...

Tips For Moving On When You Really Need To

Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft  Here’s a pop quiz for you: when you’re daydreaming or just sitting quietly with a moment to spare, do you think more about the future, the present moment or the past? In any of these...

Spreading the Joy

Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft  English is a wonderful language. From its roots in the old Angles and Saxons warring with each other and on through the Romans and Normans, it has absorbed Latin and French influences...

The Many Nuances Of Childhood Trauma

Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft  Having you ever been cruising along the freeway listening to your favorite radio station and seen someone get cut off by some rude or oblivious driver? Of course, we all have. But the...

The Pursuit of Happiness

Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft  Throughout history, some of the greatest minds have expressed their thoughts about a subject most everyone is interested in: happiness. Abraham Lincoln summed up his view by saying,...

Hidden Opportunities

Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft  Traumatic events come in all sizes and shapes. When we’re young, they can affect us in an entirely different way than they would as an adult. A child who is uprooted from their school...

Why, Exactly, Do We Procrastinate?

Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft  If you’re like 99 percent of the human race, you might find yourself putting things off when you know you should be doing them. One day scientists will discover there is actually a...