Blogs about: My Specialties
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“IS IT OK FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO SNUGGLE?”
Scotty Most cultures have rituals or experiences to toughen boys to withstand the hardships of life. In our postmodern culture those rituals are more nuanced and subtle, but if we try to sta… more →
The Heart of the Matta
“IS IT OK FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO SNUGGLE?”
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tmatta wrote 1 year ago: Scotty Most cultures have rituals or experiences to toughen boys to withstand the hardship … more →
Uncle Dan's "Pearls of Wisdom" for his nephew, Scott, who is off to grad school
tmatta wrote 1 year ago: I mentioned in a prior posting about a mentoring ritual for our sons where we gather the significant … more →
Dad's Gone, You're Alone and I'm Hungry!
tmatta wrote 1 year ago: We have a tendency to think that family humor is limited to children and adolescents. Well, I had to … more →
Bullies & Manhood: Sociological Analysis of Perpetrator-Part V
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tmatta wrote 1 year ago: In the undergraduate Human Growth and Development class I teach at Mercyhurst College, I use this st … more →
Bullies & Manhood: Perpetrator-Part IV
tmatta wrote 1 year ago: When I played high school football, hazing was still very much in vogue. Sophomores were treated lik … more →
Bullies & Manhood: Teachers can be bullies-Part III
tmatta wrote 1 year ago: Upon leaving Ben Fairless Elementary School for the middle school, I thought the bullying might be b … more →
Bullies & Manhood: Part II
tmatta wrote 1 year ago: I am in the 6th grade at Ben Fairless Elementary School in the fall of 1964. Given that this was onl … more →
Bullies & Manhood: Thoughts Part 1-and-a-half
tmatta wrote 1 year ago: I want to digress for a moment and ask a larger question. What function or purpose does bullying or … more →
Bullies & Manhood: Part I
tmatta wrote 1 year ago: I’m sure bullying exists everywhere that there are people. But in some places it is worse than other … more →
Where does "I love you, but I'm not in love with you" originate?
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tmatta wrote 1 year ago: I’m fascinated with the language our predominant culture uses to understand relationships and … more →
To counsel or NOT to counsel, Psychotherapy or No Psychotherapy: That is the question!
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tmatta wrote 1 year ago: I’ve mentioned in a couple of posts that I am a marriage & family therapist. The following … more →
FOOTBALL: Masculinity making at its finest! PART I
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tmatta wrote 1 year ago: That is a bit of an overstatement, but I do want you to know that I don’t think there is any sport o … more →
Why blog? The Beauty and Power of Storytelling!
tmatta wrote 1 year ago: When my siblings and I were small, our mother gave us a great gift! She breathed the belief in us th … more →
So, what is a man?
tmatta wrote 1 year ago: So, what is a man? The following excerpt is from an interview I did with a 45 year old Amish blacksm … more →
“Honey, you ain’t fat, you’re huskey!” George Herbert Mead and the Looking-Glass Self
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tmatta wrote 1 year ago: Well, almost everyone in my family was overweight or obese. But, interestingly enough, I think the n … more →
Matta has Mentoring Moment with Virginia Satir
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tmatta wrote 1 year ago: This twenty minute exchange with one of the masters of family therapy continues to impact me over 20 … more →
“You Can’t Have It All”- A Model of Realistic Expectations for Marriage & Family Life
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tmatta wrote 1 year ago: Let’s contextualize the discussion with some notion of the model’s origin. My wife and I were prep … more →
Words of Wisdom after 30 years as a husband, father and marriage & family therapist!
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tmatta wrote 1 year ago: The capacity to change for one’s own betterment is endless. The lasting warmth in a smile or a kind … more →
"Mentoring Moments starting with Mr. Vargo"
tmatta wrote 1 year ago: In the fall of 1965 and as a 7th grader going to Jones Ave. middle school, the second eldest in a fa … more →
