Degrees
BA, MA, MFT
My Expert Service
Workaholism is an addiction, an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it's not the same as working hard or putting in long hours.
For a workaholic the obsession with working is relentless and goes far beyond being a “type A” personality. It prevents the individual from engaging in healthy relationships, sustaining outside interests, or even physically caring for themselves. It becomes a problem when there is no balance and boundaries are weak. Like an alcoholic who needs a drink not who wants one, the workaholic will miss important family functions and holidays not because they have to work but because they need to work. And much like a drug addict who even when not using will be obsessing about their next score, the workaholic may pry themselves away for a vacation but they cannot be fully present because their mind is still on work.
As with drug and alcohol addiction, usually a bottom has to be reached before the individual will realize there is a problem especially when someone who overworks is much more rewarded by society than a heroin addict. However when children suffer or are neglected by an absent parent, or when health fails and marriages fall apart some workaholics realize they have a problem.
Experience & Qualifications
I am an author and host of a sex education web series currently in private practice. I have an MA from Pepperdine University in Clinical Psychology. I am Licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. I also have a BA from San Francisco State University in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in Human Sexuality. I have 16 plus years of experience in the mental health field and extensive experience helping people deal with various types of addictions and obsessive compulsive issues.