EPPP Study Guides & Mental Health Articles
EPPP study guides and honest prep comparisons for psychologists in training, plus plain-language articles on symptoms, diagnosis, and therapy for everyone else.
Reading about symptoms is a good first step. Talking to someone is a better second one.
These articles are written by Dr. Anders Chan, a licensed psychologist in New York. If something here sounds like you, you can work with him directly or get matched with a therapist who fits.
The Same Fight Every Time: How Couples Get Stuck in a Negative Cycle (and How EFT Breaks It)
If every argument follows the same script, you're not fighting about the dishes. A licensed psychologist explains the pursue-withdraw cycle and how Emotionally Focused Therapy breaks it.
The Four Horsemen: 4 Communication Patterns That Predict Breakups (and Their Trained Antidotes)
Gottman research found four communication patterns that predict relationship failure with startling accuracy. A licensed psychologist explains criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling, and the antidote skills.
When You're More Than One Diagnosis: Finding a Therapist Who Can Treat the Whole Combination
Trans with OCD. An autistic-ADHD couple. A Chinese client with BPD traits. A licensed psychologist on why single-specialty therapy fails complex presentations, and what real fit looks like.
Why Is Everyone in Therapy Forever? The Incentive Problem Nobody Talks About
Insurance pays for sessions, not recoveries, and nothing in the system flags a mediocre fit. A licensed psychologist on why therapy drifts for years, and what therapy built to end looks like.
Depression Symptoms: Why It Often Doesn't Feel Like Sadness At All
Depression frequently shows up as exhaustion, numbness, or irritability rather than sadness. A licensed psychologist walks through the real diagnostic criteria and what treatment looks like.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms: When Worry Becomes the Job You Never Applied For
GAD is more than stress. A licensed psychologist explains the six-month worry rule, the physical symptoms, what separates normal worry from a disorder, and what treatment looks like.
OCD Symptoms: It Was Never Really About the Hand Washing
OCD is intrusive thoughts plus the rituals that feed them. A licensed psychologist explains obsessions, compulsions, the mental rituals nobody sees, and the treatment that works.
Signs of ADHD in Adults: What It Looks Like When You're Not a Hyper Kid
Adult ADHD rarely looks like the classroom stereotype. A licensed psychologist explains the real symptoms, the age-12 rule, what mimics ADHD, and how testing works.
Signs of Autism in Adults: When You've Been Masking So Long It Looks Like Fine
Adult autism often hides behind decades of masking. A licensed psychologist explains the real diagnostic criteria, what masking costs, and how adult autism evaluations work.