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Announcements!
Mark your calendars!
Airing November 3rd: Mr. Shulman will be a
featured guest expert on compulsive shopping and spending on
The Women's Entertainment Channel's "Secret Lives of
Women"; and airing December 3rd: Mr. Shulman will be a
featured guest expert on compulsive shoplifting and stealing
on the Canadian Broadcast Corporation's "Doc-Zone" series.
Check listings for
times/channels.
Therapist Telephone
Training on Compulsive Theft begins this year! Please contact
Terrence Shulman at terrenceshulman@theshulmancenter.com
or 248-358-8508 for more information. Be on the cutting edge
of a new and exciting field of treatment. Led by Mr. Shulman,
learn how to assess and treat clients who suffer from
compulsive shoplifting and stealing.
Group telephone
counseling for persons struggling with compulsive theft
and/or spending starts this year! Relapses frequently occur
just before, during, or after the holiday season! Get a jump
on creating a solid foundation before the holiday season ramps
up! Individual phone counseling
pre-holiday tune-ups are available as well. Contact Terrence Shulman 248-358-8508 or by
e-mail at
terrenceshulman@theshulmancenter.com for more
information.
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What
are the costs and rewards for standing up for oneself, one's
causes, one's beliefs, one's truth? I've been through an almost two year personal and professional battle. The costs have been measured in terms of
dollars, time, energy, stress, relationship issues, and more.
And the costs may continue to bear out over time. But what of
the benefits? The benefits are often a bit less tangible and
may need to be embraced out of sheer declaration. I can say
that, despite frequent moments of fear and doubt, my life
shall never be the same. I can say that my marriage has gotten
stronger as we pulled together. I can say that many
friendships have been strengthened. I can say that I have
pride and dignity over not allowing myself to be steamrolled
over. I can say I got an education--albeit an expensive
one--about myself, the workings of the American legal system,
and life. I can say I have managed to hold onto some things
that are very valuable to me.
Only each of us
can say whether "the fight" was worth it. It is rare that
taking such a risk does not involve pain, discomfort, stress,
or loss. In essence, there's no guarantee that our courage
will be applauded, rewarded, or that that which we are
fighting for or against will happen. Is it like the old
saying: it's not whether you win or lose but how (or if) you
play the game? For every story book ending of David vs.
Goliath or Rocky Balboa, there are "noble defeats" and
"untriumphant victories."
There are many examples of
how people suffer dearly for their causes--from Jesus to
Gandhi to Martin Luther King to our troops in the military.
I'm sure each one of us has experienced at least a couple
life-defining moments of warrior battle--whether seemingly
large or small. Again, sometimes we pay for it--literally and
figuratively--for years to come. Only we can
decide--continuously--if it was worth it. Hopefully, we can
come to some peace around our decision and our performance
instead of living in a world of regret and "what ifs." Often,
this takes time.
When was the
last time you stood up for yourself?
What were the costs?
The rewards?
When was the last time you spoke your
truth?
What were the costs? The rewards?
How do you know
when to fight or surrender?
The late Irish poet,
philosopher and former priest John O'Donahue wrote in "The
Question Holds the Lantern": "When your soul awakens, you
begin to truly inherit your life. You leave the kingdom of
fake surfaces, repetitive talk, and weary roles and slip
deeper into the true adventure of who you are and who you are
called to become. The greatest friend of the soul is the
unknown. Yet we are afraid of the unknown because it lies
outside our vision and our control. We avoid it or quell it by
filtering it through our protective barriers of domestication
and control. The normal way never leads home... Once you start
to awaken, no one can ever claim you again for the old
patterns."
Standing up for ourselves may feel scary as
we face uncertainty and even death (true, symbolic, or ego).
We must find support wherever we can; we cannot go it alone...
even when we feel
alone.
________________________________________________________________________________
HAPPY
ELECTION DAY! GET OUT THE VOTE!
________________________________________________________________________________
I recently got back from Las
Vegas where I attended and presented at The 2009
National Conference for five distinct groups: The American
Psychotherapy Association, The American College of Forensic
Examiners, The American Board for Certification in Homeland
Security, The American Association of Integrative Medicine,
and The American College of Counselors. About 600 interesting
people from all parts of the country converged to share and
learn the latest knowledge on topics such as
terrorism, identity theft and fraud, CSI techniques, holistic
medicine, and psychotherapy. My presentation on
compulsive shopping and spending was well-received.
One
of the keynote speakers was Frank Abagnale, subject of
the "Catch Me if You Can" book and movie. Mr. Abagnale
was a former check forger and famous imposter
from age 16-21 before he spent about six years in prisons.
Since then, he has worked with the FBI and started his own
consulting practice designed to prevent fraud at all levels
and to educate the public. I bought his book "The Art of The
Steal" and found it very informative. It details his own life
as well as how prevalent all kinds of fraud are in our society
and how slow and ineffective we are at doing much about it.
It's a real eye-opener.
I got to meet Mr. Abagnale
after his talks. He signed a copy of his book for me and I
presented him with complimentary copies of my two books
"Something for Nothing" and "Biting The Hand That Feeds."
Winona Ryder, the world's most famous
shoplifter, was in the news recently. She was
quoted last month in Interview Magazine, discussing her
relative drop out of the public eye since her notorious 2001
shoplifting arrest. "It wasn't like a breakdown, but I had to
just stop and take care of myself. I was struggling. I nevver
went out. I was just terrified and exhausted. I approached my
work very seriously, and it just got to be too much for me. I
just felt like I really wanted to hold on to who I was and try
to have as much of a normal life as I could."
It would be
nice if Ms. Ryder one day decides to share more openly about
the extent of her shoplifting problem, what she believes
contributed to it, if she still feels temptations, and what
she does differently to
cope.
Workplace satisfaction is a crucial
issue for companies and employees alike. In today's
competitive market, retaining loyal employees reduces
turnover, theft, and unproductivity. The Detroit Free Press
recently released an article on the "Top Workplaces of 2009."
In the article, companies were rated by employees who listed
these Top 10 reasons which instilled confidence and
satisfaction in their leadership:
1. Good communication skills
2. Good
listening skills
3. Good vision or goals
4.
Caring
5. Makes sound, timely decisions
6. Sets a good
example
7. Openness
8. Positivity
9. Strength
10.
Good values
In 2006, a major Human Resources conference
surveyed thousands of employees and found that 73% of them
listed poor leadership in their organizations as the primary
reason for low
morale.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The Dow hit 10,000 for
the first time in over a year recently. And as
we continue to receive dual messages to save more and to spend
more, it's sometimes hard to tell up from down. What, if
anything have we learned about ourselves individually and
collectively since the bubble burst in 2008?
How are
you doing with your money and spending? Have you woken up at
all? Have you made any significant changes in your values or
habits?
Some reports indicate that we're hardly out of
the woods yet and that there likely will be another wave of
mortgage foreclosures as more ARM rates readjust and more
balloon payments come
due.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Lawsuit
Update:
Due to
some unanticipated rulings by the judge and mounting costs to
defend this lawsuit, we have chosen to move toward settlement.
We are in the final stages. Wish us luck.
Compulsive Theft & Spending in The
News! October/November 2009:
October 6--Mr.
Shulman presented a 90-minute interactive discussion on
compulsive theft and spending at The Costick Center in
Farmington Hills, Michigan.
October 14-16--Mr. Shulman
presented on compulisve theft and spending at The American
Psychotherapy Associations Annual Conference in Las Vegas,
NV.
October 23--Mr. Shulman presented
on compulsive theft and spending at 2 day-long seminars
presented by The Jewish Family Services in the metro-Detroit
area.
November 3--Mr.
Shulman will be featured on Women's Entertainment TV's "Secret
Lives of Women" episode about compulsive
shopping/spending.
November 12--Mr. Shulman will
be featured as a guest expert on compulsive shopping on
CNN's/HLN's "The Joy Behar" show.
Mr. Shulman
created an online continuing education course on compulsive
shopping and spending called "Bought Out and $pent!" based on
his book and Power Point presentation. The course is offered
through The American Psychotherapy Association and is
available for purchase by APA members and non-members and CEs
are available. See http://www.americanpsychotherapy.com/
Mr.
Shulman created an online education course called "Creating an
Honest and Theft-Free Workplace" based on his book and Power
Point presentation through 360 Training Services. CEs are
available. See www.360training.com
Mr. Shulman is assisting with a CNN TV news story
about compulsive shopping/spending in today's economy.
Mr. Shulman will be featured in a
segment on shoplifting addiction in the MSNBC series "Theft in
America" to air in late 2009.
Mr. Shulman is
consulting on the development of a major motion picture
tentatively called "The Rush" in which the lead character is
addicted to shoplifting and stealing.
Mr. Shulman continues to assist the
Kingman, Arizona court system with his court-ordered homestudy
program for retail fraud offenders. The program is based on
material from his book "Something for Nothing: Shoplifting
Addiction and Recovery" (2003).
Beyond
November...
December 3--Mr. Shulman will
be featured on Canadian Broadcast Corporation's "Doc-Zone"
series about compulsive shoplifting and
stealing.
January 19--Mr. Shulman will be interviewed
on an Internet radio station devoted to parenting
issues.
Mr. Shulman wrote an
article on compulsive shopping and spending to appear this
Fall in Paradigm Magazine published in association with
Proctor Hospital and The Illinois Institute for Addiction and
Recovery.
Mr. Shulman is consulting with an author who
is writing a novel about two kleptomaniacs who fall in
love.
Mr. Shulman submitted a
chapter on employee theft for a U.K. book entitled "Risky
Business" to be released in early 2010.
Contact The Shulman Center
Terrence Shulman
P.O. Box
250008
Franklin, Michigan 48025
E-mail:
terrenceshulman@theshulmancenter.com
Call (248) 358-8508 for free
consulation!
Related sites by Terrence
Shulman:
The Shulman
Center
Cleptomaniacs and Shoplifters
Anonymous
www.Terrenceshulman.com
www.Shopaholicsanonymous.org
www.Employeetheftsolutions.com
www.Kleptomaniacsanonymous.com
Books:
Something For
Nothing
Biting The Hand That Feeds
Bought Out and
$pent
Products for Purchase--ON SALE through
2009!
Mr. Shulman's 75 Minute DVD Power
Point Presentation on Employee Theft at Livonia, Michigan
Financial Manager's Conference 10/19/06. $75.00
Mr. Shulman's 75 Minute DVD Power
Point Presentation on Employee Theft at Louisville, Kentucky
Business in Industry Conference 9/19/07. $75.00
Mr. Shulman's two books "Something
for Nothing: Shoplifting Addiction & Recovery" and "Biting
The Hand That Feeds: The Employee Theft Epidemic... New
Perspectives, New Solutions" are availabe for $25.00 each
(includes shipping/handling) or both for $45.00 (includes
shipping/handling).
Mr. Shulman's 90 minute DVD Power
Point presentation for young people: "Theft and Dishonesty
Awareness Program." $75.00
Mr. Shulman's 33 minute
psycho-educational DVD: "The Disease of Something for Nothing:
Shoplifting and Employee Theft." $50.00
First International Conference on
Theft Addictions & Disorders 4 DVD set (13 Hours).
Recorded 10/05. $125.00.
Second International Conference on
Compulsive Theft & Spending 2 DVD set (6 Hours). Recorded
9/08. $100.00.
Click here to purchase
E-mail Mr. Shulman:
terrenceshulman@theshulmancenter.com
or
Call (248) 358-8508
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