Carlton Cornett, LCSW
NASW Diplomate in Clinical Social Work
Psychotherapy and Consultation
2817 West End Avenue
Suite # 208
Nashville, Tennessee 37203
(615) 329-9509
e-mail: mail@carlton-cornett-lcsw.com
Carlton Cornett, LCSW has been in private
practice in Nashville since 1990. His practice serves the gay, lesbian, and
bisexual communities as well as the arts community and those affected by HIV. He
is one of the most experienced psychotherapists specializing in the concerns of
these populations in the region.
View Carlton Cornett's profile on The Psychology Today website - 'The Therapy
Directory'.
Writings:
Self & Society:
“He, who begins by loving Christianity better than the Truth.” (Samuel Taylor
Coleridge ). Published in
insideOut Nashville (formerly
Xenogeny), August 15,
2004.
Self & Society: “Reverence
… is the most precious part of the human soul.” (John Ruskin ).
Published in
insideOut Nashville (formerly
Xenogeny), August 1,
2004.
Self & Society: “The moron’s capacity to copulate
– this may be heterosexual.” (Heinz Kohut).
Published in
insideOut Nashville (formerly
Xenogeny), July 18,
2004.
Self & Society: “Love
is an activity, not a passive affect.” (Erich Fromm).
Published in
insideOut Nashville (formerly
Xenogeny), July 12,
2004.
Self & Society: “Are
we still any use?” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).
Published in
insideOut Nashville (formerly
Xenogeny), June 21,
2004.
Self & Society: “Whether he will be
loved or hated for it.” (Alice Miller).
Published in
insideOut Nashville (formerly
Xenogeny), May 30,
2004.
Self & Society: “We
are all more simply human than otherwise.” (Harry Stack Sullivan).
Published in
insideOut Nashville (formerly
Xenogeny), May 23,
2004.
Contradiction
& Paradox: Thoughts on
Shame and Authenticity with Gay Men
from Psychology, Religion, and
Homosexuality: Critical Responses to Reparative Therapy, Vanderbilt University,
February 7, 2004.
The Problem of Diagnosis.
Printed and
distributed by The Institute for Professional Development, Nashville, Tennessee,
January 20, 2003.
Psychotherapy as
Conversation
In a 1994 article in the journal Society, British psychoanalyst Peter Lomas
wrote, “Psychotherapy is a conversation in which two people find a way of
communicating matters of the heart.” We have conversations day in and day out
with a variety of people in our lives. Yet, seldom do we open up our hearts or
our souls (psyche means soul) to another person to talk about who we really
are.
As human beings we crave acceptance and affirmation from our friends, our
lovers, our bosses, our parents, and sometimes even people we meet for the first
time. So, we can be afraid to open up to even the closest people in our lives.
If they see that we are sometimes petty, angry, jealous, sad, imperfect – if
they see that we are, in short, human – they may not accept us. We keep many
secrets from other people and from ourselves.
Psychotherapy is a conversation between two people. It is an honest and open
conversation about what really matters. My job as a psychotherapist is to make
the conditions right for such conversations. It is also my job to be a full
participant in these conversations – emotionally present, attentive, and
empathic. Invariably, some of my human imperfections will also make an
appearance.
Psychotherapy is not just about the past. It is about the past, present, and
future. It is not just about problems, it is about potential. It is about
dreams – those we have while asleep and those we have in our waking hours.
Psychotherapy is about developing satisfying relationships. In short,
psychotherapy is a process in which we begin to understand and accept ourselves
through conversations in a relationship with another person.
Psychotherapy provides no magical solutions. It has limitations just like
medications and any other form of mental health care. It is work. However,
that work can be richly rewarded with new understandings, increased moments of
peace and self-renewal.
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