Cathren is a community collaborative artist who has been working with the Community Libraries of Providence and other non-profits since 2012, developing arts and literacy programs and creating public art installations. She has been an artist in residence at Hattie Ide Chaffee Home since 2023, implementing visual arts and health programs with seniors and dementia patients. Website: ArtHouseRI.com
Dear C and Dr. B: I was at work when my phone beeped with a message that a purchase had been made from my Amazon account with my credit card. I had a panic attack because I didn’t make this buy! I started to call Amazon and was going to call the police too when […]
Dear C and Dr. B: I am 20 years old and I’ve read a lot of self-help books. You would think that I would know now how to act, how to be happy, and how to make better decisions, but instead it all just gets muddled in my head. A lot of these books contradict each […]
Spring is on its way! RI has been shivering under the icy breath of winter, but the days are growing longer and the earth is tilting on its axis. Soon, buds will be bursting into clouds of bright green and crocuses will be pushing their noses up through the snow. A great number of people […]
Dear C and Dr. B: I don’t get it, but I am trying to understand. Right now, I am totally pissed off, but maybe you can make some sense out of this. My husband won’t let me drive his car. And to make matters worse, now his son won’t let his wife drive his car. In fact, my stepson’s […]
Dear C and Dr. B: We raised our family in RI, but my late husband and I moved to Florida when we retired. Our children stayed in RI to raise their own families. As a result, we rarely saw our grandchildren. My son brought them once or twice a year when they were young, but […]
Dear C and Dr. B: My 16 year old daughter, Samantha, is the sweetest, nicest, most heartfelt person I know. She literally weeps for others worse off than her. Unfortunately, she also cuts herself and restricts food to the point of hospitalization. I am at my wit’s end: no medications or therapy have helped her […]
Dear C and Dr. B.: Valentine’s Day is approaching, and I was looking at cards for my girlfriend. They all have some message to the effect of: “You’re my everything. I’m nothing without you.” Nobody is anyone else’s EVERYTHING, that’s a lie. It is also a really dysfunctional message to send. I don’t want to […]
Dear C and Dr. B.: My daughter is 18, so I really have no say in her decisions, but right now I am having a hard time keeping my mouth shut. My daughter plans to have surgery on her BUTT to make it bigger. Apparently, it’s a thing. I have already told her there is no way […]
Dear C and Dr. B.: I saw a psychiatrist because my work performance was suffering. I had a lack of focus, poor concentration and my short term memory was shot. He prescribed Adderall. I’ve been on the medication for a year and my performance at work is a lot better. I never questioned my diagnosis, but recently […]
Dear C and Dr. B: This past Christmas my extended family got together after many years apart. Whenever we had reunions in the past my daughter Laura always was unable to attend. This time she did, but I noticed she was looking very uncomfortable. Later, when I asked her what was wrong, she broke down crying. […]