Oliver Drakeford LMFT, CGP

By Oliver Drakeford, LMFT, CGP Circular questioning is a systemic family therapy technique used to explore recurring patterns between family members rather than searching for a single cause or person to blame. A circular question is one which looks at the connection between one person's behaviour, emotions, or beliefs and the way another person responds; for instance, "When your daughter withdraws, what usually does your partner do?" The aim is to enable therapists and families to come to an...

Analysis paralysis occurs when thinking about a decision replaces actually making it. In my work as a licensed psychotherapist, it is a way our thinking protects us from a feeling of uncertainty. By Oliver Drakeford, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Los Angeles with a decade of experience helping adults, couples and families get unstuck. Updated 9/20/2026 What Is Analysis Paralysis? Most people think they are stuck because they don't have enough information, but often, in patterns of...

If you're searching for how to stop overthinking at night, there's a reasonable chance you're reading this at an hour you'd rather be asleep. It's what brings more people to my office than almost anything else. Why Does My brain start overthinking at night? Overthinking is rarely just a thinking problem - it's an uncertainty problem. One of the first things I help people understand when they come to my office is that anxiety, overthinking and rumination are often a response to uncertainty....