Mental health is not as simple as physical health. It would have been amazing to have a tool which could show depression in an x-ray, panic attack in brain scan or anxiety via MRI. Unfortunately, it’s not the case. Mental health issues are complex and need thorough assessment and observation to be recognized. It’s a…
This week is the Super Bowl. Usually it is a weekend when family and friends gather together for Super Bowl parties. This has been a tradition for people for many years. However, this year is different because of the Coronavirus. Yes in California, the shelter in place order was lifted and the number of people…
Hi Everyone and Happy 2021! After the last year we have had, I am sure you all have made some resolutions to start this year off different. You feel ready to make some lasting changes for yourself and your life. I have created this guide to offer you some tips on how to make those…
Co-regulation is the capacity for two nervous systems to come into a sense of well-being, together. When we are young, our caregivers dance with us through this medium, following the fluctuations of our emotional and physiological changes, lending their nervous systems to help us regulate, and shaping our ability to dance with ourselves in this…
Breath is such a powerful tool for becoming who we are. It carries and influences our consciousness. The air inside us, like the breeze, can make leaves dance and glisten, move streams and rivers. It can calm a storm, or start one up. We can slow and elongate our breathing to calm waters. We can…
Besides having to live through a pandemic where their lives have been turned upside down, children and teenagers today are having to live with our government in chaos. Many parents may think that their children and teenagers do not pay attention to the news, but they do. As a child and adolescent psychotherapist, I hear…
Anyone who has a teenager knows that the teenager thinks that they know everything and they need no one’s help. Many parents have had major arguments with their teenagers because they tried to offer the teenager advice about how to handle a situation. I have had many teenagers sit in my office too, saying they…
I have many teenagers who see me for therapy believing that no one loves them and that they are worthless. They tell me their parents don’t love them, their siblings don’t care about them and no one at school cares about them. They feel they are unloveable and no one cares if they live or…
Deep breathing is proven to help people feel better and live better. Even so, many people find that it doesn’t work for them. If you’ve tried deep breathing but can’t make it work, this article is for you. It’s broken into two parts – the theory of it, which explains how it works, and the…
Caregiver/Self-Care Support Group Self-care is essential, but we often don’t take enough time (or feel we don’t have the time) for it. However, taking care of yourself is vital not just to feel better but to perform better in the long run and to be able to help others. Starting January 14th, 2021, I’m offering…