22 02, 2019

Preventing Perinatal Depression [TV News Clip]

By |2019-11-18T14:30:27-08:00February 22nd, 2019|Categories: Blog, Maternal Mental Health|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Here’s some big news for perinatal mental health: a national panel just released a report that depression during pregnancy and postpartum can be PREVENTED with evidenced-based counseling. KSWB-TV brought me back for a sixth time to explain. You can watch a clip here.

Perinatal depression is a big problem

Depression and anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum is a big problem, not just for 1 in 5 women, but for their partners and children as well. We’ve talked before about stigma – that’s the fear of embarrassment that keeps us from telling our friends, “this is tough” or “I’m struggling.” Fortunately, more new parents have been getting real and sharing openly and honestly about their struggles.

Even […]

28 02, 2018

All Teens Should Be Screened for Depression [TV News Clip]

By |2019-11-18T14:30:29-08:00February 28th, 2018|Categories: Blog, Child and Adolescent Therapy, Students|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

The American Academy of Pediatrics announced this week that all adolescents, ages twelve and up, should universally be screened for depression. Yesterday, KSWB in San Diego had me on the morning news again to break down the recommendations on teen depression.

Teen Depression San Diego

Live tv goes fast, so I had one big priority in my head: to share about the crisis text line. Most of the teens I know would feel more comfortable sending a text message than placing a phone call. You can do it privately in a room full of people and no-one would know. I would love for everyone to save the crisis text number now! If you text “HELLO” to 741741, any time of day or night, a volunteer will write back.

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21 01, 2018

Why I’m a Feminist Therapist

By |2019-11-18T14:30:29-08:00January 21st, 2018|Categories: Blog, Mental Wellness|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

I’m coming out as a feminist therapist. But it might not be what you think.

feminist therapy san diego

I do not have an agenda to push in therapy. At least not mine. I want to hear your voice. Your story. I’m here to empower you. Do you have a desire or agenda you are afraid to pursue? Let’s see how we can make it happen.

As a feminist therapist, yes, this does mean that I have a special interest in helping women overcome barriers. Have you been socialized to be “nice”? Does this now get in the way of requesting better pay at work? I can help you find a happy balance between pleasing people and meeting your own needs. In fact, having healthy boundaries honors and respects others.

But feminist […]

18 12, 2017

How a Motivational Interviewing Approach to Therapy Can Help You

By |2019-11-18T14:30:30-08:00December 18th, 2017|Categories: Addiction, Blog, Child and Adolescent Therapy, Mental Wellness, Supervision|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Hi all! In this dispatch from the Evolution of Psychotherapy, I spent the morning hearing from the founder of Motivational Interviewing, one of my go-to approaches since 2002. I wrote this post to introduce potential clients to a great way to get unstuck and move forward. Blog readers might recognize MI from this post on Value Sort Cards.

It is human nature to try to fix others. We love to point out what they need. Bill Miller, the founder of Motivational Interviewing (MI), calls this a “righting reflex.” We naturally want to make things right.

The problem is that most people come to therapy ambivalent. That means feeling conflicted about something, seeing both the good and bad about it, or feeling stuck. Raise your hand if you already know rationally some change […]

14 12, 2017

Sue Johnson, EFT and Dance: Why Couples Therapy is a Tango

By |2019-11-18T14:30:30-08:00December 14th, 2017|Categories: Blog, Couples/Marriage Therapy|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

Hi all! Another dispatch from the Evolution of Psychotherapy. This time, Sue Johnson shares how attachment science can shape corrective emotional experiences in couples therapy.

When she is not training 3,000 people each year in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Sue Johnson is dancing. Specifically, she dances the Argentine tango ten hours a week.

tango couples therapy

Not surprisingly, she sees relationships — the connection, the conflict, and the disconnect – as a dance.

The NY Times once compared couples therapy to “piloting a helicopter in a hurricane.” The dirty little secret of many therapists is that they do not like doing couples therapy. They are scared it will inevitably end in fighting. Sue disagrees. Couples therapy is more a safe, comfortable Air Canada flight. There may be some turbulence, but […]

8 12, 2017

When Holiday Stress Gets You Down, Turn It Around

By |2019-11-18T14:30:31-08:00December 8th, 2017|Categories: Blog, Mental Wellness|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

Sometimes the most wonderful time of the year is anything but. Today, writer Jennifer Scott shares a guest post on how to get through holiday stress and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Ah, the holidays. That delightful time of year when we all put aside our differences and peace on Earth prevails. Or not. While the time between New Year’s day and Halloween is fairly uneventful, we’re expected to put on a happy face from the stroke of midnight on the 305th day of the year until the week after Santa’s annual appearance. But when you have a mental health condition, such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD, that’s not always possible.

when holiday stress gets you down

Here are a few tips on how to keep holiday stress at […]

26 05, 2017

Living a Life Consistent with Your Values (What ARE My Values Again?)

By |2019-11-18T14:30:33-08:00May 26th, 2017|Categories: Blog, Giveaways/Free Resources, Mental Wellness|Tags: , , |0 Comments

I just finished recording an episode of the Messy Middle Podcast with Maring Higa. Update: the podcast is up now –> find it here.

Our conversation got me thinking about values. She asked questions like how do you manage social comparison? How do you find self-worth? How do you find your course while in transition? For many of these questions, I thought the Values Card Sort exercise could be helpful.

Values Based Life

Another update! Maringa illustrated this beautiful depiction as an answer to our conversation and this post!

The “Personal Values Card Sort” was created by Miller, one of the founders of Motivational Interviewing, along with his colleagues (W.R. Miller, J. C’de Baca, D.B. Matthews, P.L. Wilbourne, University of New […]

11 04, 2017

Afraid You’re Doing the Parenting Thing All Wrong? Watch This.

By |2019-11-18T14:30:34-08:00April 11th, 2017|Categories: Blog, Giveaways/Free Resources, Maternal Mental Health, Parenting|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments

My friend and colleague, Pediatric Physical Therapist Wendi McKenna, is offering More Than Milestones: Understand Your Baby, Nurture Development Confidently, and Raise a Thriving, Happy, Healthy Child … with a Village of Support, a complimentary online training and video summit that brings together more than 20 child development, maternal, and family health experts, including me, to share our advice for parenting with confidence.

Link to register for the video series here.

My episode on “Mothering the Mother” airs April 28th and will be free for just a few days.

More Than Milestones Video Summit

Hear more from Wendi:

When it comes to parenting, do you ever feel frazzled in the everyday chaos of having a baby, toddler, or preschooler? Maybe you’re afraid you aren’t doing anything right … that you’ll end up “messing […]

23 06, 2016

Paternal Postpartum Depression [Video Clip – News]

By |2018-02-28T21:10:33-08:00June 23rd, 2016|Categories: Blog, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Parenting|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

Yesterday Fox 5 San Diego brought me back for a third time to talk about Depression. This time they wanted to hear more about Paternal Postpartum Depression. They were surprised to know that dads and partners are at risk for PPD, too. Many thanks to co-anchor Shally Zomorodi for helping raise awareness. You can watch the clip below:

Thinking About Getting Help for Paternal Postpartum Depression but Not Sure if You Have the Time?

One thing that I did not get a chance to say was that many parents think it is selfish or self-indulgent to spend time and money on themselves. But numerous studies have shown that fathers’ and mothers’ mental health greatly impact a child’s well-being. In fact parental depression affects emotional and intellectual development and has a lasting […]

28 08, 2015

What is Adolescent Therapy?

By |2019-11-18T14:30:38-08:00August 28th, 2015|Categories: Blog, Child and Adolescent Therapy, Mental Wellness, Parenting|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

Yesterday we shared about play therapy and how it can help children. Today’s post introduces adolescent therapy.  No matter what your teen’s behavior looks like, there maybe times when, as a parent, you become concerned and want to seek out help for your child. One of the best ways to do that is through therapy.

What is adolescent therapy?

If you are considering taking your teen to therapy or have wondered what exactly adolescent therapy looks like, here is a quick overview that may help guide you in your decision making.

ADOLESCENT THERAPY (ages 13-18)

How does adolescent therapy differ from adult therapy?

  • Adolescents/teens are not independent. They are usually brought in by parents or guardians and are not there by choice which […]
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