10 09, 2024

Clinical Hypnosis for Perinatal Mental Health

By |2024-09-10T21:22:33-07:00September 10th, 2024|Categories: Addiction, Blog, Featured, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Reproductive Mental Health|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Hypnosis has a mixed reputation in popular culture. But what about Clinical Hypnosis? How much do you know about it?

Clinical Hypnosis for Perinatal Mental Health with Abby Abigail Burd, California psychotherapist

Recently, my colleague Dr. Kat Kaeni, outgoing president of the board of Postpartum Support International, interviewed me on her popular Mom & Mind Podcast. Her long running podcast (I was episode 360 – love that number) is one of my top recommended for perinatal mental health.

As you can imagine from the number, Kat has already covered a multitude of topics under the umbrella of reproductive mental health. But she was intrigued by some of the novel approaches to reproductive trauma I am introducing in my upcoming trainings. Kat invited me to come on the podcast […]

15 06, 2024

Inside Out 2 Reflective Questions: Tools for Navigating Emotions and Identity

By |2024-06-15T23:31:03-07:00June 15th, 2024|Categories: Blog, Giveaways/Free Resources, Mental Wellness, Parenting, Students|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

Imagine being able to peek inside your teenager’s mind, where Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and their new friends Embarrassment, Envy and Anxiety battle for control. Disney/Pixar’s ‘Inside Out 2“gives us that chance. This downloadable guide features reflective questions inspired by ‘Inside Out 2’ to deepen discussions on emotions and identity.

inside out 2 - new emotions study guide: anxiety, envy, ennui, embarrassment

Remember the journey into Riley’s mind in Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out“? We were introduced to the colorful world of her emotions and learned that every feeling has a place and purpose. Now, “Inside Out 2” is here, taking us through the rollercoaster of adolescence and puberty. As a therapist, I’m excited to share insights from the movie and provide discussion questions that you can use to explore […]

21 04, 2024

What is walk and talk (nature) therapy?

By |2024-04-21T13:17:04-07:00April 21st, 2024|Categories: Addiction, Blog, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Practice Updates|Tags: , , , , |1 Comment

Living in a beautiful climate, such as San Diego, I’ve been taking advantage of the therapeutic benefits of walk and talk therapy sessions. So often we think psychotherapy is just sitting in a dark room. We picture two chairs facing each other (or sitting in front of two separate computer screens). But what if therapy included feeling sunshine, fresh air, movement, or an ocean breeze? Can you imagine the scent of native plants, the sounds of birds, practicing nature-based mindfulness, and more?

A small yellow bird sits on a branch of Cleveland Sage, a plant native to the San Diego area, and often found during walk and talk therapy sessions. The sweet scent of Cleveland sage flowers and leaves brings calm.

What are the benefits of nature-based outdoor sessions or walk and talk therapy?

In […]

10 01, 2022

#BlackMomsMatter – Last Chance for the Online Courses

By |2022-01-10T17:23:07-08:00January 10th, 2022|Categories: Blog, Featured, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Parenting, Practice Updates|0 Comments

In case you missed it…

Janisha Street and I recorded a video course for my online, on-demand school back in 2019. #BlackMomsMatter remains a relevant introduction into the disproportionate impact of perinatal mental illness in the Black and African-American community. More importantly, we cover practical ways to make things better.

Sadly, the door will close to new students 1/31/22

Unfortunately, I’ve made the decision to downgrade the hosting for my online school, and all of the published courses, including the cornerstone Prevent Postpartum Depression. This means:

  • I will not publish any new courses
  • No new students can join after 1/31/22
The good news:
26 11, 2020

Please Do Less

By |2020-11-26T07:52:13-08:00November 26th, 2020|Categories: Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Parenting|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

please do less

One of the more enjoyable topics of 2020 has been “silver linings.” In what unexpected ways are you benefitting from the life changes and disruptions of social distancing? (Not a rhetorical question. Drop it in the comments.)

Personally, I am grateful for being able to work from home. I can hug my family between sessions, “cowork” with my first- and third-graders while I’m doing admin work, avoid traffic, and start dinner in the Instant Pot on my lunch break.

As we head into the holiday season, I encourage all of you to take full advantage of the 2020 excuse to “do less.” The holidays are often a time of pressure to live up to traditions, visit and please extended family, and make it the “best year yet” for our kids.

Can we all […]

9 01, 2019

The Fourth Trimester and the Birth of a Mother

By |2019-11-18T14:30:28-08:00January 9th, 2019|Categories: Blog, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

My friends at Ergobaby have asked me back tomorrow, Thursday, at noon PST, to talk about the fourth trimester. You can catch our conversation live on Instagram, either @burdtherapy or @ergobaby. We will cover the fourth trimester, what it means to moms, mental health, and self-care.

fourth-trimester-self-care

In the meantime, you can preview our chat and learn just what exactly matrescence and the “fourth trimester” mean in a new article I wrote for them here.

Image used with permission from Ergobaby.

16 07, 2018

[Video] Postpartum Anxiety and How to Help

By |2019-11-18T14:30:28-08:00July 16th, 2018|Categories: Blog, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Parenting|Tags: |0 Comments

In case you missed it, you can catch my conversation about Postpartum Anxiety with Christina Soletti of Ergobaby here. We broadcasted live from their downtown LA headquarters on the Ergobaby Facebook page last week.

Christina opened up about her personal experiences with anxiety after her baby was born. She never expected it. Most people don’t. Yet one in five new parents suffers from serious anxiety after a baby is born. Partners are at risk, too.

Catch the whole conversation about postpartum anxiety here:

If you have the time to watch the whole video, I share a little about how to manage anxiety and the fight or flight response with […]

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 […]

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 […]

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