5 11, 2017

My Concern with Wine Mom Memes

By |2019-11-18T14:30:32-08:00November 5th, 2017|Categories: Addiction, Blog, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Parenting|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

There’s something about the “wine mom” memes and Pinterest posts that have always made me uncomfortable. As an addiction specialist and a postpartum specialist, I have been curious about the intersection for some time.

wine mom memes

In fact, a recent op-ed on CNN looks at the coinciding rise of the “wine mom” in popular culture and a rise in high-risk and problem drinking. And a recently published study in JAMA Psychiatry tracks a rise of 83.7% in problem drinking in women between 2002 and 2013. That’s a lot!

For more explanation, I recommend having a read here.

As I say this, I will fully admit that sharing a glass of wine with a baby group after my first was born brought me […]

16 06, 2017

Mothering the Mother [Video] with Maternal Mental Health Expert Abigail Burd

By |2019-11-18T14:30:32-08:00June 16th, 2017|Categories: Blog, Giveaways/Free Resources, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Parenting|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Today I am excited to share for free the in-depth video “Mothering the Mother” I recorded as part of the More than Milestones video summit. You can watch it on YouTube or below.

Many thanks to Wendi of Move Play Grow for asking me to be a part of the online summit and for letting me share the video for free here. If you are interested in purchasing the entire series, featuring 25 experts, please check out the More than Milestones page here.

And curious about the offer at the end for the video of two free meditation tracks? It’s true! I am giving away two mp3 files of “An Introduction to Mindfulness” and “An Introduction to Abdominal Breathing” to […]

2 06, 2017

Noisey (Vice) “Asked a Smart Person” (Me) about Sad Music

By |2019-11-18T14:30:33-08:00June 2nd, 2017|Categories: Blog, Child and Adolescent Therapy, Mental Wellness, Students|Tags: , , |0 Comments

I love talking to journalists and reporters about mental health. For one, it helps get the word out that YOU ARE NOT ALONE and likely, YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE FEELING THE WAY YOU DO.

Most recently, Sammy Maine from Noisey, which is the music side of Vice media, asked me to weigh in for her article “Why Exactly Are We So Obsessed with Songs about Heartbreak?

Noisy: Why are we so obsessed with songs about heartbreak?

Fun topic, no?

Sad music, like break up songs, works on many levels. Research shows that it can help with emotion regulation. One way that we think it works is that by hearing about someone else that is sad, you can feel the catharsis of experiencing the sadness, but externalize […]

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 […]

18 02, 2017

Abby Burd, LCSW, San Diego Psychotherapist Talks with New Moms March 3rd

By |2019-11-18T14:30:35-08:00February 18th, 2017|Categories: Blog, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Parenting|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Catch Abby in a free speaking engagement on March 3rd.

Maiden to Mother Group for New Moms in San Diego
Abby is honored to speak to new moms in San Diego on Friday, March 3rd, at the Maiden to Mother group at Nature’s Whisper. Abby is an LCSW and psychotherapist specializing in maternal mental health, which includes postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety and adjustment to the new role. Years ago, she used to lead this group, which encourages new moms to find support, community and new identity.
The group has continued on robustly, but recently, the facilitator and studio director reached out to Abby. The new moms have LOTS of questions and they are hoping Abby can help ease their anxiety. Some of the things the mamas have asked include:
  1. I think […]
15 11, 2016

Post Election Stress

By |2019-11-18T14:30:35-08:00November 15th, 2016|Categories: Blog, Mental Wellness|Tags: , |0 Comments

howtomoveforward

According to a Harris Poll conducted in October on behalf of the American Psychological Association, 52% of American adults reported that this Presidential election was a significant source of stress.  Following last Tuesday’s election results and expected significant political change, post-election stress has set in for many Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike.  Regardless of who you voted for, I think a lot of us can agree that this past year has been politically exhausting.

Major political change often brings with it uncertainty about the present and the future. You may be concerned about everything from your finances and economic future to what these election results will mean for the future of your family or country. Typical feelings due to political change are:

  • insecurity
  • loss of control
  • […]

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 […]

18 03, 2016

Better Body Image

By |2019-11-18T14:30:36-08:00March 18th, 2016|Categories: Blog, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness|Tags: , , |1 Comment

Robin Kaplan, M.Ed., IBCLC, of the San Diego Breastfeeding Center, has been a wonderful influence in the lives of many, many San Diego women. She asked me to share some thoughts on how her clients can have better body image, especially after having a baby. In a guest post on her site I had fun sharing some of the latest research, my own thoughts, and referencing Elmo (the muppet.)

viewing body image after baby

I also got to pick the brains of therapist, Rachel Rabinor, and nutritionist, Lindsay Stenovec, and encourage women to subvert the dominant paradigm. I linked to A Beautiful Body Project, Jade Beall’s website sharing “truthful images […]

28 01, 2016

Abby on TV Today Explaining the New Depression Screen Recommendations

By |2019-11-18T14:30:36-08:00January 28th, 2016|Categories: Blog, Featured, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness|Tags: , , , , , , , , |3 Comments

The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated their 2009 recommendations on screening adults for depression on 1-26-16. In a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, they detail how ALL adults should routinely be screened for depression, and made particular mention throughout of the importance of screening pregnant and postpartum women.

I spoke with Fox 5 morning news anchor, Shally Zomorodi, this morning about what the recommendations mean.


This clip originally aired on Fox5 KSWB TV Morning News on 1-28-16 at 7:40am. Uploaded with the permission of the station.

So why is this news?

Live TV goes fast and something that I didn’t really get to explain is how big a deal this is. As JAMA […]

15 11, 2015

How to Prevent Postpartum Depression

By |2019-11-18T14:30:36-08:00November 15th, 2015|Categories: Blog, Maternal Mental Health, Mental Wellness|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

The Ergobaby blog featured a recent article of mine on how to prevent PPD in both moms- and dads-to-be.

preventing postpartum depression

Please visit the Ergobaby blog to read the full article, including the difference between the “baby blues” and postpartum mental illness, easy steps to include in a postpartum plan, and how to know when to reach out for help.

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