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 […]

7 04, 2017

Abigail Burd, LCSW Now Accepts Cigna for Therapy

By |2019-11-18T14:30:34-08:00April 7th, 2017|Categories: Blog, Practice Updates|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

I am happy to announce that I am now an “in-network” psychotherapist for Cigna.

Cigna Therapist in San Diego

 

What does this mean for YOU?

If you have Cigna for behavioral health insurance, it means that I can now bill Cigna directly for therapy sessions and you only need to pay the copay at the time of service.

If you are a provider in San Diego, please keep me in mind for clients with Cigna needing help. My specialties include addiction, dual diagnosis/co-occurring disorders, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including depression and anxiety. Over the past 20 years I have helped people from all walks of life and enjoy helping college students, other “helping” or “healing” professionals, and new parents navigate transitions.

Cigna Therapist San Diego

Schedule an […]

8 09, 2015

Reframing Motherhood: The Photo That Doesn’t Get Posted

By |2019-11-18T14:30:37-08:00September 8th, 2015|Categories: Blog, Maternal Mental Health|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

New moms don’t put sad pictures up on social media.

I was honored when Katie Contrera, a graduate student in the Science/Medical Writing program at Johns Hopkins University, reached out to me for a therapist’s perspective on Postpartum Depression. Chatting on the phone with her, I loved hearing her passion for reducing stigma around peripartum mental health through her writing. Like me, she was interested in the role of social media and it’s ability to connect us yet make us less social. Katie sent me a copy of her article after turning it in for class. It’s good. And I’m honored that she let me publish it here.

Breakfast_in_Bed_(1897)_by_Mary_Cassatt,_Huntington_Library

Reframing Motherhood: The photo that doesn’t get posted

By Katie Contrera

It’s Mother’s Day—and you […]

7 08, 2015

Big News: Expanding with New Marriage and Family Therapy Intern Briana Kilian!

By |2019-11-18T14:30:38-08:00August 7th, 2015|Categories: Blog, Mental Wellness, Parenting|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments

I’m excited to announce that I have hired a new Marriage and Family Therapy Intern to work in my private practice! I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Briana this summer and became impressed with her clinical skills, dedication and reliability. She is also a fun and lovely person to be around. Briana will be working out of the same office as me in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego. She comes with a wealth of experience, especially with children, teens and families. She is a registered intern with the Board of Behavioral Science and will be under my supervision and training, although I often feel I learn from her.

I will let her introduce herself:

Briana Kilian, MFTII am a registered Marriage and Family Therapy Intern and […]

25 07, 2015

4 Ways to Help Kids Understand Emotions with “Inside Out” (Disney/Pixar)

By |2019-11-18T14:30:38-08:00July 25th, 2015|Categories: Blog, Giveaways/Free Resources, Mental Wellness, Parenting|Tags: , , , , , , , |3 Comments

My recent “Inside Out” Study Guide for helping teens and adults understand emotions has been getting positive feedback on Pinterest. Today I’m sharing some ideas for helping younger kids and tweens (grades K-8) use the Disney/Pixar movie to better understand their feelings.

Helping Kids Understand Emotions with Inside Out

1. An emotion pie chart

To be honest, I can’t take full credit. One of my young clients* came up with this idea on his own. He had the brilliant idea of turning his face into a pie chart and using the five colored emotions from Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out” to represent the mix of his feelings. He then drew a key identifying the significance of each color.

You can use this idea […]

15 10, 2014

Culture and Language in Therapy with New and Expecting Parents

By |2019-11-18T14:30:57-08:00October 15th, 2014|Categories: Blog, Maternal Mental Health, Postpartum Health Alliance|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |6 Comments

Recently I attended a lecture sponsored by the Postpartum Health Alliance on “Cultural Considerations when Working with Expecting and New Parents.” The lecturer happened to be an old friend of mine, Dr. Mariela Shibley, Psy.D. She shared with a group of maternal mental health practitioners, First Five home visitors, and other professionals interested in helping pregnant and postpartum women. As I focus on helping women of childbearing years in my psychotherapy private practice in San Diego, I always look forward to learning more and connecting with other practitioners at the PHA lectures. You can see more posts inspired by the PHA lectures here: Postpartum Couples and the

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