Blog for Better Living
How Written Exposure Therapy Can Help Treat PTSD
By: Natalie Rice-Thorp, Ph.D. | March 14, 2025
If you’ve experienced death, threats of death, serious physical injury, or sexual violence, you may be struggling to cope with the impact of these events. You might experience nightmares or intrusive memories related to the trauma or find yourself avoiding reminders of what happened. It’s possible you’ve had difficulty connecting with others or struggled to […]
Read MoreAm I a People Pleaser or Just a Nice Person?
By: Michael Toohey, Psy.D. | March 7, 2025
Have you ever found yourself agreeing to something you didn’t want to do, just to avoid disappointing someone, and then wondered – am I a people pleaser or just a nice person? The truth is the distinction between being a people pleaser and simply being kind can be more nuanced than you might think. People […]
Read MoreThe Impact of Menopause on Mental Health
By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | February 21, 2025
Menopause, a natural phase in a woman’s life, brings about significant hormonal changes that can profoundly impact mental health. Symptoms associated with menopause can begin as early as the mid-40s (sometimes earlier) during a phase known as perimenopause. Perimenopause is the transitional period leading up to menopause, characterized by fluctuating hormone levels that can cause […]
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Navigating Parenthood: Supporting a Neurodivergent Child with Rejection Sensitivity
By: Kristen Lipari, Ph.D. | January 31, 2025
In my work with parents of young children with confirmed or suspected neurodivergence, I often observe them navigate between celebrating their child’s gifts and managing their challenges. If you’re a parent of a neurodivergent child, the one-size-fits-all parenting strategies that are all too common on Instagram may work for other kids, but they might not […]
Read MoreHow To Support Survivors of Natural Disasters
By: Niyatee Sukumaran, Ph.D. | January 24, 2025
Natural disasters like earthquakes, wildfires, floods, hurricanes and tornados can profoundly affect the mental health of both individuals and entire communities. One such example is the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. As I continue to watch the news, I realize the immense loss and destruction experienced by so many. If you have friends and family […]
Read MoreHow to Handle Stress and Anxiety After the Election Results
By: Kamaljit "Sonya" Virdi, Ph.D. | January 10, 2025
Emotions ran particularly high during this election season given the significance of the topics being debated, such as women’s reproductive rights, immigration and mass deportation, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and transgender rights, to name a few. Our country remains in a state of political divisiveness. As such, it is understandable that those on the losing side […]
Read MoreThought Crimes: Why Your Thoughts Don’t Define You
By: Michael Toohey, Psy.D. | December 6, 2024
Have you even beaten yourself up, judged yourself, or felt ashamed for having a thought that might upset others if you shared it with them? Does thinking poorly about someone make you a bad person? Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung was among the first to grapple with these concepts, which are referred to as “thought crimes.” […]
Read MoreBalancing Motherhood This Holiday Season
By: Niyatee Sukumaran, Ph.D. | November 15, 2024
The holidays are a time when traditions, family gatherings, and festivities take center stage, and for many mothers, this means taking on the responsibility of organizing the celebrations. The role of the mother as the “heart” of holiday traditions is deeply ingrained in many societies, particularly in cultures where familial ties and communal gatherings are […]
Read MoreHow to Say Goodbye
By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | November 8, 2024
How can we possibly say goodbye to someone we love when they approach the end of their life? It seems like an impossible task because we simply don’t want to say goodbye to the people we love – especially if we are saying goodbye forever. Facing this certainty feels unbearable. As hard as it may […]
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