Blog for Better Living

Meaningful Connections

By: Other | September 15, 2017

Written by Jennifer Wendt, Ph.D. Do you have meaningful connections in your life? Do you feel uplifted after a conversation with a friend? Are interactions with strangers at the store pleasing to you? Humans have a core necessity to connect with others. These lend meaning and happiness to our lives. Reflecting on our daily encounters […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Personal Improvement, Stress

Self-Compassion

By: Other | September 1, 2017

Written by Anke Reineke, Ph.D. When faced with a stressful situation, we might blame ourselves or judge ourselves negatively. While listening to another person talking about the same stressful situations, we are likely to show more caring and kindness. Why is it so hard to offer the same kindness to ourselves that we so easily […]

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Depression, Mindfulness, Personal Improvement, Stress

Writing for Mental and Emotional Well-Being

By: Other | August 18, 2017

Written by Paul Paris, Ph.D. Some of us enjoy writing. Some of us loathe it. Like any personal affinity or dislike, the process of writing may inspire and resonate with us or we may feel indifferent about it — a task with which we just don’t connect. The reasons we write are different. All of […]

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Depression, Personal Improvement, Therapy

Getting to Goals in Therapy

By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | August 11, 2017

You have made the difficult decision to meet with a therapist. But, what will you work on in therapy? What will be the goals of your treatment? Deciding to meet with a therapist for the first time takes strength and courage, especially while experiencing emotional pain and life difficulties. You should know that most therapists […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Grief, Personal Improvement, Relationships, Therapy

Protecting Our LGBTQ+ Youth

By: Other | July 7, 2017

Written by Paul Paris, Ph.D. Growing up is hard to do! For all of us, especially adolescents and young adults, exploring who we are, what we want in life, and our friendships and intimate relationships are especially important. It’s not always easy navigating our independence with what our parents and family members may expect or […]

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Bullying, Depression, Parenting, Relationships, Teens

How to Be Gentle with Yourself

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | May 12, 2017

Life is hard. Yet, many of us make it worse by being hard on ourselves. We waste precious time beating ourselves up, wallowing in guilt, or chastising ourselves for mistakes we feel we’ve made. We live in a “Get Over It and Move On” society where we are implicitly or explicitly encouraged to be a […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Personal Improvement, Stress, Therapy

Eating to Feel Good

By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | February 3, 2017

Three times a day we get to choose what we want to eat to quiet our hunger. Science has progressed the ability to measure the impact of these choices on our bodies. Recently, research has uncovered fascinating links between diet and our moods. Integrative treatments for mental health have gained traction, particularly in the newer […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Personal Improvement, Stress

Finding Center – Spirituality and Mental Health

By: Other | November 25, 2016

Written by Francine Martinez, Ph.D. Over the past 15 years the mental health community has begun exploring the therapeutic relationship between spirituality and mental health. The American Psychological Association, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the National Institutes of Health are examples of organizations that have come to the conclusion that there can and does […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Personal Improvement, Stress

Building Confidence in Your Child

By: Other | November 11, 2016

Written by Jennifer Wendt, Ph.D. As I sit and watch a class of children in gymnastics I reflect on how important it is to for children to develop skills that build confidence. All humans strive to gain skills and develop pride in their abilities, making it important to begin fostering this development in children. Each […]

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Anxiety, Children, Depression, Parenting