Blog for Better Living

Thoughts on Interdependence at Commencement

By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | June 22, 2018

It’s graduation season! A graduation ceremony is also known as commencement wherein the completion of something arduous and challenging is recognized while celebrating the beginning of a new journey. I attended a graduation ceremony this weekend and had some nostalgia reflecting back on my own graduation experiences. The excitement, relief, and anticipation of what’s next […]

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Anxiety, Personal Improvement, Relationships

Talking to Your Child About Violence

By: Other | March 9, 2018

Written by Anke Reineke, Ph.D. In the past weeks we have seen and heard a lot about violence in school. Such violence has an impact beyond the place where it happened. Violence in our world today is all around our kids, in the media, in our communities, and even in our schools. Our kids are […]

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Anxiety, Children, Depression, Parenting, Stress, Teens

ACT to Improve the Relationship with Ourselves

By: Other | February 23, 2018

Written by Paul Paris, Ph.D. Doesn’t it seem like certain problems in life never go away? Or, if anything, they seem to get worse? Do you suffer from chronic depression, anxiety, feelings of inadequacy…those unpleasant experiences that become even more frustrating when nothing you’ve done seems to help? When such problems do not go away, […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Therapy

Social Media Ruling Your Life?

By: Other | January 19, 2018

Written by Shireen Shahidi, Intern In the 21st century, doesn’t it feel like we are constantly online? We never really have a break from social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. As a college student, I follow a wide variety of people on various social platforms, and personally am guilty of using these […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Teens

Remaining Positive about Ourselves and Our Lives

By: Other | December 8, 2017

Written by Francine Martinez, Ph.D. “The Good Life is a Process…Not a State of Being.” –Carl Rogers Are the demands of seasonal social gatherings and family getting you down? Are financial pressures or employment piquing your positive perspective? Does it feel like chaos and worry are taking over your life? The practice of Positive Psychology […]

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Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Holidays, Mindfulness, Personal Improvement, Stress

Understanding Brain Injury

By: Other | November 17, 2017

Written by Mike Campbell, Ed.D. Publicized sports injuries have brought the issue of brain injury to public attention.  Whether such injury occurs on a sports field, in our backyards, or afar, understanding brain injury is important for everyone. All brain injuries are unique.  Such injuries can happen at any age and can occur from large […]

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Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Testing

The Power of Gratitude

By: Other | November 10, 2017

Written by Jennifer Wendt, Ph.D. “Gratitude opens the door to the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the universe. You open the door through gratitude.” — Deepak Chopra This is the time of year we discuss the concept of gratitude and being thankful. Some of us will take it to heart and practice gratitude at […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Personal Improvement, Relationships, Stress

Avoidance to Acceptance

By: Other | October 20, 2017

Written by Paul Paris, Ph.D. Do you procrastinate? Do you push off the stuff you don’t want to do to some indeterminate future? Avoiding things in day to day life is fairly common, especially when associated with something unpleasant or something we just do not want to do but feel we must. I remember as […]

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Anxiety, Grief, Mindfulness, Personal Improvement, Stress, Therapy

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