Blog for Better Living

Teens and COVID-19

By: Michael Toohey, Psy.D. | September 11, 2020

Teens have difficult times during COVID-19. They miss seeing their friends and classmates in person. Socializing with peers is an important part of teen development while COVID-19 creates a social distancing challenge. The big letdown of not attending graduations, proms, sports, or college visits means many teens feel frustrated, depressed, irritable, annoyed, and sad. Healthychildren.org […]

Depression, Parenting, Teens

Joyful Anticipation

By: Natalie Rice-Thorp, Ph.D. | September 4, 2020

Think back to pre-COVID-19 and ask yourself: Did you love the excitement of planning trips and finding new places to explore? Did you look forward to eating out with friends? Did you relish a leisurely trip through your favorite store just for fun? Did you look forward to exercise time at the gym? Did you […]

Get Comfortable with Being a Beginner

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | August 28, 2020

I’m not ashamed to tell you that I recently had a breakdown. I cried, got angry, and in no uncertain terms threw a temper tantrum that rivals that of a three-year-old fighting bedtime. The surprising thing is that my tantrum occurred in response to my husband trying to teach me the right way to do […]

Anger, Anxiety, Personal Improvement

How to Achieve Interpersonal Effectiveness

By: Lisa Card Strong, Ph.D. | August 21, 2020

Do you feel like you’re getting what you need in relationships? Do you ever find yourself just going along with other people? not really standing up for yourself? participating in something you don’t want to? feeling dissatisfied or irritated? not even knowing the reasons why? Increasing your interpersonal effectiveness skills can help decrease these annoyed, […]

Silence is No Longer an Option for the South Asian Community

By: Kamaljit "Sonya" Virdi, Ph.D. | August 14, 2020

#Breakingthestigma4nima may have appeared on your social media because of the untimely death of Nima Bhakta on July 24, 2020. Prior to her death, she wrote about the South Asian community’s lack of understanding about postpartum depression. Her story humanizes postpartum depression for the community, and I commend her family for their courage to publicize […]

Depression, Therapy

Letting Go of F.E.A.R.

By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | July 31, 2020

Let’s be real: Right now most of us endure some level of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty in this ever-changing pandemic reality. Now more than ever must we find ways to manage our stress and worry as we continue living our lives in these uncertain times. Coping can take extra creativity, given the limited or non-existent […]

Anxiety, Mindfulness, Stress, Therapy

Maintaining Motivation Amidst Uncertainty

By: Demet Çek, Ph.D. | July 17, 2020

We all need motivation not only for important things we must do but also for those we like to do. Motivation is dynamic as with many other psychological constructs. External and internal factors influence motivation, changing it frequently. External circumstances created by the pandemic cause uncertainty all around us. We do not know what the […]

Anxiety, Personal Improvement, Therapy

How to be Patient with Yourself and Others in a Changing World

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | July 10, 2020

We live in a time where everything can change at an accelerated pace. No protocol exists for a time like this, no wisdom upon which to rely or set a course to follow. If ever there was a time when we should show patience, it would be now, right? After all, we’ve never done this […]

Self-Care for BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color & Tips for Allies

By: Natalie Rice-Thorp, Ph.D. | June 26, 2020

Co-authored by Natalie Rice-Thorp, Ph.D. and Estefani Mejia, B.A. “I don’t know what to say” is a common theme in therapy rooms these days as people grapple with issues of injustice in Black communities. To say these times are difficult is an understatement. When asked what we think about recent events and racial issues, we […]