Blog for Better Living

Ready for College! Are you ready?

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | May 5, 2016

You’ve put so much intensity, energy, and focus into preparing for college by studying for the SAT’s, taking AP classes and visiting schools. Now comes the most important part of the preparation process…making the transition between high school and college. Taking time to create a plan for the Four Core Components of College Readiness will […]

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Anxiety, Stress, Teens

Mindfulness for You and Your Family

By: Other | April 8, 2016

Written by Asal Azizi, Psy.D. As the morning alarm goes off, family members of all ages rush off to start the daily grind of everyday life. Children and teens hurry to face a day of getting ready for school, learning all day, sport practice or music lessons after school, dinner with their parents, and an […]

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Anxiety, Mindfulness, Personal Improvement, Stress

The Psychological Benefits of Spending Time in Nature

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | April 1, 2016

I recently took a trip to Death Valley National Park to see the “Super Bloom” of wildflowers – a rare event that is worth seeing. Located in eastern California and Nevada, Death Valley is a unique and special place that has always inspired awe for me. Being in nature helps me with Finding Perspective, as […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Personal Improvement, Stress

The Psychological Benefits of Bonding with a Pet

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | February 20, 2016

For those of you who have visited our Point Loma office recently, you may have met our new furry friend, Rue. Rue was brought to us by our Billing Operations Manager, Monique. Rue is not just an office pet, but his presence is a wonderful adjunct to the therapy experience for some of our clients. […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Relationships, Stress

Mental Health – Let’s Talk About It

By: Other | February 15, 2016

Written by Asal Azizi, Psy.D. As a Psychologist I am often subjected to a variety of jokes or comments regarding my field of work when others discover what I do for a living. There is misguided humor about “those crazy people”, awkward moments when someone tells me they once saw a “shrink”, but “it didn’t work”, […]

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Anxiety, Personal Improvement, Relationships, Stress, Therapy

The Beauty of Being Average and Setting Healthy Standards

By: Other | January 11, 2016

Written by Karin Thebus, Psy.D. Average you say? Why would I want to be merely average? Isn’t it the goal of life to be the best at what you work for and be heralded for exceptionalism? Does it feel like there are incredibly high standards that have been set that are unusually impossible to achieve? […]

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Anxiety, Personal Improvement

Why Do I Feel This Way?

By: Other | October 19, 2015

Written by Karin Thebus, Psy.D. A checklist to help identify your current state of mind Have you ever had that feeling that everything is just not ok? Your mood is low and motivation just won’t come. Sometimes all we need is to change our perspective a bit and everything starts to feel better. Before giving in to […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Personal Improvement, Stress

How to Not Take Things Personally

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | October 12, 2015

Don’t take anything personally. This is the second agreement of Don Miguel Ruiz’s classic, The Four Agreements. As the author writes so eloquently in his book: “Whatever happens around you, don’t take it personally…nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their […]

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Anxiety, Depression, Personal Improvement, Relationships, Stress

How to Help Someone with Anxiety

By: Other | September 21, 2015

Written by Francine Martinez, Ph.D. Anxiety is a condition that can close you off to others. For friends and family of those living with anxiety, this can represent a serious challenge. You want to help them deal with their condition, but you don’t know how to help them or what you can say to snap […]

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Anxiety, Personal Improvement, Relationships