Blog for Better Living

The Alphabet Soup of Sexual and Gender Diversity

By: Michael Toohey, Psy.D. | May 24, 2019

In 1969, after the Stonewall Riots — the violent demonstrations by gay community members in response to a New York City police raid at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village — did men and women in sexual minorities become vocal and active in defining themselves. ‘Gay’ was the first all-encompassing term. It applied to anyone […]

The 10 Myths of Sleep

By: Other | May 3, 2019

Written by Haim Shemer, Psy.D. Are you sleepless in San Diego? Does the mystery of falling fast to sleep keep you up at night? That sleep plays a critical role in our daily functioning is an undisputed fact. Giving sleep the attention it deserves constitutes a major contribution to overall mental and physical health. Many […]

Why is Self-Care So Important?

By: Other | April 19, 2019

Written by Paul Paris, Ph.D. Forgetting to take care of ourselves, be it physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, is easy to do. In periods of preoccupation, our increased responsibility or stress often puts our healthy behaviors “on the back burner” while we focus on more pressing matters. Research, in fact, shows that lowering or neglecting […]

The Psychological Benefits of Tidying Up

By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | April 12, 2019

Is joy lurking in your closet? Is satisfaction hiding under your stuff? While browsing Netflix I found a new show entitled “Tidying up with Marie Kondo.” Intrigued, I watched an episode of Marie Kondo’s world of tidying and organizing. Known as her KonMari Method, it includes, for example, new ways to fold clothes efficiently and […]

Anxiety, Personal Improvement, Therapy

Dr. Demet Çek Joins Therapy Changes

By: Demet Çek, Ph.D. | March 15, 2019

What fascinates me is the powerful role that emotions play in directing human behavior. Emotions are central to our experience, whether they are expressed through the beats of a song that make masses dance together or through psychological symptoms that cause social isolation. My interest in emotions led me to study psychology at Koç University, […]

Anxiety, Introduction, Therapy

Therapy Changes Welcomes Dr. Michael Toohey

By: Michael Toohey, Psy.D. | March 8, 2019

Joining Therapy Changes feels like the culmination of a lifetime of service dedicated to helping others. I started helping others in the 8th grade as a volunteer when my junior high school opened a facility for severely developmentally delayed youth. In high school, early 1980s, I helped lower classmen affirm their own sexuality while I […]

RAIN for Mindful Well-Being

By: Other | March 1, 2019

Written by Haim Shemer, Psy.D. I had the fortune to partake of a Relational Mindfulness class in which our teacher introduced an acronym called “RAIN.” RAIN is a mindful technique used to manage challenging feelings. Taken from the teachings of psychologist, author, and meditation teacher, Dr. Tara Brach, RAIN stands for: R – Recognize what […]

Mindfulness, Therapy

Mindfulness: Our Anchor in Life’s Whirlpool

By: Other | February 15, 2019

Written by Paul Paris, Ph.D. Many of us are busy people with our lives full of responsibilities, tasks and activities. Balancing work or volunteering, family, our social lives and hobbies are all important. But, sometimes we become overwhelmed by the activity, especially when stressed and life becomes a checklist to get through rather than moments […]

Mindfulness, Personal Improvement

The Importance of Self-Care in a Go-Go-Go World

By: Other | February 11, 2019

Written by Kimberly Nenemay, Psy.D. My first experience with the word “self-care” came to me as a graduate student. The term was used to describe a measure for preventing professional burnout. We were being taught, as burgeoning “helpers” to others, that it was important to finds ways to help ourselves. The graduate program that I […]