Blog for Better Living

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 […]

Read More

Anxiety, Children, Depression, Parenting, Stress, Teens

Are You Avoiding Your Grief?

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | March 2, 2018

Understanding the difference between healthy distraction and avoidance Grief feels overwhelming and unbearable at times. It leads to physical changes such as muscle tension and fatigue. Grief can make clear thinking difficult. Making decisions and problem solving may seem impossible. In the throes of grief, even the simplest tasks feel like monumental undertakings. Grieving requires […]

Read More

Grief, Stress

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, […]

Read More

Anxiety, Depression, Therapy

How Does Positive Reinforcement Change Behavior?

By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | February 16, 2018

We recently welcomed a new canine into our family and are in the process of behavior training and housebreaking. By working with an experienced trainer, I learned that training is more about changing human behavior than it is about changing the animal’s behavior. What’s fascinating is how the most subtle behaviors impact my dog in […]

Read More

Personal Improvement, Relationships

Talking Hot Topics with Kids

By: Other | February 2, 2018

Written by Francine Martinez, Ph.D. “If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you`ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it”. – […]

Read More

Children, Family, Parenting, Teens

Simply Living by Living Simply

By: Other | January 26, 2018

Written by Joy Francisco, Ph.D. Has life become a hectic struggle? Have we become overly busy chasing for more that our lives have become cluttered with unnecessary belongings, responsibilities and extra burdens? These things can cloud our lives so much that we cannot focus on the things that are really important and meaningful to us. We […]

Read More

Mindfulness, Personal Improvement, Relationships

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 […]

Read More

Anxiety, Depression, Teens

Our Gratitude Tree 2017

By: Other | January 12, 2018

Written by Jennifer Wendt, Ph.D. This Fall, we shared a wonderful experience practicing gratitude in our office. We created a large Gratitude Tree on the wall of our Therapy Changes office in Rancho Bernardo. Everyone who entered our office was encouraged to take a moment to invite gratitude into their hearts and minds. It was […]

Read More

Mindfulness, Personal Improvement

Changing Light of a Room

By: Other | January 5, 2018

Written by Anke Reineke, Ph.D. “I always forget how important the empty days are, how important it may be sometimes not to expect to produce anything, even a few lines in a journal. A day when one has not pushed oneself to the limit seems a damaged damaging day, a sinful day. Not so! The […]

Read More

Mindfulness, Personal Improvement, Stress