Blog for Better Living

Getting Unstuck: Living with Purpose

By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | June 9, 2017

Are you stuck in a place you do not want to be? Are you disheartened to find a great distance between who you are and the person you would like to be? Are you stuck in old patterns, habits, or autopilot behaviors? Do you experience thoughts that discourage change or feelings that make it seem […]

Mindfulness, Personal Improvement

Talking to Children About Divorce

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | June 2, 2017

Introduction by Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. Guest article by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq., New Ways for Families One of the first questions asked by parents who are beginning the divorce process is, “What should we tell the children, and how should we tell them?” Most parents, understandably, have a tough time telling their children about their […]

How to Be Gentle with Yourself

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | May 12, 2017

Life is hard. Yet, many of us make it worse by being hard on ourselves. We waste precious time beating ourselves up, wallowing in guilt, or chastising ourselves for mistakes we feel we’ve made. We live in a “Get Over It and Move On” society where we are implicitly or explicitly encouraged to be a […]

Do Your Kids Have Spring Fever?

By: Other | May 4, 2017

Written by Jennifer Wendt, Ph.D. Are your children bouncing off the walls lately? Are they getting sassier or fighting with one another? Have you noticed they are having difficulty concentrating or completing their homework? They may have a classic case of spring fever! Every year during the spring, I commonly observe an increase in energy […]

Children, Parenting

I Graduated…What next?

By: Other | April 21, 2017

Written by Amanda Baba, Intern As a senior undergraduate student at the University of San Diego, I find myself counting the months until graduation. As excitement escalates, the nerves set in and the question “What next?” keeps coming up. That question comes also from family, friends — even strangers — on a weekly basis. Should […]

Education, Personal Improvement

Learning 101: How We Take In and Retain Information

By: Other | April 14, 2017

Written by Mike Campbell, Ed.D. People have been trying to understand how individuals process and take in information for the past 2000 years. As far back as the Greek philosophers, Socrates (469 –399 B.C.), Plato (427 – 347 B.C.), and Aristotle (384 – 322 B.C), learning theorists debated about how people learn. Needless to say, […]

Personal Improvement

The Mindful Parent

By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | March 30, 2017

Take a moment to pause and reflect on the word “parent”. If you are a parent, you might be thinking about the daily challenges you face: alone-time is probably non-existent, and despite feeling successful at work or in other areas, you might feel ineffective as a parent (particularly when trying to manage your child’s difficult […]

Children, Mindfulness, Parenting

Fear and Mental Health: Managing Reactions and Responses

By: Other | March 10, 2017

Written by Francine Martinez, Ph.D. Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Surprise, Disgust, and Fear: These are universal emotions that we all share, and they rank as the six most cited emotions in the literature. Images come to mind when we think about these emotions in our own lives — those recollections of the times, settings, or events […]

Anxiety, Personal Improvement, Stress

What Stage of Life are You In?

By: Other | March 4, 2017

Written by Jennifer Wendt, Ph.D. Our lifespan is comprised of a progression of stages during which we face new dilemmas and experience new accomplishments. From early childhood thru the retirement years we all endure similar phases of life: childhood, adolescence and various stages in adulthood. We also tend to connect with others who are living […]