“Move on.” “Stay positive.” “Be strong.” Have you ever been told these things? I imagine you have. I think we’ve all heard them at some point, and they’re usually offered with good intentions. But these platitudes can sometimes do more harm than good. They can invalidate our feelings, create a sense of guilt about how we feel, and shut down opportunities for connection. True resilience doesn't come from suppressing difficult emotions; it comes from processing them. It means s

If one of your goals is to get out more this summer and enjoy the longer days, here are five free, fun options. Enjoy! 1) Movies on the Beach The Department of Beaches and Harbors presents Beach Movie Nights. Enjoy FREE family-friendly movie screenings on the sand, by the waves, and under the stars at the Dockweiler Youth Center, Friday nights this summer! Be sure to bring blankets and bundle up. Movies start around 8 PM. Link to their website. 2) Free Sunset Yoga in Culve

An Art therapy Directive- “Who’s at your table?” This is one of those art therapy directives that I have used quite a few times in 1:1 work and also in groups too. I know I have used this directive when I lead groups at a county jail, at an outpatient mental health program and also at a residential program for people in early recovery. Introducing the topic : When leading an art therapy group, I always come prepared with a few directives that I think could be meaningful fo

Pic- beautiful tree and a bicyclist riding by. Blog post is about Homeschooling and local resources for homeschoolers in the Los Angeles area Ask a therapist…what’s your thoughts on homeschooling? And do you have any local homeschooling resources to share? Recently, I had a parent reach out to inquire if I had availability to see their teen. They shared that they hoped that I was “OK” with homeschooling because they had other professionals who questioned their decision.

Hi all, How are we doing as we move into mid November? LA is bracing for rain again and I’m thinking about how art therapy can help one increase awareness of emotions. Which is super important because emotions are signals. They can tell us what we need and what needs are being unmet. For example, if you are feeling angry, what need is not being met? Do you need to be heard? Cared for? Validated? Do you need self protection or protection from someone else? Do you need s

An Art Therapy Intervention- The Bridge Drawing I recently learned from a friend, who is an acupuncturist, that in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) there are five seasons. The fifth season is happening right now and it's called late summer . This transitional period is associated with the Earth element and is a time of grounding and nourishment. This is when the heat is subsiding (not yet in Los Angeles 🙂), but the air is feeling cooler at night and it's getting dark j

Background Info Most people, at some point, in their life struggle to navigate a difficult or uncomfortable emotion. Maybe it is hard to...

Have you heard of the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center ? I’m not affiliated with them in anyway but I want to put a good word out...

When it comes to core values , there’s no “one size fits all” approach. In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we use the term...

2024 Migraine World Summit + Five Ways Art Therapy Can Help With Pain Hey all! Coming up tomorrow on March 6th, 2024, is the 2024...

Please consider attending this event tomorrow AM from 10-11 AM. I know I am not giving much notice, but I just learned about it from an...

Here are the direct links to the articles mentioned above: 1) New York Time's Guide to Sleep https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-...

The graphic novel, “Dear Scarlet: The Story of My Postpartum Depression" is an intimate, moving and engaging look at the author's...

Below are links to three articles that can be helpful to better understand anxiety. Anxiety disorders (which include generalized...

Miscarriage happens in 1 out of 4 recognized pregnancies. These three articles explore the physical & emotional experience of miscarriage.

Here we are 11 months into this pandemic and in many ways with the vaccine rolling out there is a feeling of hope, a ray of light. Maybe...

Did you happen to catch the article “Hopeful Images from 2020” published in The Atlantic? I saw it randomly when it first came online...

Link to sources for ease: 1) https://thriveglobal.com/stories/why-self-compassion-is-the-key-to-high-performance/?ck_subscriber_id=472083...

These weekend reads focus on school. Recently, here in LA, schools have started up again. Private, public, charter or homeschool, most...