If you keep up with this blog/newsletter, you know that my wife and I welcomed a baby girl on 12.19.19. Rather than write an article about postpartum depression, I will be sharing an Instagram post that Rachel shared last week when Mya Jayn was officially a month old. •• Well, baby girl is 4-weeks old. That’s still crazy to me...[ read more ]
A parent of a client gifted me the book, Straight Talk About Psychiatric Medications for Kids, by Timothy Wilens and Paul Hammerness. As a therapist, clients and their parents often ask for my thoughts on medication, so I was thrilled to check out a book that breaks down all angles of this issue in layman's terms. Today, I'll share some...[ read more ]
I first became aware of CBD extract last year, as these products seemed to be available everywhere. "CBD" is short for "cannabidiol" which is derived from the hemp plant, also known as cannabis. In this article, I'll share what I've learned (so far) about CBD. From there, I'll consider the possible benefits, uses, misconceptions, and warnings pertaining to CBD for...[ read more ]
You may be thinking, "It's finally happened. This mental health blog has taken a turn in the direction of woowoo." Bear with me. Today, I'm gonna share about some of the history and possible benefits of burning sage, an herb known for its fragrance. Recently, I learned that my therapist burns sage in her office each morning before seeing clients....[ read more ]
I recently had the honor of participating in a local panel discussion about seasonal affective disorder and the winter blues. Today, I will be sharing some insights gained from that discussion and more. What are SAD and the Winter Blues? Though it's not the official term, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is how most of us describe the series of depressive...[ read more ]
Because I plan to start offering EMDR therapy at Panoramic Counseling in early 2020, I have been immersing myself in the writing of EMDR’s founder, Francine Shapiro. Today, I want to share some practical insights that I gained from Shapiro’s EMDR self-help book, Getting Past Your Past. If you’re not familiar with EMDR therapy, I’ll provide the cliffnotes definition: It’s...[ read more ]
I talk a lot about self-care and burnout on this website for obvious reasons. The world we live in is fast-paced and very stressful at times! I was thrilled when I learned that there was an audiobook by Anne Helen Petersen called “The Burnout Generation”. Today, I’ll be sharing insights from her book with you. For clarity, the burnout generation...[ read more ]
There's no doubt that obesity carries with it a ton of health risks; however, for today's article, I want to focus on the mental health consequences of fat shaming. I was surprised to see a piece in the most recent issue of Psychology Today on this topic. Within the article, the writer discussed how plus-sized people tend to face verbal...[ read more ]
I love a provocative title and Ron Powers' book, No One Cares About Crazy People, doesn't disappoint. Today, I'll share some of the insights that I gained. In the 60s and 70s, mental health policy changed drastically in the United States. Due to the expense of the Vietnam War, funding was cut for the mental health institutions that tended to...[ read more ]
As I perused books to read, you can probably figure out why the title, Maybe you Should Talk to Someone, caught my eye. Today, I'll be sharing some of the insights that I gained from Lori Gottlieb's book. Like me, Gottlieb is a therapist that goes to therapy. I love her perspective because she knows what it's like to be...[ read more ]