Are you feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or uncertain about how to navigate the challenges of raising a child with developmental differences? This therapeutic process group offers a supportive and safe environment where parents can share experiences, strengthen coping skills, and build deeper connections with both themselves and their families.
Facilitated by Danielle Peretz, AMFT, the group provides guided discussions and practical strategies to help parents:
Read MoreIs your teen feeling stressed, isolated, or struggling to navigate relationships and emotions? The Teen Connection Process Group offers a safe, supportive space where high school student can share experiences, create connections, and build a deeper understanding of themselves and others.
Through guided discussions led by therapist Michelle Emery-Xu, LMFT, members will explore common teen challenges such as academic pressure, perfectionism, social dynamics, family relationships, identity questions, and worries about the future.
Read MoreDue to the fires currently impacting the Los Angeles, many areas are experiencing unsafe air conditions that require us to stay indoors. Being stuck inside during this time can add an extra layer of difficulty as we try to cope with the emotions surrounding this tragedy. Here are 10 indoor activities to help families stay busy, stay connected, and manage stress:
Read MoreIn today’s fast-paced, digital-first world, many teens find themselves trying to balance the demands of school, family responsibilities, and the constant pull of social media and the internet. Kids are busier than ever, juggling academics, sports, extracurricular activities, and even caregiving duties for younger siblings. Home and school often serve as teens’ primary and secondary environments; however, these spaces are not always where teens feel fully comfortable expressing themselves or exploring the world around them. This is where the "third space" comes into play.
Read MoreBig changes are on the horizon as families prepare to send their teens off to college this year. Whether your child is moving far from home or staying nearby, enrolling in a four-year program or starting at a community college, the transition from high school to college can be a daunting one. But remember, you and your teen have navigated each step along their development so far - college is simply the next step on their journey toward adult independence.
Here we highlight 13 of the most common thoughts and feelings your college bound teen might be experiencing and provide practical tips on how you can help support them:
Read MoreFeeling overwhelmed, stressed, and exhausted lately? You're not alone. Burnout remains an all-too-familiar experience, increasingly so in the post-pandemic-work-from-home world. In fact, studies show that 75% of people surveyed report experiencing burnout at work, with 2/3s of all workers claiming that the pandemic in particular exacerbated employee burnout. Preventing burnout can be hard, but there are steps you can take to protect your mental and emotional well-being - we’ll try to make it as easy as ABC.
Read MorePeace, joy, and love. Three words that are often said and heard during the holiday season. But what about all of the other emotions and worries that come with this season?
For many, the holiday season brings mixed feelings of joy, stress, love, and loss. It can be difficult to handle the holidays when it has been a hard year, finances are tight, loved ones have been lost, or family relationships are strained. Here are some tips to help you take care of yourself during this holiday season:
Read MoreSetting goals, an undertaking often strategically pushed off until the New Year, can be a daunting task for many individuals. Where to start? How to start? When to start? These questions create a barrier at times and may even result in full on procrastination or inaction. For some people, setting the goal becomes more of a task than actually completing what they have set out to do. That’s where SMART goals can help - an easy acronym to ensure that you are setting yourself up for success.
Read MoreSleep takes up, or should take up, a significant chunk of our lives, but how does it help us? Adequate sleep, meaning both amount and quality of sleep, facilitates vital physiological processes, such as metabolic and immune functioning, and is linked to increased productivity and concentration, physical performance, reduction in inflammation, disease prevention, improved mental health, and positive socio-emotional outcomes. With so much at stake, how do we achieve a restorative night of zzzs?
Read MoreFeeling stressed and unsure about the future? Maybe you are feeling isolated and disappointed with school closed. Stress Less: A Video Mindfulness Group is a live online video group for high schoolers to process and learn how to manage anxiety during these uncertain times. This group is an opportunity for teens to learn how to manage emotions, cope with change, and improve overall health and well-being.
Read MoreWith working from home and social distancing policies taking effect across the globe, knowing how to preserve your relationship in close quarters marks a new challenge for couples and families.
Read MoreAll you need is love. We’ve all heard it. We’ve all felt it. We’ve all sang along to the Beatle’s song. But is love all we truly need to make a relationship work?
Read MoreHow do you make New Year’s Resolutions work for you? Well, I have never been a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. Many resolutions are based on a deprivation model (i.e. stop eating sugar, no more TV) which makes these goals nearly impossible to achieve or maintain. I even set out to write about alternative strategies to resolutions. But when looking at some of the most common resolutions, I realized something…
Read MoreA few weeks ago, a friend and fellow therapist took me to see Eighth Grade the movie, a story about an adolescent girl’s last week in middle school. While Bo Burnham's movie generated buzz due to its ‘R’ rating, I found the film to be an accurate reflection of many of the issues I see when working with adolescents and teens.
Read MoreStress Less: A Mindfulness Group is a way for high schoolers to learn how to manage stress and anxiety through mindfulness training and other skills. Group leader and therapist, Shelby Stone, uses cognitive behavioral techniques, a strengths-based approach, to help teens:
Read MoreSearching for help? Thankfully for people in need, there are a number of therapy resources and counseling options in Santa Monica and on the West Side of Los Angeles. The facilities and resources below are a list of the best and most reputable organizations to help people struggling with various mental health and psychotherapy-related issues.
Read MoreSocial connection plays a large role in not only how we live our daily lives but also how we view ourselves. Unfortunately, it seems that loneliness has been on the rise in society and many are fighting the loneliness epidemic.
Read MoreDating in 2018 is hard. There is no way around it. Millennials tend to hear the same things over and over again about “hookup culture” and how social media and dating apps have reshaped the dating scene. It is easy to feel discouraged and disengaged. But talking about how hard dating is doesn’t make it any easier.
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