Practice mindfulness and increase mental health with Lovingkindness meditation

Originally posted March 13, 2018. Years ago, my son had a wonderful first grade teacher. She was creative and kind. The kids all loved her! During St. Patrick’s week, she told her classroom that they might see tiny, happy leprechauns about! She left out some nickels for the leprechauns. The children were all very excited about this and kept watching to see if a leprechaun might come to collect the nickels! One morning, when the children came in, the nickels were gone

ACCEPTS is a DBT distress tolerance skill that offers practical ways to shift attention when emotions feel unmanageable.

Originally posted October 3, 2017. My mom passed away the summer of 2017. I didn’t have the emotional stamina for writing about it as we...

Pregnancy and birth are major adult transitions filled with joy, but the transition to parenthood can also bring up feelings of insecurity, sadness or fear as you and your partner move into this different phase of self-identity. Parenting an infant is difficult, but if one of you had a complicated early family life, parenting can be like navigating rough waters, as flashbacks to unpleasant scenes from childhood intrude upon present reality.

Originally posted July 26, 2017.

Originally posted July 19, 2017.

Happy Mother’s Day! Be kind to yourself today. Affirmations by themselves are not all that need to do to enact change within yourself, but are a wonderful enhancement to positive self-development. Positive parenting and feeling well and confident take conscious, daily effort. The conscious processing of perceived hurts and events helps clear out old habits, making way for new thoughts and ways of being. Pursuing the development of the self and being gently and consciousl

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And yet, for something that affects so many people, it can still feel strangely invisible. According to the World Health Organization, depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Just a few decades ago, it ranked much lower. The rise is not because people are weaker—it’s because we are finally measuring and naming what has always been there. Former WHO Director-General Margaret Chan called these statistics “a wake-up

Originally posted May 2, 2017. Can insomnia be treated without medication? Are you having trouble sleeping? Are you so tired that it’s ...

The Question Many Mothers Ask If you need medication for your mental health, is it safe to take it during pregnancy or breastfeeding? There is no zero-risk option. Not treating depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder carries risks. Taking medication carries risks. The goal is not eliminating risk — it is weighing relative risk with good information. A Personal Reflection When I experienced postpartum depression over two decades ago, I chose not to take medication because I w

Originally posted March 20, 2017. I’m announcing the grand re-opening of my private psychotherapy practice. I’ll be returning to my...

Radical Acceptance is acceptance of the reality that life is worth living even if there is pain.

Healthy attachment grows from repeated moments of presence, responsiveness, and repair — not from perfection. The infant nervous system learns safety over time, through consistency and attunement.

DBT Distress Tolerance is about Expanding Your Nervous System's Window of Tolerance What Are Distress Tolerance Skills in DBT? Distress tolerance skills are a core part of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and are designed to help people cope during moments of intense emotional pain or crisis. When emotions feel overwhelming and a situation cannot be immediately resolved, distress tolerance skills offer practical ways to get through the moment safely without making things w

DBT can help you manage your emotions and achieve better mental health

Infant massage is a great way to create an oasis of calm time with your baby. It helps promote bonding and calm both mom and baby. Studies show that infant massage decreases stress hormones (in both Mom & baby),

Updated February 19, 2022 Dancing on the Edge of Sanity asks once again How Often Must We Ask for Sensitive Care? It’s easy to connect with Ana Clare Rouds’ personal story of the reality of motherhood in her book, Dancing on the Edge of Sanity . She shares her personal story about her experience with postpartum depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and she eloquently brings out several issues. Her story reminds us that: we need shame-busting! the anxiety,

Originally posted July 7, 2016. I was featured in an article in PsychCentral ! Take a look below and then mosey on over to PsychCentral...

Originally posted February 20, 2014. Have you had it with office life? Do you want a job that is personally rewarding? Are you looking...