I’m 55 and I’m frequently asked about self care. First, genes and luck are a huge deal. I don’t care about youth. I believe in ancient roots. I love being half a century old plus five. Especially the century part. I’ve seen a lot and not enough. Don’t let anybody who wants to sell you…
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This one really hurts. In the mid 80s, when I was a student at Duke, a visiting professor/lecturer was bell hooks. An amazing poet and writer, she also encouraged students, especially women, to find their voice. She combined incredible warmth and intelligence, a tough mix at times, especially for a Black woman teaching in the…
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Recently, while recording a west coast podcast, I was asked why I became a psychologist, and in particular, why I stand up strongly for the most vulnerable patients (such as those who cannot afford mental health care). Personal vulnerability or circumstances bring a choice to look out for oneself or to look out for vulnerable…
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Have You Met You? How many times did you return from a stressful day of work, or experience of a deeply stressful situation and tell your partner, family member, or friend how you felt, and they responded by saying “I am sorry, that stinks, or you should have done this instead of that”. In these…
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Saying the right words or finding specific ways to help are some of the most important things you can do when someone you care about is struggling. Ideas to consider might include: 1. “Thank you for all you do for me/us, but now is a time to take care of yourself as well.” When someone…
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If you know me IRL, you probably know that I went to college at Duke, put myself though college and grad school working full time in the restaurant industry, but still ran out of tuition money as an undergrad. I transferred to Virginia Tech, where I certified as an EMT, and started working for emergency…
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Got Gratitude? Happy Thanksgiving. Some days it’s tough to feel true gratitude, or hard to find anything to be grateful for at all. Some days you might wonder why you should feel grateful because nothing seems okay. Like life, gratitude practice is not an eternal upward slope. Anyone can feel challenged as struggles diminish our…
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In my profession, I sometimes get asked to write a prescription for someone to have a therapeutic dog/companion to help them with anxiety, depression, and other neurological and mental disorders. Some of these dogs are trained to know when their owner is about to have an anxiety or panic attack, a post-traumatic stress disorder flashback,…
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Nothing like opening and expanding a business shortly before a global pandemic, a universal mental health crisis (Summer of 2020 was the highest level of clinical depression ever recorded in the United States since they kept records), and the loneliness of limited travel and social life for the sake of work safety… In the past…
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Using a series of elegant studies with fMRI scans, psychological assessment, and self-report questionnaires, Dr. Helen Fisher was the first to show that there are actual structural and functional changes in the brain in the midst of romantic love. When we are in love, parts of the brain experience a tidal surge of dopamine, the…
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Combined with psychoeducational testing, it helps provide comprehensive information and recommendations to help children and teens six and up.
