“You can either be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure. It all depends on how you view your life.” -Paulo Coelho How often do you say things out loud or to yourself like: “He makes me feel stupid” or “I’m depressed because she is always criticizing me” or “I […]
10 Tips to Help Kids Cope with War & Traumatic Events
“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, ‘Mother, what was war?’” ~Eve Merriam These are uncertain, turbulent times, colored as they are by fears about war and terrorism. As a result, children as well as adults are experiencing higher levels of stress. When a flu bug is going around, conscientious parents […]
6 Parenting Tips for a Better Summer
Depending of where you live, your kids have either been out of school for long enough to be making you crazy, or you’re looking at the calendar, wondering just what you’re going to do with all the time between now and when school starts again. Face it, summer is a mixed bag. For working parents […]
Could You Be Suffering from the Summertime Blues?
Summer is in full swing and all around you, people seem to be enjoying themselves. Happy to be outdoors, puttering in the garden, reading cheesy novels, going to the beach or nearby parks for picnics. Not only do you not get it, you feel worse just seeing their rosy complexions. Like Scrooge at Christmas, you […]
The Aftermath of the Isla Vista Massacre: What Can Be Learned
The tragedy in Isla Vista has left my precious Santa Barbara community—and the nation—reeling. The senseless violence, claiming the lives of innocent young people, has stimulated many different conversations…Conversations about mental illness, about more stringent gun control laws, about violence against women, about inappropriate parenting and the rise of narcissism. No one, myself included, wants […]
How to Eliminate Envy & Practice Empathy
The White family overwhelms my office with noise and activity from the first moment they arrive for family therapy. The three boys, aged 6, 10, and 13, immediately begin to argue over who sits where. Pouncing on one another’s laps, they push and poke. The youngest one screams as though he has been mortally wounded. […]
