I recently joined the Advisory Board for the Center for Educational Improvement (CEI), an organization dedicated to creating caring, supportive environments for children in the very place they spend most of their time: school. While I admit I initially hesitated to take on another responsibility amidst an already full plate, this opportunity felt aligned with… Continue reading Redefining Success: Addressing Youth Mental Health in Schools
Category: DBT
SOS: Parents are Stressed and Overwhelmed
In today's fast-paced world, parents are facing unprecedented stress and challenges, making it crucial to address their mental health and well-being. This past August, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory sharing his concerns about the levels of stress parents currently experience. A shocking 33% of parents reported high levels of stress in… Continue reading SOS: Parents are Stressed and Overwhelmed
Adherent DBT vs. DBT-Informed Treatment
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a behavioral therapy that has been used since the 1990’s. Since then, it has rapidly grown in popularity as a highly effective treatment. It’s no surprise you may have heard of it. It's bound to be mentioned either from a peer, in a therapy intake, a clinician’s bio, or as… Continue reading Adherent DBT vs. DBT-Informed Treatment
Creating a Judgment Free Zone
Judging, by definition, is taking an facts and digesting them through our own subjective lens and interpretation. This is where many painful emotions comes from, both in thinking about ourselves and in thinking about others. As humans, we already go through a lot of difficult situations. Our judgements only make it worse. A very effective way get through tough times is incorporating non-judgmentalness into the process. Only then can we begin to problem-solve. Here are some helpful tips on how become less judgmental get closer to a judgment free mind!
Six Tips for Better Sleep Hygiene
One way to reduce emotional vulnerabilities is making sure you are getting a good night's sleep. Easier said than done for some of us. Let’s talk about ways we can cope ahead to increase the likelihood of getting a better night's sleep.
Preventing Repeated Mental Health Hospitalizations
Why Inpatient Treatment is not ALWAYS the best solution: When unsafe emotions and behaviors like suicidal ideation and self harm arise, the first line of defense is often mental health hospitalization. This makes sense when our lives, or the life of someone close to us, are in danger. And we are taught that hospitals have healthcare providers to keep us safe. This is true! And thank goodness for our healthcare providers! However, research shows that when it comes to a mental health crises, inpatient hospitalizations increase the likelihood that unsafe behaviors will occur repeatedly.
Fall Reflections from a Therapist
I am going to make a sweeping generalization: People in the DMV love the start of Fall. My theory? Because the weather finally gets cool and walking outside doesn’t feel like you are still in the humidity of a hot shower. I hate to sound like a Pinterest board (no real knock on Pinterest, I… Continue reading Fall Reflections from a Therapist
DBT Phone Coaching
Phone coaching is meant to support you coping with in-the-moment problems that arise between therapy sessions. Your DBT therapist will encourage the you to utilize phone coaching to prevent the problem behaviors you are working on. Instead, with phone coaching, you can practice using the tools learning in session by using them in real life situations.