Valentine’s Day: Blues or Cheers?

Every year around Valentine’s Day, advertisers inundate us with images of people celebrating love. For instance, a 30-second commercial for a diamond retailer highlights a man, on bended knee, proposing to his girlfriend. Pier bystanders look on with curiosity...

Common Misconceptions about Eating Disorders

February 26 through March 4, 2018 was National Eating Disorders Awareness week. As mentioned in a previous post, I’d like to take the opportunity to address some common misnomers about Eating Disorders. My hope is to provide a bit of clarity and insight into a...

Understanding the Terms of Addiction

Addiction is often seen in numerous ways in a family system.  When one person is effected by the use of addictive traits, whether substance use or behaviors, others around them are also effected.  The effects are often due to secrecy, shame, guilt, not...

Bite Size Mindfulness for a Busy Bay Area Life

Life in the Bay Area is fast paced, which makes learning how to slow down an equally challenging and important task. Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment, fully experiencing and noticing one thing at a time. Over time this trains our brains and...

Mental Health & Aging

First, the good news; many Americans can expect to live longer lives. According to the Center for Disease Control, which tracks longevity data, the average female can expect to live until she is 81 and the average male until he is 76.  One of the challenges that...