Behavioral Health Blog

By Nicholette Leanza LPCC-S  Of course, empathy is a good thing. It helps us relate and connect to others, which is vital to our well-being. But can too much empathy be harmful?  It can become a problem when someone over-identifies with somebody else’s feelings and literally takes them on as their own. For example, feeling anxious for your friend when he/she is really stressed…

By Laura Palisin LPCC For many people, it can feel nearly impossible to avoid feeling panicked at times, overwhelmed with daily stressors, or out of control in our emotional reactions. One lesser-known treatment option can help you balance your emotions and live a happier life. It’s called Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). What Can EMDR Treat? EMDR was developed to treat the effects of…

By: Roger Weiss, MD Chief, Medical & Clinical Development - California During the Covid 19 pandemic, the recent year has caused many of us to make unnatural and drastic changes to our lives that have had overt and more subtle effects on all of us. When we speak of depression under these circumstances, we are talking about it with a small “d.” Depression can…

By Carl Nassar, Ph.D., LPC, CIIPTS “Where there is life, there is hope.” But in those moments of darkness, when all feels lost, and both the winds and the tides of life seem to turn against you, how do you find that hope? Or, perhaps better yet, how do you create that hope? I want to share something both truly special and deeply important:…

Note: If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, contact authorities right away.  Domestic violence and abuse are terribly common. About one out of every four women will experience violence at the hands of an intimate partner in their lifetimes. For men, the number is one in seven. And that does not even include people who are subject to emotional abuse. If…

Have you ever considered seeing a therapist, only to talk yourself out of it? You're not alone. The process of getting into therapy can be intimidating, especially if you've never been. If this all sounds familiar, then the chances are that you gave yourself one of these reasons to avoid therapy: "I don't need therapy." "Therapy is only for rich people." "I don't have…

Since 2007, the American Psychological Association (APA) has published an annual survey about Americans' stress levels. Due to the pandemic and civil unrest, 2020 was a particularly stressful year across the board. So it surprised no one when this survey showed unusually high-stress levels. What may come as a shock is who reported the most stress: Generation Z, or Gen Z for short. That's…

By Nicholette Leanza, M.Ed, LPCC-S Traumatic global and national events can negatively affect kids, even if they only witness it through news reports and social media. Violence covered in the media can lead children to experience higher levels of stress, but adults can help them process these senseless tragedies. Here are a few tips on how to help kids cope during difficult times. Talk…

Content warning: This article includes details about self-harm. If you are sensitive to this kind of content, please proceed with caution. If you are thinking about harming yourself, you can text the Self-Harm Crisis Text Line by texting “HOME” to 741741. Self-harm is the act of knowingly hurting oneself, typically due to an underlying mental health condition. While cutting is one of the most…

By Nicholette Leanza, M.Ed, LPCC-S In recent years, researchers have emphasized that mental health is just as important as physical health when it comes to a person’s overall wellbeing. Our mental health encompasses our psychological, emotional, and social well-being and this can impact how we think, feel, and behave every day. Mental health strengthens our ability to: Have healthy relationships Maintain our physical health…