Our Blog
Welcome readers! In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the team at CBT California is working hard to continue delivering high-quality therapeutic services and stay connected to our clients and their families. Our hope is that we are able to provide the support and the tools that people need in the midst of what may be a challenging time for many. In addition to maintaining services, our staff will be posting regularly on our blog, offering tips and unique perspectives related to coping with this crisis. We are glad you have found your way to the blog and sincerely hope that it speaks to you in a meaningful way!
Feelings are for feeling: checking your myths about emotions
This morning, my not-yet-two-year old son told me “sorry, mama” when I tried to console him as big tear drops fell from his doe eyes. How easy it is to unintentionally send the message that distressing emotions should be pushed away. Overwhelmed by his insistent...
What Is Suppressed Will Be Expressed
Suppressing emotions, or just trying to push emotional thoughts and feelings out of your mind, is an emotion regulation strategy many people use. This is sometimes a really effective tool, especially when the problem can’t be immediately solved or you’re attending to...
Dr. Julie Orris discusses coping during COVID-19 on Sanity podcast
CBT California's Clinical Director, Dr. Julie Orris, PsyD, recently appeared as a guest on the mental health podcast "Sanity" with Dr. Jason Duncan. She shares her experience using evidence-based and data-driven interventions to treat patients and explains the...
Don’t Believe Everything You Think
*PSA: Our thoughts are not facts!* The truth is that thoughts are just thoughts. They are sensations of the brain that come and go. This statement is not meant to minimize the emotional impact that thoughts can have or to negate the factual information often...
Gratitude can flow from sadness
by Marget Thomas, PsyD Many of us are preparing for holidays that involve some loss--less togetherness, less travel, the loss of job security while we shop for gifts. Sadness is the emotion that comes from loss, yet we often view sadness as dangerous, unwanted, too...
Emotions as Messengers
Think of your emotions as a source of information. If we don’t attend to our emotions, we have no way of receiving the messages. Mindfulness of current emotions, a DBT emotion regulation skill, teaches us how to observe our emotion rather than blocking, keeping, or...