Is Social Media Damaging our Relationships?

The excitement you feel when your social media post is “liked,” or otherwise validated, is due to the release of dopamine in your brain, which is also released during sex or a delicious meal. Increasingly, our brains are becoming conditioned and rewired to associate this boost of happiness with our online behaviors like social media,

Adults Need Time-Outs Too

I’m frequently asked whether it’s ever OK to walk away from a fight. Absolutely, it’s essential. But the method you use to do so is crucial. In the midst of a heated argument or a high-stress situation, have you ever noticed how difficult it becomes to think clearly, make rational decisions, or even maintain a

Ride the Waves with Urge Surfing

How do you tend to respond to a powerful urge? Are there certain experiences that show up more frequently for you? Are there particular experiences that you attempt to avoid? Let’s be proactive by getting curious and mindful of these urges and learn how urge surfing and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can help. What urges

a woman hugging herself representing enhanced self esteem with counseling in san francisco

The Self-Esteem Myth

Individuals who attend therapy often explain that they struggle with “low self-esteem” and that they want to feel more confident. Society portrays self-esteem as a permanent state that can be acquired, but self-esteem is more of a process that is constantly shifting and changing just like the weather. Because self-esteem is not a permanent state

11 Interpersonal Schemas

Interpersonal schemas are basically mental frameworks or blueprints that we develop throughout our lives to make sense of our interactions with other people. They’re like ingrained patterns of thinking and feeling that influence how we perceive, interpret, and respond to social situations. For example, if we have a schema that says “people are generally trustworthy,”