Hillhurst Psychotherapy
Thinking about individual or couples therapy? My primary office is at Hillhurst and Ambrose in Los Feliz (right next to Nature Mart, across from Albertson’s/The Coffee Bean). It’s very easily reached from Silver Lake, Echo Park, Glendale, Eagle Rock, Atwater Village, Hollywood…
If you’re further west or south, I also see people in Beverly Hills, 90211, at an office near Olympic and Robertson.
Call (323) 610-0112 to discuss your situation and make an appointment.
Music Therapy?
PsychCentral: Music Prescription for Depression
Researchers are investigating how the emotionally soothing effect of music can augment the treatment of depression and the management of physical pain…This could make it possible, within a few years, to develop computer programs which identify pieces of music that will influence a individual’s mood (e.g. to motivate them when exercising or when studying for exams), meet their emotional needs and help them cope better with physical pain.
People v. Problems
From Wired: Alcohol can increase longevity…but why?
In recent years, sociologists and epidemiologists have begun studying the long-term effects of loneliness. It turns out to be really dangerous. We are social primates, and when we’re cut off from the social network, we are more likely to die from just about everything (but especially heart disease). At this point, the link between abstinence and social isolation is merely hypothetical. But given the extensive history of group drinking – it’s what we do when we come together – it seems likely that drinking in moderation makes it easier for us develop and nurture relationships. And it these relationships that help keep us alive.
What is CBT?
A new page on the site begins to describe Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and links to the list of Cognitive Distortions and a blank ABCD Thought Log.
For everything–description, Cognitive Distortions, and Thought Log–in one package, click here (pdf).
Interested in trying CBT? Call to discuss and make an appointment: (323) 610-0112.
Postpartum Depression (for Dads Too)
Study: Fathers As Well As Mothers Have Higher Depression Risk During First Year Of Child Being Born
Approximately one-fifth of all fathers and over one third of all mothers experience an episode of depression within the first 12 years of their child being born, with the first year having the highest risk, says a British study
Free Therapy?
Yes, free therapy: The monthly Free CBT Clinic at the Southern California Counseling Center runs again today (Sept. 5, 2010) at 2 – 6pm. No appointment necessary. Just show up, get a free consultation: 5615 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90019. Future dates are announced on the clinic’s Facebook page.
Debt v. Romance
NYT: How Debt Can Destroy a Budding Relationship.
Nobody likes unpleasant surprises, but when Allison Brooke Eastman’s fiancé found out four months ago just how high her student loan debt was, he had a particularly strong reaction: he broke off the engagement within three days…
Walking and Deciding
A pair of studies from Science Daily:
Laughter Matters
PsychCentral: Laughter Is Key for Social Dynamics
Researchers are finding that laughter can play key roles in group communication and group dynamics, even when there’s nothing funny to laugh at. The finding comes from new research that examined the role of laughter in jury deliberations during a capital murder case.
Also: Laughter Yoga, Serious Benefits (NYT)
And:
Preschool Depression?
NYT Magazine: Can Preschoolers Be Depressed?
One established [treatment] method is called Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, or P.C.I.T. Originally developed in the 1970s to treat disruptive disorders — which typically include violent or aggressive behavior in preschoolers — P.C.I.T. is generally a short-term program, usually 10 to 16 weeks under the supervision of a trained therapist, with ongoing follow-up in the home. Luby adapted the program for depression and began using it in 2007 in an ongoing study on a potential treatment. During each weekly hourlong session, parents are taught to encourage their children to acquire emotion regulation, stress management, guilt reparation and other coping skills. The hope is that children will learn to handle depressive symptoms and parents will reinforce those lessons.