In the competitive world of athletics and performance arts, achieving peak performance requires not only physical prowess but also mental resilience. However, one often underestimated factor that can profoundly affect performance is sleep. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is a powerful tool used to…
High school athletes often experience a significant amount of mental and emotional stress. On a daily basis, they navigate busy academic schedules, social life, physical demands of sport, and the mental and emotional challenges of life as a high school athlete. Dr. Jason von…
Endurance running, or long-distance running, is an excellent way to support not only one’s physical health but mental health as well. Endurance running has been shown to help people reduce anxiety, reduce depression, and boost mood. Recently, Dr. Jason von Stietz provided a 30-minute…
Although sports medicine professionals are trained to identify and treat physical injuries, they are often the first to learn of an athlete’s mental health needs. Physical therapists and athletic trainers are often the healthcare providers that most frequently meet with an athlete. Overtime, they earn…
Fitness trackers can be useful tools or they can be a source of anxiety. Jenny McCoy, a freelance journalist specializing in fitness, food, and human interest stories, wrote an article about fitness trackers. She was inspired by her experience with the devices, which was…
Yes, and! CBT SoCal’s Dr. Jason von Stietz recently led a webinar for Virtual Sport Psych (VSP), an international online organization for sport psychology professionals. VSP has hosted an annual online summit or sport psychology conference referred to as Virtual Applied Sport Psychology Summit…
The American Psychological Association (APA) held a one day event, which they referred to as the Professional Development Training Institute on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Common Clinical concerns. This event consisted of webinars led by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) specialists in the domains of anxiety,…
We’ve all felt a little insecure about our appearance from time to time. However, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is something different. When someone suffers from BDD, they have an intensely negative body image that impacts their mental health in a way that can make it…
Do you find yourself spending long periods of time focusing on a certain aspect of your appearance? Do you find certain aspect of your appearance to be greatly flawed? Have you attempted to hide or alter your appearance in ways that are very time consuming,…
At the end of a long stressful day, do you watch something new that you’ve never seen before or do you put on your favorite episode of an old classic? Many chose to de-stress by watching an old classic that they’ve seen dozens of, if…
It is well known that athletes do their best to `maintain a positive mindset. They strive to stay focused on their goals and deliberately practice positive self-talk. However, even with deliberate focus and effort, they can still fall into certain patterns of unhelpful thoughts or…
The holiday season can be a stressful time. People are often filled with high hopes and expectations, which when unmet can lead to stress and disappointment. The American Psychological Association (APA) published an article providing a few helpful tips on managing holiday expectations, which will…