Getting enough sleep is a vital part of maintaining physical and mental health. In a recent blog post, we began discussing research reviewed by journalist Holly Pevzner in Psychology Today, which highlighted important facts about sleep. For example, studies show that physical pain hurts…
Last week, CBT SoCal’s Dr. Martin Hsia presented at the September meeting of San Gabriel Valley Psychological Association’s (SGVPA) monthly continuing education luncheon. The event was held at the Pasadena Women’s City Club, and the presentation was titled “Supporting Sleep: The Unsung Pillar of Mental…
Seeking Professional Mental Health Care: Do Degrees Matter? Ph.D. Psy.D. M.D. M.F.T. L.C.S.W. Let’s try to get clear on the different types of mental health professionals. When initially seeking out help for mental health concerns, such as Anxiety or Depression, one can easily feel overwhelmed…
In August, CBT SoCal’s Seanita Scott, MA served as a guest lecturer for the William E. Pannell Center for African American Church Studies summer lecture series focusing on Mental Health and the Black Church. Seanita’s lecture, taking place at Fuller Theological Seminary, was entitled…
One in three adults in the United States report experiencing a lack of sleep, according to recent research by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleep is important. Insufficient sleep often relates to a myriad of physical and mental health issues such as weight gain, hypertension, difficulty…
A new Women’s Premiere Soccer League team (WPSL), the Salsa Women’s Soccer Club, was recently welcomed to the city of Torrance. Following last year’s initial season in the WPSL, 6 of their players were recruited to play for professional leagues overseas. On the local television…
Alone with my “weirdness” I pull out my hair. Hair pulling is a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, boredom and other emotions. The behavior is often trancelike – characterized by a compulsive urge to pull out hair on the head, face or other parts of…
One issue that suffers of Harm OCD should be aware of is the fact that many people are not well informed about this form of OCD, and often misinformed about OCD in general. As with many things that require experience and expertise, correctly diagnosing and…
Harm OCD is an extremely distressing subtype of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that can have debilitating effects on one’s mental health. To briefly review, in Part 1 of this series, we outlined some of the core themes of Control, Certainty, Responsibility/Guilt, and Character, which Harm OCD sufferers…
Postpartum depression is a phenomenon that may be familiar to many, even those who do not have children of their own. However, much less widely known or discussed is the anguish of Anxiety or OCD in the Perinatal and Postpartum stages, which affects an estimated…
Very few things are considered as morally egregious and devastating as the inappropriate sexual treatment of minors – and for good reasons of course. The term Pedophilia is used to refer to individuals who experience recurrent and intense sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviors involving…
Harm OCD is a common subtype of OCD in which the sufferer has unwanted and intrusive thoughts of doing something harmful to oneself, or to someone else. This form of OCD is often especially troubling because it can cause someone to question their own basic…