June 2017

For those of you who like podcasts, I'm sharing this interview I did with Laura Reagan on her show, "Therapy Chat.” In the interview we basically discuss three things: AEDP: the type of emotion-centered, trauma-healing, psychotherapy that I practice most. Emotions: why we feel what we feel, and why we feel better when we learn to live effectively with a rich emotional life. And, especially, The Change Triangle: The Change Triangle is my passion. It’s a tool that helps people improve their...

Even though acceptance is growing for LGBT teens, the world isn’t quite changing fast enough: Multiple recent studies show that LGBT teens have less life satisfaction and more depression than their straight peers, in part because so many face harassment. LGBT teens are more likely to be suspended or expelled from schools, sometimes because they were trying to protect themselves from bullies . Other kids might drop out on their own or switch to a different school in search of a more welcoming...

Parents are often reminded to keep harmful substances out of their child’s reach. But what if a child’s experiences at home were as toxic to their health as household solvents and cleaners? On a basic level, toxins are poisonous substances that lead to disease. Although not stored in a bottle or on a shelf, stress in childhood meets the criteria. The phrase “ toxic stress ” describes the body’s reaction to negative experiences that are not only intense and chronic but also caused by the...

Just days after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson on August 9, 2014, civil rights activists DeRay Mckesson and Johnetta Elzie were on the ground in Ferguson, Mo., documenting on social media the unrest that ruled the streets. Shortly thereafter, the two connected with Brittany Packnett, the then-executive director of Teach for America in St. Louis. As #Ferguson became a rallying cry on social media, Oprah Winfrey leveled a critique at the Black Lives Matter...

Coming up with a unique, innovative way to solve a problem is great, but sometimes borrowing an existing idea is just as good. The city of Tulsa, Okla., is looking to earmark $25,000 to fund a program that will combat panhandling by offering cleanup jobs and social services to people on the streets. It got the idea from a neighbor to the west: Albuquerque, N.M. “Certainly, we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We are shamelessly stealing the idea,” says Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, a republican...

Courts around the country tried to ease the burden of fines and fees in the wake of riots in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 that brought attention to a torrent of traffic and other minor citations that saddled people with debt and even sent them to jail. But legal observers say no court appears to have made as dramatic an attempt at reform as San Francisco, where judges no longer issue warrants to arrest people who fail to show up in court or pay tickets for infractions such as urinating in...

D'Andre Brooks is celebrating a milestone. The 31-year-old graduated from San Diego City College on Friday with an associate’s degree in sociology. He’ll begin classes at San Diego State University in the fall. He’s come a long way from four years ago, when Brooks — who admits he was once “gang-affiliated” — was released from state prison after doing 10 years on an assault conviction. Now, he’s a small-business owner and youth mentor who has set his sights on a brighter future. [For more of...

For as long as people who lived in the neighborhood could remember, the bottom floor of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health’s headquarters was surrounded by a chain-link fence, closed off from their view. Then a few months ago, something changed. The fence was pushed away. The space inside cleaned, painted and furnished. On May 1, the doors at Vermont Avenue and Sixth Street opened to the county’s first peer-resource center for people who need help finding peace of mind from...