“How are you feeling?” Right now, this question might have more angst behind it than it has in the past – perhaps more than it did even just one week ago. I truly ask, “How are you feeling? How are you doing?” I am Shawna Moss, LCSW-S, Clinical Director at the Samaritan Center in Austin, […]
The Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Yoga
Keep Calm and Say OM This is a guest post by Lina Garcia, a Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Instructor. How do you perceive yoga? Do you visualize daring poses on Instagram posted by slender teenagers in colorful yoga pants? The truth is, the beginnings of Yoga are traced to over 5,000 years ago in Northern India, […]
Brainstorm: Pros and Cons to Teenage Brain Changes, Part 2
Introduction This post serves as Part 2 of a series on adolescent brain development from Dr. Daniel Siegel’s book Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain. In Part 1 -Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, we reviewed some of the underlying structural changes happening in the brain and nervous system that affect teenager’s emotions […]
Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, Part 1
“What were you thinking?” I’ve heard this phrase countless times as a therapist to adolescents and their families, observing as parents desperately attempt to understand the reasoning behind their teenagers’ behaviors. Even looking back on my own adolescent years, I remember hearing this phrase from well-meaning but out of touch adults. Both adults and teenagers can […]
Linking Violence to Mental Illness Increases Stigma
We are deeply saddened by recent tragic events in El Paso and Ohio. These mass shootings are far too common and impact every corner of our nation. Every time we experience a tragedy like this, people with mental illness are drawn into the conversation. The reality is that most people with mental illness are not […]