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# Smith Psychotherapy Group: Protecting the Mental Health of Our Community

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## Posts
- [Love as a Deliberate Practice](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/love-as-a-deliberate-practice/): Free Yourself From Fairy Tales—Choose Connection Instead
- [Tabula Rasa- Building a Life that Feels Right](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/tabula-rasa-building-a-life-that-feels-right/): Tabula Rasa (Latin) — the concept of the mind as a “blank slate” or “scraped tablet,” ready for new writings and perceptions.
- [Elevate Your Performance: The Power of Mental Performance Coaching](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/elevate-your-performance-the-power-of-mental-performance-coaching/): In the pursuit of excellence, where physical prowess, creative expression, and professional achievement converge, the role of mental fortitude cannot be overstated. As a seasoned practitioner in mental performance coaching, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative impact it can have on athletic performance, artistic expression, and executive leadership. Today, I extend an invitation to explore the world of Mental Performance Coaching—a dynamic approach to unlocking your full potential across all domains of life.
- [Coping Styles and Skills](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/coping-styles-and-skills/): Coping skills are tools we use in order to manage the many different moving parts of our lives. Whether it be stress from work, grief from loss, loneliness, a specific incident or anything else that might affect your day-to-day life, coping skills are what we use to take care of it all!
- [The Basics of Self Care](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/the-basics-of-self-care/): Self-care is finding ways to meet your mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and social needs. Furthermore, it takes time to practice identifying your needs, listening to your mind and body, and making healthier choices for your individual needs. Please keep in mind that self-care varies from person to person. Here are some helpful tips to get started: 
- [3 Ways to Support a Friend Struggling with Mental Health](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/3-ways-to-support-a-friend-struggling-with-mental-health/): Discussing mental health with a friend, or anyone for that matter, can be extremely difficult. Even now as mental healthcare has become more accessible and more widely spoken about it can be a very difficult topic to breach, especially in a way that isn’t overbearing or frustrating to the person struggling. However, there are many ways that a person can be supportive without overstepping. Here are three ways to support a friend struggling with their mental health.
- [Let’s Talk Body Image: The Appearance Ideal vs. The Healthy Ideal](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/lets-talk-body-image-the-appearance-ideal-vs-the-healthy-ideal/): Body Positivity has taken the world by storm. Influencers, celebrities, and professionals alike have taken up the platform of loving and accepting your body. But Body Positivity can get tricky due to two different types of misunderstanding. Firstly, many people tie positive body image to unhealthiness. They believe Body Positivity promotes unhealthy eating, laziness, and inactivity. Secondly, many misunderstand the “positive” part of Body Positivity and it can quickly turn toxic.
- [5 Commonly Misused Mental Health Phrases and What They Really Mean](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/5-commonly-misused-mental-health-phrases-and-what-they-really-mean/): In a world where the full extent of human knowledge is a few clicks away, we are often bombarded with misinformation. It can be tricky to decipher what is true. With the increase in Mental Health Awareness online as well as Mental Health Influencers, we often see posts about mental health that often use genuine psychological phrases incorrectly. For example, many people will say they have anxiety or depression when they are really feeling stressed or a bit down. To help combat this misinformation, let’s go over some commonly misused mental health phrases together.
- [Top 3 Tips for Teens: Communicating With Your Guardian So That They Will Truly Hear and Listen](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/top-3-tips-for-teens-communicating-with-your-guardian-so-that-they-will-truly-hear-and-listen/): I’ve heard my parents say countless times that I have “selective listening” when they tell me to do something or that their instructions go “in one ear and out the next”. I’ll admit, sometimes, it is a small form of defiance, but honestly, most of the time I truly just don’t hear them or properly understand.
- [Communication is Key: How to Communicate Effectively With Friends, Families, Partners, and Strangers](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/communication-is-key-how-to-communicate-effectively-with-friends-families-partners-and-strangers/): What Does Healthy Communication Look Like?
- [Mindfully Mundane: Being Intentional in Everyday Life](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/mindfully-mundane-being-intentional-in-everyday-life/): Mindfulness: More than Meditation
- [Boundaries: What They Look Like and How to Set Them](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/boundaries-what-they-look-like-and-how-to-set-them/): The word boundary may feel prickly, intense, and anti-social, but in reality good boundaries can bring us closer in connection. In fact, many people already practice some healthy boundaries in their lives unintentionally. For example, you have likely said or heard someone else say, “I don’t bring work home” or “I keep my work life and personal life separate”. This is a perfect example of a boundary. It is a choice, made by you about you, that sets a realistic limit on your participation in a relationship or activity.
- [Self Care: Not Just Face Masks and Spa Days](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/self-care-not-just-face-masks-and-spa-days/): We are often told by doctors, therapists, parents, teachers, influencers, and friends to “take care of your mental health” and “practice self-care”. For many of us, the first images that come to mind when we hear this are face masks, mani-pedis, scented candles, and maybe a bath bomb. “Self-Care” is synonymous with “Spa Day” in modern language. Many people don’t know that self-care is much more than that.
- [Setting Intentions](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/setting-intentions/): Setting intentions for the new year is a great way to focus your energy and create a roadmap for the year ahead. Here are a few steps you can take to set intentions for the new year:
- [Is EMDR therapy for me?](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/is-emdr-therapy-for-me/): EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of therapy that is often used to help people who have experienced trauma. It is based on the idea that when a person experiences a traumatic event, their brain may not fully process the experience, and the memories of the event can become "stuck" in the person's mind. These unresolved memories can cause a range of problems, such as difficulty sleeping, flashbacks, and difficulty functioning in daily life.
- [3 Ways to Practice Mindful Communication](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/3-ways-to-practice-mindful-communication/): We all know that practicing mindfulness is a way that we can ground and center ourselves, but did you know that practicing mindfulness in communication contexts is equally as important? Communicating mindfully means creating understanding through awareness. Doing this allows us to have more effective conversations and also helps us to navigate through conflict in productive and low-stress ways. There are many different ways to apply mindful communication in your life, below are three of the ways you can begin practicing mindful communication on a basic level
- [Commonly Misused & Overused Terms](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/commonly-misused-overused-terms/): The term codependent is probably a word you’re familiar with as you may have used it yourself or maybe heard someone else refer to either themselves or a partner being perhaps ‘clingy, needy, or even overbearing’’. Due to this overuse of the term, it suggests a negative trait for someone who has needs in a relationship. When an individual is codependent, it comes from a place of anxiety and needing to rely on the reassurance of their fears onto their partner (or their non-romantic relationships). In the human experience, we are social beings and are meant to be interdependent and seek support towards other people especially when experiencing life’s stressors and/or feeling distressed.
- [5 Strategies for Managing Stress](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/5-strategies-for-managing-stress/): 1. Take care of your physical health:
- [Managing Stress Through Mindfulness](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/managing-stress-through-mindfulness/): For students
- [New Year’s Resolutions < Past Year Review](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/new-years-resolutions-past-year-review/): Blog taken from https://tim.blog/2021/12/27/past-year-review/
- [“Let the Journey Begin” Podcast featuring Jennifer Smith](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/let-the-journey-begin-podcast-featuring-jennifer-smith/): A huge thank you to Jason Wahler and Hilary Roberts from the Red Songbird Foundation for giving us the space to talk about very important mental health topics. Go give this episode a listen!
- [Suicide Resources](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/suicide-resources/): September is National Suicide Prevention month and in honor of this very important topic, Smith Psychotherapy Group wants to make sure everyone has access to resources in case you or a loved one is in need.
- [Back-to-School Anxiety](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/back-to-school-anxiety/): This back to school season is different than any other. Whether you’re a student, or a parent who’s sending their children back-to-school, the return to in person classes can be a huge anxiety trigger. Kids and parents are being separated after being stuck at home together for a year; a perfect recipe for separation anxiety. Kids may have gotten used to the home environment and created a safe space there. Also, following all the new mask mandates and social distancing rules can cause confusion and fear in some children. All of these worries are realistic and can make children think that other people/places are not as safe as their families/homes. Parents have an especially difficult task of having to encourage their kids to have fun while also making sure they stay safe. Just like everything else you have had to tackle, this too is achievable. Here are some pointers to help the child/parent duo as back-to- school season approaches:
- [Tips to Sustain Healthy Relationships](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/tips-to-sustain-healthy-relationships/): As seen on Instagram this week (@smithpsychotherapygroup) our DBT topic of focus is Interpersonal Effectiveness. There are four concrete skills that make up this division of DBT and they can be remembered by these easy acronyms: THINK, FAST, GIVE, DEAR MAN.
- [Mental Health Breaks](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/mental-health-breaks/): Updated: Aug 13, 2021
- [Emotion Regulation Skills](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/emotion-regulation-skills/): Updated: Aug 13, 2021
- [IMPROVE the Moment](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/improve-the-moment/): If you follow us on Instagram (which you should… @smithpsychotherapygroup) then you would know that this week’s DBT skill is dedicated to distress tolerance! In Tuesday’s post, we introduced the acronym IMPROVE. Each letter in this acronym stands for a tool that can help you manage stressful situations. This blog will dive deeper into each of those meanings. Let’s get to it!
- [States of Mind](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/states-of-mind/): This week’s DBT skill of focus, as seen on our instagram (@smithpsychotherapygroup), is mindfulness. Within mindfulness, there are three States of Mind. States of Mind refer to the way we portray certain situations, our outlook or perspective. They guide us in the decisions we make and the emotions we feel. The three States of Mind are: Emotion Mind, Reason Mind, and Wise Mind. Let’s take a closer look to see what these really mean…
- [Body Acceptance](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/body-acceptance/): As we move into the summer season, much talk arises regarding the perfect summer body. This image puts pressure on people to appear to others as society expects them to, skinny. Social norms have done an extremely good job at scaring humans about fatness. This fear is also what drives many industries to success. Body shaming has become very internalized and discriminatory. We see how fat people are told what they can and cannot wear, eat and even act like. It is time to move forward from these shameful views to a more accepting perspective.
- [Summer Reading](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/summer-reading/): It’s (almost) summertime! For many kids, teens, and young adults, summer days bring more free time and a break from the tight-knit schedule that exists during the school year. This can be a relief for some people but it can also be an anxiety trigger. If you can relate to this anxious feeling, check out the reading list below where you will find some helpful workbooks and books on mindfulness. By practicing mindfulness, you will learn to live in the present which, among many health benefits, can decrease anxiety levels. Happy summer and don’t forget to be in the now!
- [Radical Acceptance](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/radical-acceptance/): Accepting the truth about a situation can sometimes be viewed as an excuse to act as a doormat. This in fact is not true. Especially when it comes to
- [Return To Normalcy](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/return-to-normalcy/): June 15. The day that California will return to “normal” again. But what will this normal look like? This past year has been very traumatizing for many people. There has been so much loss, confusion, and anxiety. Due to the stay-at-home orders, most people have been very eager for the return to normalcy and to be able to enjoy life as it was pre COVID-19. Even though we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, mentally, we may not be fully prepared for it- and that is ok! In this blog, we will provide some tips on how to manage the emotions that come with the return to normalcy and life after COVID-19 that mental coach, Dr. Colleen Hacker, shared with viewers on the Laughter Permitted podcast with Julie Foudy.
- [Top Three Ways to Reduce Zoom Fatigue](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/top-three-ways-to-reduce-zoom-fatigue/): More than ever, people are working remotely. This has led to an increase in meetings and appointments being held over Zoom. But communication over video has design flaws that exhaust the human mind and body. Fortunately, there are easy ways to mitigate their effects. Here's how to avoid some of the downfalls of Zoom:
- [Attachment Theory](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/attachment-theory/): Attachment theory is a psychological and evolutionary theory concerning relationships between humans. In regards to intimate relationships, our attachment styles describe how we relate to our partner.
- [How to Support A Loved One Struggling With Anxiety](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/how-to-support-a-loved-one-struggling-with-anxiety/): Whether you know a friend, sibling, partner, coworker, or parent struggling with anxiety, we often find ourselves hoping to support them the best we can. We might feel desperate to help them but it is crucial to know first, that it is NOT YOUR JOB TO FIX IT.
- [Transformation is not an event. It’s a process.](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/transformation-is-not-an-event-its-a-process/): Transformation is not an event, but often we think that it is. We dream of that one moment that will change our lives. A lottery win, quitting our job, moving to a new city, meeting the love of our life, all of our hopes hinge on that one moment. But real transformation, long term change, comes from shifting our thinking and through small, or bigger, adjustments to our daily actions. Changing our lives comes from changing our thoughts, our behavior, and our habits. Would you rather love your work and feel great every day, or have a new job? So often we want the new job. It's viewed as an outward manifestation of our success and how capable we are. But we need to believe we are capable of getting the new job. The job is the result, the change itself often happens before that. To feel purposeful, happy, successful and like ourselves; much of that is the result of internal work. If you are not feeling fulfilled and are struggling with transformation or making meaningful changes, it might be time to focus inward. Prioritizing consistent habits and aligning actions with your values is not exciting like trying to manifest winning the lottery or a dream vacation. But it will have a much larger impact on your happiness. Focusing on our actions, rather than the outcome, can help us stay on the path for transformation.
- [How will practicing Mindfulness benefit me?](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/how-will-practicing-mindfulness-benefit-me/): Many people wonder how practicing Mindfulness can benefit them. Research shows that practicing mindfulness on a daily basis has many physical and mental benefits increasing our overall well being.
- [Do you ever ask yourself, where does all of my time go?](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/do-you-ever-ask-yourself-where-does-all-of-my-time-go/): Many of my clients struggle with finding time in their day for self care. We are so busy with the day to day routines of work and family life that there is little, if no, time left for ourselves. The truth is, there is actually plenty of time. All it takes is 3 minutes here, 5 minutes there and living every minute of everyday in a mindful state. You'd be surprised at how much extra time you can actually find in your day if you exist in a mindful way rather than sleepwalking out of bed and all the way back into bed! Here is one tip on how to do so...its called RAIN (borrowed from Tara Brach's "Finding True Refuge"):
- [Proper Maintenance](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/uncategorized/proper-maintenance/): If you could have only one awesome vehicle for the rest of your life, what would it be?

## Pages
- [Parham Nematollah, AMFT](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/parham-nematollah-amft/)
- [Catherine Durham, AMFT](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/catherine-durham-amft/)
- [Bryn Caralto AMFT CHt](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/bryn-caralto-amft-cht/)
- [News](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/news-articles/)
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- [Speaking Engagements](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/speaking-engagements/)
- [Services](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/services/)
- [Kaitlin Knebelsberger AMFT](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/kaitlin-knebelsberger-amft/)
- [Jaqueline Mendoza AMFT](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/jaqueline-mendoza-amft/)
- [Jennifer Smith LMFT](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/jennifer-smith-lmft/)
- [Private Therapy in Newport Beach | Smith Psychotherapy Group](https://smithpsychotherapygroup.com/)

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