Michelle Grunstein, LMFT, CATC-iv, 1990 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA (2026)

10/05/2020

I saw this on and figured it was a good time to bring awareness to the 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙨 we’re currently facing.
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As a therapist and recently what we’re referring to as “essential workers”, I haven’t taken a day off of work since this pandemic started, much like many others. And yes, I have continued to see the majority of my clients in person because they need to be seen that way and telemedicine simply isn’t sufficient for everyone. Especially for those who are more acute or seeking EMDR treatment.
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This page always aims to normalize and bring awareness to mental health issues. But today I want to highlight how much worse, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, abuse, and substance use has gotten in the last several months.
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𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞! Be nicer. Show yourself more compassion and be kinder to those around you. You have no idea how much more people may be struggling now, and unfortunately the effects are currently going even further than they typically do.
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Relationships are struggling, people with significant time clean are relapsing, and if their job wasn’t at stake because of COVID itself it may be now.
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𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 and 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 one another as opposed to shutting people out. 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 💖
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09/30/2020

When you think of a woman with strength what do you see?
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“A strong woman is one who feels deeply and loves fiercely. Her tears flow as abundantly as her laughter. A strong woman is both soft and powerful, she is both practical and spiritual. A strong woman in her essence is a gift to the world.”
~ Native American Saying
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09/22/2020

Reminiscing about the holiday... Judaism is all about connection, tradition, and good food 😏
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Pictured are just a few of the dishes I served 😋 I love having the ability to host and give people a meal they wouldn’t necessarily have access to otherwise. And I truly enjoy cooking and watching others enjoy my food 😉
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But I take my own advice. While this isn’t quite how I anticipated spending my holiday, I made damn sure I did everything in my power to make the best of it 🙏🏻
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Wishing you all a happy and healthy year ❤️
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09/16/2020

Think about it: If all you’re doing is retreating when things get difficult or scary, what you’re really doing is 𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜.
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You aren’t allowing yourself the opportunity to grow and truly try new things. You’re essentially giving up on 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 and whatever the situation is without giving it a fair chance.
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𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝.
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𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙:
⚡️Learn to adapt. Challenge yourself, opposite action goes a long way.
⚡️Take things at your own pace so you aren’t feeling overwhelmed. But make sure you’re consistently moving forward.
⚡️Communicate. Be honest with yourself and those involved but remain 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙.
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Implementing these things will ensure you feel better throughout the process and accomplish more than you ever thought was possible ✨
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09/03/2020

Throwback to my first semester of the doctoral program five years ago! 😳
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There have been so many ups and downs, the good, the bad, the life changes. Being forced to take time off more times than I can count due to medical issues... My body just couldn’t handle everything I was putting it through and it literally landed me in the hospital.
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𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥.
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If we’re being honest, I hate school and don’t even need the degree. But I keep going because I’ve put myself through so much for it, I don’t want to stop now.
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But I’ve 𝙖𝙙𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 my goal. I’m doing this 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 and it will get finished 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.
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We constantly need to re-evaluate the goals we set for ourselves and determine if they’re still realistic. Don’t be quick to give up on a goal because it got too hard, but consider whether it’s still appropriate to complete as you had originally intended. ✨
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08/30/2020

August 30, 1998. 22 years. Doesn’t sound like a particularly significant number. But for me, this is one of the most difficult years.
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My mother died suddenly of a brain aneurysm at the age of 30. I’ll be 30 in a couple of weeks. I’ve not only dreaded this year my entire life, but have been terrified of what would come once I got here. So much so, that I’ve had to do some intensive therapy around it (more on that in a future post).
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My mother, single mom of 3, died at a very young age and it’s every bit as tragic as it sounds. But her babies grew into adults she can be proud of. The few years of nurturance she provided laid the groundwork to sustain us for a lifetime. And over the years we learned to take care of each other 💖
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We’ve all had our ups and downs but have come a long way both as individuals and siblings. My little brother and I each have careers we love and my middle brother recently got married (pictured above).
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Grief and loss is a complicated experience to heal from. You can have processed and accepted the loss and become a well-adjusted member of society... there will still be days or events that are difficult to endure. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐨𝐤. ✨
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@ Los Angeles, California

08/26/2020

Socialization, connection, meaningful relationships... One of the most necessary components for a healthy mental state.
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Regardless of your personality and whether you identify as an introvert or extrovert, we all need to incorporate this in some aspect.
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Often we find every excuse not to spend time with loved ones. Not because we don’t care, we may have legitimate reasons. But then it’s too late.
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Too late because the person is no longer here.
Too late because you stopped getting invited after saying no too many times.
Too late because circumstances have shifted preventing you from being able to spend time together.
Too late because your mental health has deteriorated so much you physically can’t do so...
It can be something small or drastic, either way you want to catch on before it’s too late.
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Something as simple as having coffee with a friend can do wonders to your mood, day, or even week. It can be the difference between relapsing or falling into a depression and isolating versus being reminded of the reasons to keep going ✨
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08/21/2020

Seeing my name, title, and company on my door brings up all kinds of emotions 😌
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I tend to see a lot of my clients in the field - going for a walk, sitting at a coffee shop... They prefer it that way. So while I’ve always had an office, it was one that I was renting because I didn’t need it much.
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As I’ve gotten busier, renting someone else’s space became less and less feasible. I’m really looking forward to getting this office up and running and having a place to truly call my own 🙏🏻
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Work hard. Jump through the obstacles being thrown in your way. It’s worth it! ✨
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07/30/2020

Somehow there’s something so comforting to me about going to the cemetery. Having a place that I can visit my mom and other loved ones even though they’re no longer here 💔
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In the Jewish calendar today is Tisha B’Av, the most significant day of mourning of the year. How fitting is it that I’m in New York and able to visit my mom? 💕
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Jews have a particular timeline and set of guidelines in which it is suggested to mourn that I find to be clinically appropriate and encouraging of the grieving process.
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Grief is a life-long journey. We are always evolving and experiencing new feelings and scenarios we didn’t expect.
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The idea is 𝘯𝘰𝘵 to try controlling those emotions. Allow them to happen, learn to navigate them appropriately... You’ll be surprised at how much 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 and 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 can come from the pain ✨
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@ Long Island, NY

07/27/2020

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 ✨
🙌🏻
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Black and white women’s empowerment challenge. As people and 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 we need to build each other up instead of tearing each other down. I nominate
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Everyone should get in on this! Post a black and white photo of yourself with and nominate a woman you admire 💕
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If you’re reading this and you haven’t already been nominated, consider this yours. Tag or DM me, I want to see that you’re doing this ✨
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07/23/2020

I love this analogy! 👌🏻💯
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Often we’re looking for a quick fix or instant gratification, but life just doesn’t work that way.
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Things of 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 take time. Whether it’s completing a goal or accomplishing milestones in recovery, we can’t expect results overnight.
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I get the impulse to want significant change in a short amount of time, but mental health is all about 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 progress. One small step at a time lends to adaptations that are likely to have more prominent, longer-lasting effects ✨
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07/17/2020

Caught in action 📸
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Three things you should know about me:
1: I function just as well in heels as I do in sneakers 💁🏻‍♀️
2: I’m a kid magnet, that child psychology degree didn’t come out of nowhere 👶🏻👧🏻
3: I’m a huge proponent of mindfulness and encourage its implementation regularly 🧘🏻‍♀️
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It’s never too early to incorporate healthy practices and teach children emotional regulation skills. Every single thing that happens is an opportunity for learning, especially in regards to kids and child development!
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Shout out to my friend for allowing me to get her son into some calming yoga and mindfulness exercises after an active day. I love hanging out with this little dude 💕
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@ Los Angeles, California

Michelle Grunstein, LMFT, CATC-iv

10/05/2020

09/30/2020

09/22/2020

09/16/2020

09/03/2020

08/30/2020

08/26/2020

08/21/2020

07/30/2020

07/27/2020

07/23/2020

07/17/2020

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