Cultivating Cognitive Clarity, LLC

05/25/2026

book a session with me ✨ https://ccognitiveclarity.com/contact

05/19/2026

Excited to announce that my practice website is officially up and running!

Feel free to check it out and share with anyone who might be interested in therapy sessions with me 🤗

Embrace your humanness. Cultivate your growth. Book a Session Helping you find balance and clarity. Many of my clients come to therapy feeling overlooked, overwhelmed, or pulled in different directions by cultures, expectations, and roles. I strive to create a supportive, nonjudgmental space where y...

05/11/2026

It’s AAPI Month! As a therapist and avid reader, I wanted to share a few of my fav books by AAPI authors, along with some titles on my TBR list. Some of these books also explore mental health in meaningful ways. This is only a snapshot of the richness of AAPI literature, so I’d love to hear more recs in the comments below!
-
-
-
RECOMMENDATIONS:
>Patterns That Remain by Dr. Stacey Diane Arañez Litam - A thoughtful exploration of how intergenerational trauma, cultural identity, and family expectations shape the emotional lives & relationships of Asian Americans.

>What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo - Stephanie Foo’s memoir examines complex PTSD, childhood trauma, and the journey toward healing as an Asian American woman.

>But What Will People Say? by Sahaj Kohli (Brown Girl Therapy) - A culturally grounded guide to mental health, boundaries, and self-worth for children of immigrants.

>Babel by RF Kuang - A dark academia fantasy that explores colonialism, language, power, and resistance through the lens of a Chinese orphan.

>Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay - A Fil-Am teen travels to the Philippines to uncover the truth behind his cousin’s death during Duterte’s drug war.

>Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan - A fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology about love, sacrifice, and forging your own destiny.
-
-
-
TBR:
>Brown Skin, White Minds by EJR David - A psychological examination of colonial mentality and its lasting impact on Filipino Americans.

>Permission To Come Home by Jenny Wang (Asians for Mental Health) - An exploration on mental health, identity, and healing within Asian communities navigating cultural expectations.

>Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino - An essay collection examining internet culture, identity, consumerism, and self-delusion.

>Last Night At The Telegraph Club by Malinda Dalo - A gay Chinese American teen in 1950s San Fran discovering first love while balancing culture and realities of the Red Scare era.

>Yolk by Mary HK Choi - Two estranged Korean-American sisters are forced back into each other's lives and confront issues of illness, identity, and emotional survival in NYC.

>A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara - Follows four friends in NYC as one endures deep trauma shaping his life and bonds.

05/06/2026

Signs you could benefit from therapy:

-difficulty regulating emotions
-struggling with communication
-feeling like you “don’t want to be here anymore”
-struggling with your identity
-your thoughts are all over the place
-feeling overwhelmed
-inability to cope with stress
-isolating yourself from others
-difficulty breaking unhelpful patterns
-straining relationships

If you’re experiencing any of these signs, you might benefit from therapy. Let’s set up a 15-min consultation and see if I’m the right fit for you!

Email: gab.oblena@ccognitiveclarity.com
Text: (757) 219-2741

03/05/2026

📢 Calling all AAPI therapists in the 757 area 📢

Let’s connect! Come thru to Town Center Cold Pressed on March 14th at 11am for an AAPI Therapist Meet Up. We’ll chat up on our shared experiences, network, and hopefully make new friends, too.

All are welcome. Looking forward to seeing you there!

03/04/2026

If you're in need of additional resources to improve your mental well-being, I recommend the following apps:

🐧 "Finch: Self-Care Pet App" - A self-care tracking app. Raise a virtual pet by completing real-life goals, such as journaling, breathing exercises, and drinking water.

🧘 "Calm" - Mindfulness app that has guided audios for sleep and meditation.

💭 "I am - Daily Affirmations" - Sends daily positive affirmations, with different categories and the ability to add affirmations as a home screen widget.

😌 "Headspace: Meditation & Sleep" - Offers meditation and mindfulness tools, sleep resources, mental health coaching, and other mental well-being support.

⏰ "Focus Keeper - Pomodoro Timer" - Structured timer app, utilizing the Pomodoro Technique, to improve productivity and concentration.

💜 "Paired" - Relationship app designed to improve communication, intimacy, and connection through daily questions, quizzes, and games.

This is a short list of the many available apps out there to improve mental health. Are there any that you recommend? I'd love to hear what you guys use, so feel free to comment some suggestions below!

02/18/2026

Things to do instead of doomscrolling 🤳 (aka regulation your nervous system when everything online is about how the world is a dumpster fire)

☕️ Get coffee or tea with a friend and vent to each other about the dumb comments people make online
🏋️‍♂️ Work out at the gym to build up the strength and endurance to find your close-minded auntie
📖 Read a book and learn something new to show you’re better than the people who don’t know how to or don’t want to expand their worldview
🧘‍♂️ Take a yoga class, engage in deep breathing, or stretch and release the tension you’re holding from all the vicarious trauma you’re absorbing
🚿 Take a cold shower and tell yourself the tears falling down your face are from the shower, not from crying over the current state of the world
🕺 Dance or move your body in a rhythmic motion as if we aren’t constantly be watched or monitored by AI and advancing technology

Hope this helps! ❤️

02/03/2026

I am now currently accepting new clients!

Let’s indulge in your humanness & cultivate your experience together.

Specialties:
-Young Adults
-Depression & Anxiety
-Trauma, Stress, & Life Adjustments
-Cultural & Ethnic Issues
-LGBTQ+
-Suicidal Ideation & Self-Harm Reduction

Why Choose Me?
-Licensed Professional Counselor for 3+ Years
-Culturally-sensitive
-LGBTQ+ affirming
-Holistic, non-judgmental, conversational approach

Accepting the following insurances:
-Aetna
-Cigna
-Anthem
-Carelon Behavioral Health
-Kaiser Permanente of the Mid Atlantic
-Blue Cross Blue Shield
-Quest Behavioral Health
-Also accepting self-pay

More About Services:
-Individual therapy
-Telehealth appointments only
-Must be in the state of Virginia
-Hours from 9am to 6pm, Mon-Thurs

BOOK NOW! Email me at gab.oblena@ccognitiveclarity.com

-Gabby Oblena, LPC, NCC, CCTP

01/28/2026

✨Self-Care for the Introvert✨

Introvert ≠ shy
Extrovert ≠ outgoing

According to Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts, “Introverts prefer quiet, minimally stimulating environments, while extroverts need higher levels of stimulation to feel their best.” This stimulation can include social stimulation, as well as sensory stimulation.

An introvert’s battery is recharged through solitude, quiet environments, low-stimulation activities. However, it is depleted via excessive, prolonged, or high-intensity social interactions and environments.

Are you introvert or extrovert? It’s not black-and-white, it’s a spectrum! You might be more introverted than extroverted, or you might be 50/50 (also known as ambivert). Knowing where you fall on the spectrum is important because awareness of our natural temperament gives us the power to engage in self-care that aligns with us. Doing the opposite depletes our battery.

Self-care ideas for the introvert: coloring, solo ice cream date, drink a cup of hot tea, video games, read a good book, spend time in nature, one-on-one time with a close friend, nap, cuddle with a pet, limit phone time, and set boundaries (say “no” to social gatherings that don’t align with your energy levels)

10/11/2025

Journaling can be a useful tool for self-reflection, coping with difficult feelings and thoughts, and improving your mental health. You might just write about your day or vent whatever is on your mind. However, you might also run into those times where you don't know where to start.

Here are some reflective prompts to help jog your brain a bit:
-What did you need most as a child that you didn’t receive consistently, and how can you offer that to yourself now?
-What behaviors did you engage in today that made you feel most like yourself? When do you feel most like yourself?
-What are your top values? Do your actions align with your values? If not, what needs to change?
-What are 3 things you are grateful for today?
-Who in your life uplifts and supports you, and how can you nurture those relationships?
-When have you felt most hurt, and what did you learn from that pain?
-Whose voice do you hear in your head when you doubt yourself?
-Where in your life do you feel drained, and what boundaries are missing?
-What emotions do you tend to ignore and why do they feel unsafe to fully feel?
-What is something you wish you could have said to someone but never did?

10/10/2025