Laura van Riper, LCSW, SEP; Therapy for Teens and the Young at Heart

09/01/2023

Stressed? Worried? Concerned it might be anxiety? This article offers clear and concise guidance:

The president of the American Psychiatric Association answers questions about a new recommendation to screen all adults under 65 for anxiety.

06/15/2023

05/04/2023

Good mental health requires a healthy brain and gut. Studies are showing a correlation between diets with significant amounts of highly processed foods and depression and anxiety.

Eating packaged foods like cereal and frozen meals has been associated with anxiety, depression and cognitive decline. Scientists are still piecing together why.

03/31/2023

Ironic- we often have a drink to relax, but after a several hours alcohol makes us more anxious-

Consuming alcohol can mess with your emotions the next day by causing stress hormones to spike and sleep to be disrupted overnight.

07/30/2022

Large study results: ANY alcohol for folks under age 40, especially males, puts their health at risk

Individuals under the age of 40—particularly males—face higher risks from alcohol consumption than older adults and receive no health benefits from consuming alcohol, according to new research published this month in The Lancet.

05/26/2022

Children feel our distress, and when the news is horrific, it’s so important for parents to stay emotionally balanced. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/parenting/kids-current-events.html?referringSource=articleShare Here’s some great guidance on kids and the news:

How, and when, to introduce current events to your children.

03/09/2022

Be thoughtful and easy on yourself and your family as we emerge from the intense past two pandemic years.

Just like with a physical injury, rushing the recovery might only make things worse.

12/31/2021

Sometimes we struggle to stop asking for guidance or feedback from family and friends who usually mean well but make unhelpful or hurtful comments. It’s a habit worth breaking!

10/16/2021

Blowing up or shutting down during disagreements? Great insight and tips from Medium & Gillian May that will help you feel better and improve your relationships:

For decades, trauma has been swept under the carpet. But now we’re talking about it.

07/12/2021

Many of us continue to feel sad or depressed as we move towards more normalcy. We have been missing shared, joyful experiences likes parties, concerts and weddings. I recently had the pleasure of attending a large outdoor Fourth of July celebration at a neighbor’s home and came home feeling over the moon.

See what you think of this NYT opinion piece:

Here’s an excerpt: “The return to normalcy in the United States, or something like it, is a time to rethink our understanding of mental health and well-being. We should think of flourishing less as personal euphoria and more as collective effervescence. Happiness lives in the kinds of moments that we celebrated in the early days of Covid, when people found solidarity singing together out their windows in Italy, using dish soap to turn their kitchen floors into treadmills in Brazil, and clapping and banging pots with spoons to honor essential workers around the world. It was reborn in New York City when more than 15,000 strangers heard Dave Chappelle sing, “I don’t belong here,” and they all felt they belonged there.”

We find our greatest bliss in moments of “collective effervescence.”

05/23/2021

Are you debating whether you or your child would benefit from talking to a ? I find that most people wait too long to seek help. Studies show that earlier intervention leads to better outcomes in This article might be helpful:

We asked a clinical psychologist, a therapist and two psychiatrists about who can most benefit from seeing a mental health professional.

04/16/2021

Great suggestions if you want to drink less!

Many Americans increased their alcohol intake during the pandemic, with women and parents of young children disproportionately affected.