Love, connection, friendship, romance, pleasure, and joy are worth so much more than a single holiday…There is room for love in every relationship, every action, and every day. Read on for an individual and couple therapist’s suggestions for 5 ways to honor love and romance this Valentine’s Day and learn about how these methods will support you.

Despite living in Los Angeles, one of the most saturated markets for psychotherapy, trying to find a therapist who a) is the right fit for you, b) has current openings, and c) will actually call you back, is increasingly more difficult. We hear horror stories all of the time about people never hearing back from therapists they’ve sent inquiries to or feeling very discouraged not knowing where or how to even start looking for a therapist.

Despite my frequent criticism of our capitalist society’s relentless pursuit of productivity and success I, too get caught up in the hustle. This has been a challenging year in our practice; one filled with growing pains and a great deal of transition. All of it has left me feeling exhausted and on the verge of burn-out (shout-out to my colleague Anna Kim who has coined the term “crispy” which we use to describe getting dangerously close to burning out)…In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of rest, how it connects to our mental health and well-being, and what we can do about it by drawing on the insights provided by Dr. Dalton-Smith.

Loss is extraordinarily painful and real. There is no pain quite like that of losing someone you love. It’s a pain you cannot know until you do, and then you can’t un-know it, no matter how badly you might want to. In western culture, the depth of pain one feels in loss is also uncomfortable and unwelcome—people just don’t want to think about it. It’s unyielding weight is very quickly considered impolite, and our cultural push toward collective denial can be so painful for those in the midst of a loss who can no longer deny its existence.

In relationships, misalignment of communication styles, boundaries, and values leads to more disagreements, isolation, an uneven sharing of workload, feeling dismissed, and an overall lack of attunement to your partner(s.) Read on for essential questions from a Couple Therapist to ask your partner to help you navigate holiday celebrations and family visits while staying emotionally connected.

If you grew up similarly to how I did, I’m sure you can recall a lot of cheesy, poorly-produced shows and movies about white, straight, high schoolers being the outcasts of their friend groups because they “chose God instead of earthly desires.” But here, there were two real teenagers (well, I think both actors are in their 30s, but regardless), sharing their desires to be accepted by the church—not by their friends. Eric and Abbi had many friends, but it was their churches (those places that preach “love your neighbor as yourself”) that could not accept them.

We humans are emotional beings and understanding that emotions are part of the toolset that we use to navigate the experiences of a fully engaged life is hugely important. When we have trained for a lifetime to avoid “bad” emotions we can end up divorced from this key element of our humanity. Read on for tips from a marriage & family therapist on how to start reconnecting with your emotions.

At Kindman & Co., we are working towards building a society that recognizes and addresses the diverse needs of all individuals. Today, we want to shed light on an often overlooked but important aspect of social justice: Disability Justice. Disability Justice encompasses both understanding and advocacy for the rights, needs, and dignity of disabled people. Read on for more info on what Disability Justice is, why it’s so important and for resources and organizations to start taking action.

Kindman & Co. Therapists, Dani, Steve, and Caitlin, discuss their thoughts on summer topics, and then share their own takes on how Hot Girl Summer should be remixed. The group shares some of the history of Hot Girl Summer, who coined the term, what it has become today, and discusses the phenomenon of cultural appropriation. Enjoy a playful episode of therapists talking all things pop culture!