Dr. Leonie H. Mattison, Ed.D., MBA, president and CEO of Pacifica Graduate Institute (PGI), is inviting mental health organizations in Santa Barbara County to join a free event via Zoom on Sept. 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. PGI will provide a platform to connect and work together on the mental health issues in the […]
The year I was a therapy intern, I remember feeling a great sense of overall well-being. I knew I was being a good mom to my young children, and a loving and present partner to my husband. I was in graduate school to expand my mind, and I was being of service to low-income seniors […]
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My 16-year-old son recently came home from school, freaking out that he might get a B in an AP class. Historically, this has not been his M.O., but at the beginning of his sophomore year it started to dawn on him that it was time to get to work. He was hearing and feeling the […]
Shortly after I got married, my 64-year-old mother lost her battle with breast cancer. Seven years later my father joined her. The loss isn’t any less painful just because you are a grown-up. I was 39 and an orphan. It sounds strange to say it that way, but that was how it felt. “Untethered,” was […]
I met a woman a few weeks ago who doesn’t like to get massages. I felt like I needed an interpreter. What could she possibly mean by speaking this heresy? I have heard of people who weren’t into it, but I assumed that like “uptight yoga instructors,” and mean Trader Joe’s employees they were mythological […]
The month of May is Mental Health Awareness month. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) offers authoritative information about mental disorders, a range of related topics, the latest mental health research, and resources online. The history of May for mental health dates to 1949, when the United States Congress designated May as Mental Health […]
Your body tension is like a barometer that registers levels of comfort. Pressure decreases when you settle in to read a good book or sit around a dinner table with good friends. It increases when you enter a crowded room or sit for a performance review. Worry about a problem, pressure goes up; find a […]
A few years ago, my athletic prowess and inherent grace caused me to tear a few ligaments in my ankle by falling UP the stairs of my home. Anyone can fall down a set of stairs, but you need to be very special to do it in reverse. Following months of resting, healing, wearing a […]
Growing up in cold climates, I used to sort my winter and summer clothes twice a year. Here in California I just move things around in the closet. Unfortunately, when I simply shift stuff around, I don’t need to think about how my wardrobe functions. Clothes and shoes simply get shuffled, stored, and never really […]
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A few months ago, I had a diagnostic test for some G.I. issues. Just to clarify, that was not referencing a broken romance with a soldier on leave, but gastrointestinal issues. A little less sexy. I was introduced to my doctor about ten minutes before the procedure. As I always have a million questions, I […]
As Winter gives way to Spring, I find myself pondering life’s various transitions. Never more so than this week, while in Mammoth with my teenagers for our annual pilgrimage to the snow. For the first time, my 13-year-old daughter left our rented condo on her own to meet a friend on the mountain. Happy, confident, […]
When my daughter was in kindergarten, she came home distraught because her teacher wanted all the students to share what they wanted to be when they grew up. She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes and said, “Mommy, I am only 5. How am I supposed to know that?” Exactly. At 5, or 55 […]
In the 1990s, a wonder drug took the step aerobic, Atkins-dieting, slip dress wearing population by storm. Fenfluramine/phentermine, the pharmaceutical treatment known as Fen-Phen, appeared to be the panacea that cellulite battlers worldwide had been searching for. Effects included loss of appetite, feel good hormones surging and fat melting off at a staggering rate. It […]
Sisters Leah Otterlei Pillsbury (‘00) and Alexis Otterlei Bennett (‘05) left their native Minnesota to attend Westmont — and then went their separate ways after graduating, pursuing different careers. Eventually, their paths and occupations converged, and they launched a telehealth business in 2021. Leah majored in psychology and loved every part of her college experience. […]
