Julia Bluhm

It's all over the news.  A 14-year-old girl from Maine has done the seemingly impossible; she has forced mainstream media to listen and change their modus operandi.

A few weeks ago Julia Bluhm decided she was fed up with being fed pictures of ultra-thin, unrealistic images of beauty. Although most models in the industry are already well under the average weight, editors have continuously photoshopped and airbrushed these young girls to look even thinner, smoother, and flawless.  Julia, as well as countless others, intuitively understood the potentially damaging effects of this trend.  Unlike others, Julia decided to do something and turned to activism.  She began a petition on Change.org against Seventeen Magazine, and within days, over 84,000 people showed their support.  Now, a few weeks later, Seventeen has taken the bold step of committing to offering healthy, diverse, and realistic models of beauty to their young readers. 

While I have unofficially announced my recent move on Facebook and Twitter, I wanted to take this opportunity to officially welcome you to my new office, located at 715 N Central Avenue in Glendale, California.

The office itself is shared with various other mental health professionals, thus it provides an inviting yet sophisticated ambiance were we hope you will feel comfortable and welcomed.  The office offers a private waiting room, coffee and tea services, and a private exit to the main hallway directly from my thearpy office.  Free parking is available in the lot adjacent to the building, on the west side of Central Avenue.  Street parking is also readily available.

PTSD, or posttraumatic stress disorder, is a condition that can arise after a person has experienced a traumatic event, or has been in, or witnessed, a life-threatening event.  Although symptoms of PTSD are varied, generally they are grouped into three main categories:

• First is a category known as “re-experiencing,” meaning that the person is troubled my memories, dreams, or flashbacks of the traumatic incident.  
• Secondly, the person develops marked avoidance and numbing of emotions.  This means that, in an effort to sidestep those troubling reminders, they begin to avoid people, places, or things that “trigger” their troubling memories.  They may experience a sense of detachment and isolation from their loved ones as well as activities they used to enjoy, and the combination of these two factors can lead to a progressively more restricted life, as they increasingly curtail activities and social interaction.  
• Lastly, there tends to be a marked increase in anxiety, which can include irritability, anger outbursts, trouble sleeping, becoming easily startled, or engaging in self-destructive behavior (e.g., excessive drinking) in order to calm or control this anxiety.  

Although signs of PTSD often start within three months of the event, in some people, these signs can take years to arise.  Additionally symptoms of PTSD can come and go, depending on what is happening in the person’s life and their overall level of stress.