July 2026 — Blog — Skilled Minds Therapy

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For Parents To Help the Tween/Teen Beside You, Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First

On an airplane, you would secure your own oxygen mask before helping your child. Parenting a tween or teen through an emotional storm works the same way. This blog post offers practical ways to care for yourself first, so your calm becomes the steadiness they can lean on. It is not a replacement for therapy. If you are ever worried about your child’s immediate safety, please reach out to your local emergency number or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline right away.

Jul 27, 2026 6 min read

Identity What Feelings Tell Us About Our Values and Identity: Laura’s Journey in Messy Roots

Do you ever feel stuck between cultures, not knowing which one to identify with? Do you sometimes feel that your roots are messy, and have a hard time figuring out who you are? This blog post is about how we can use our emotions as signposts that point us toward the network of people and places where we truly belong.

Jul 23, 2026 5 min read

CBT "I'm Going to Be Grounded for My Entire Life": Why We Do Things We Regret

Do you sometimes find yourself doing things that feel good in the moment but that you later regret? This post explains how that happens and what you can do to change it. What you’ll read here is not a substitute for therapy: if your actions consistently create problems for you or for others at home or at school, please work with me or another therapist trained in the DBT or UP-A protocols.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read

Identity Finding Yourself One Dot at a Time: Tegan and Sara and the Gender Unicorn

If you’ve read Tegan and Sara Quin’s Junior High, you know how much of that story is about figuring out who you are (the crushes, the questions, the stuff that’s hard to say out loud). In this post, you’ll read about a tool called the Gender Unicorn that can help you explore those same questions in your own life and at your own pace.

Jul 14, 2026 3 min read

For Parents What Misophonia Is & How I Can Help

For many families the hardest part of misophonia is the time spent not knowing it exists. This blog post explains what misophonia is and suggests where to turn next.

Jul 13, 2026 3 min read

CBT When the Night Feels Too Big: What Anya Can Teach Us About Fear

Do your fears sometimes feel bigger than you? This blog post about Anya's fears during her night watch reminds you that thoughts, feelings, and actions are interconnected. A simple one-week experiment helps you notice your own thoughts in fearful moments as a first, doable step toward feeling less at your fear's mercy. The experiment is not a replacement for therapy. To get a therapeutic effect, you want to work with me or another therapist who is trained in UP-A.

Jul 7, 2026 4 min read

For Parents How to Talk to Your Teen About Therapy

Talking with your teen about therapy can feel daunting. These suggestions, drawn from techniques I use with my own teen clients, focus on listening first and respecting your teen’s pace.

Jul 5, 2026 3 min read

DBT Skills How Anya in K. O’Neill’s Graphic Novel The Moth Keeper Uses the DBT Observe Skill in a Scary Moment

Do you sometimes find your self challenged by your thoughts in tough situations? Anya's example could help you cope. The information in this blog post is not to be read as replacement for therapy. To get the benefit of therapy, you want to work with me or another therapist trained in the DBT protocol.

Jul 1, 2026 3 min read

Posts from July 2026