PTSD Awareness

Creating awareness about post-traumatic stress:  What are the risk factors for developing PTSD? In 2010, Congress named June 27th National PTSD Awareness Day. Since then, mental health professionals have worked to foster awareness about post-traumatic stress for the entire month of June. Statistically, one out of every two people

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Community Autism Awareness Forum and Panel Discussion

Dr. Ermshar was honored to be invited to join a panel of experts hosted by the South Pasadena Police Department for a panel discussion on June 19, 2014 entitled  “Community Autism Awareness Forum and Panel Discussion.” A shout out to the local police departments who have made a commitment to

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Keeping your Brain Sharp One Hobby at a Time

Most people can relate to the adage “there are not enough hours in the day” when it comes to managing the responsibilities of work, family, and social life. And yet finding time to cultivate our imagination is crucial for our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Side projects

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How Mindfulness Facilitates Cognitive Control

In an age of constant connectivity and endless choices about how to delegate our attention, cognitive control involves our capacity to maintain focus long enough to solves problems without succumbing to our impulses or distractions. Developmentally, cognitive control steadily increases between the ages of 4-12 years while

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Six Steps for an Organized Mind

Our brain was designed to focus on a singular task, such that we cannot allocate the entirety of our mental resources from one task to another instantaneously and repeatedly. If the daily stress of overextending your attention has resulted in fatigue, disorganization, or a lack of mental

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Multitasking: How much can you handle?

On any given day, our lives can become inundated with tasks that require us to divide our attention among multiple tasks. In an age of information overload, the workplace, family, and social events require us to continually juggle responsibilities. Attending to multiple tasks has become such an

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Laughter=Meditation?

Remember that last YouTube video that made you double-over in laughter? That fit of laughter actually mimicked the neurological patterns associated with meditation. A lot has been researched and published on the physical and mental health benefits of meditation (e.g. reduced stress, improved sleep, decreased depression and

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Intelligence and Achievement Testing

Intelligence and achievement tests are critical assessment tools in both educational and occupational settings, and are consistently used by psychologists to inform treatment planning. And yet, the evaluation of intelligence has sparked both controversy and debate throughout history. Many individuals believed intelligence was largely determined by genetics,

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Autism Spectrum Disorder

Previously, Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified were all classified as separate psychiatric disorders of early childhood. However, recent research suggests that the aforementioned diagnoses are all symptoms of one disorder of varying severity. The new edition of the

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Anxiety and Stress

Anxiety is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences. In everyday life, people must navigate a multitude of stressful circumstances. Many people feel anxious when making important life decisions, before a performance or test, or in various social situations. In some instances, stress can be a positive

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