Blog

How to Support Your Mental Health Between Therapy Sessions

Therapy is a wonderful way to explore your inner world, process your feelings, and inspire transformation. But what my clients often tell me is that a day or so after our session, they begin to feel a little lost and anxious again.It’s important to support the progress you’ve made with your therapist in between your sessions. Here is what I...[ read more ]

How to Tell When You’re Feeling Burned Out

Many people think of burnout as simply being incredibly tired after a long week or month of work or school studies. But burnout is much more than a physical exhaustion; it has in fact been called the “triad of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and feelings of detachment.” Here are some additional signs of burnout:PessimismPessimism is a major red flag that someone is...[ read more ]

Signs you Need to Take a Mental Health Day

Do you ever get up in the morning and wonder if it would be okay for you to take a mental health day? If so, you’re definitely not alone. In fact, research from the American Psychological Association shows that today’s workforce is experiencing job burnout at alarming rates.What are Mental Health Days Exactly?The good news is that taking a mental...[ read more ]

How Bipolar Disorder Can Affect Relationships

Bipolar disorder is a condition that affects an individual’s mood. While manageable, the condition not only affects how a person thinks and feels, but also how they behave and act in romantic relationships. For instance, individuals with bipolar disorder experience severe high and low moods, which are typically called manic and depressive episodes. While in these emotional states, their behavior...[ read more ]

Opportunity Loves Uncertainty

Change is a single constant. Oftentimes, with change, there can be much uncertainty about potential outcomes. Uncertainty is uncomfortable and usually precipitated by incomplete information, unknown effects or consequences, and limited knowledge. And yet, the last few years have shown us how opportunity loves uncertainty. It is a simple statement with a tremendous amount of impact. Uncertainty signifies the ultimate starting...[ read more ]

When is it Time for an Intervention?

Watching a loved-one self-destruct and feeling helpless to stop them can feel devastating, particularly when that person is in complete denial about their unhealthy life patterns. While you may feel hopeless, there is something you can do to try and help your loved one get the help they need to change their life.What is an Intervention?An intervention is a carefully...[ read more ]

Dating Tips for Neurodivergent Individuals

Many neurodivergent clients I work with have shared with me that the idea of dating to them is terrifying. They feel nervous about holding their own in a conversation with someone they’ve just met as most find small talk absolutely distasteful. They don’t know how to pick up romantic cues from the other person, and, well, sexual relations pose entirely...[ read more ]

Family Issues Experienced by LGBTQ Individuals

Every family deals with challenges. But those families with either a parent or child who identifies as LGBTQ face particularly unique ones. Here are some of the most common challenges faced by LGBTQ families.Parental RightsWhen a married couple has a child, they automatically both become legal guardians of that child, right? This assumption is true for heterosexual couples in all...[ read more ]

What is Gender Dysphoria?

Gender dysphoria, formerly known as gender identity disorder, describes intense and persistent feelings of identifying with another gender. Individuals with gender dysphoria often take measures to live in harmony with their internal gender identity. This may include dressing and using mannerisms associated with the gender they identify with. In order to be officially diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a person must...[ read more ]

Mental Health Benefits of Gender-Affirming Care

Gender-affirming care focuses on an individual’s physical, mental and social health needs. This care is absolutely lifesaving for transgender, gender diverse, and nonbinary people.In order to fully understand what gender-affirming care is, we must first understand what it means to have a “gender identity crisis.” Gender crises happen when someone’s internal sense of gender is different from their sex or...[ read more ]



16055 Ventura Blvd., Suite 635
Encino, CA 91436

alana@alanaepstein.com
(310) 871-7572

Got Questions?
Send a Message!

By submitting this form via this web portal, you acknowledge and accept the risks of communicating your health information via this unencrypted email and electronic messaging and wish to continue despite those risks. By clicking "Yes, I want to submit this form" you agree to hold Brighter Vision harmless for unauthorized use, disclosure, or access of your protected health information sent via this electronic means.