Love Listen & Play

05/16/2026

Aggressive Behavior Is Often a Stress Response

When children hit, yell, throw things, or become defiant, many parents feel embarrassed or exhausted.

But underneath aggressive behavior is often:

* anxiety
* sensory overwhelm
* emotional dysregulation
* trauma
* unmet attachment needs

Children do well when they can.
Therapy helps uncover what is driving the behavior — not just stop the behavior itself.

05/03/2026

As parents, we spend so much time making sure everyone else is okay that we often place ourselves at the bottom of the list. But taking care of your health is not selfish, it’s part of caring for your family too.

Your children learn from how you rest, nourish yourself, handle stress, move through hard days, and ask for support when needed. They are watching what love looks like in real life.

And one day, many children step into the role of caring for their parents. Caring for yourself now, physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, becomes a gift to them later.

This doesn’t mean perfection.
It means small choices.
More sleep.
More movement.
More boundaries.
More check-ups.
More moments of peace.
More compassion toward yourself.

Healthy parents create safer, steadier homes.
And when children grow up seeing self-care modeled with kindness, they learn that their own well-being matters too.

Take care of yourselves.
You matter deeply to the people who love you. 🤍

LoveListenPlay ParentingJourney EmotionalWellness GentleParenting HealthyFamilies

07/09/2025

👶✨ Newborn parents, this one’s for YOU!

We’re offering a FREE Parent-Infant Communication Learning Session — designed specifically for families with babies under 12 weeks old!

💞 Learn how your baby is already communicating with you

👂 Get expert guidance on reading infant cues

🌎 In-person sessions in Long Beach & Greater LA — or join us online!

📆 Only 4 spots left — scheduling closes July 28

📲 Call LCSW Abigail at (562) 386-5887

📧 Or email [email protected]

Because the first weeks matter most. 💗

03/10/2025

Such a privilege to have supported this amazing event!

10/05/2024

Did you know early intervention in childhood trauma can change the course of a child's life? A recent Bay Area study reveals the power of child-parent psychotherapy (CPP). This therapy not only supports emotional healing but also has profound biological benefits. 🧠💪

👶 What is CPP? It involves parents actively engaging in therapy sessions using tools like toys to help children process traumatic experiences. This approach helps mend the emotional bond and prevents future health issues by slowing the aging of the body’s cells caused by stress.

🕒 Why Early Matters: The brain develops most rapidly in the first five years, making early intervention crucial for forming healthy neural connections associated with safety, trust, and growth.

Key Benefits of CPP:

Emotional Healing: Facilitates recovery in children by enabling them to process trauma in a supportive environment.
Biological Benefits: Slows the aging of cells, offering long-term health advantages.
Behavioral Improvement: Reduces symptoms of traumatic stress and behavioral issues.
Strengthened Family Bonds: Enhances understanding between parents and children, fostering empathy.
Prevention of Intergenerational Trauma: Addresses trauma early to stop the cycle from continuing.
Enhanced Brain Development: Supports the formation of critical neural pathways in the early, formative years.
Long-term Health Outcomes: Influences a healthier lifespan, potentially reducing stress-related chronic disease risk.
Let’s spread awareness about the importance of addressing childhood trauma early. We can foster a healthier next generation by supporting mental health from a young age!

05/06/2024

"Remember: your mental health journey is a testament to your resilience, strength, and the power of self-care. Embrace each step forward, knowing that even on the toughest days, you're growing, learning, and healing." 🌱💙

05/05/2024

Meet Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, Corina Orozco, whom offers compassionate therapy. Corina provides both in-person sessions at our Glendale office and remote therapy throughout California.

With a BA in Communicative Disorders from Cal State Los Angeles and a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles, Corina brings personalized tools, including training in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, to optimize your well-being. Schedule a session with Corina today. Link in bio.

(Corina Orozco, License #142645, Supervised by Abigail Ortega, LCSW #69747)

04/30/2024

Is limiting screen time really the answer? Professor Peter Gray suggests otherwise. Dive into the debate on children's mental health and the importance of free play in his eye-opening research.

Lack of independence is at the root of kids’ mental health issues, Boston College professor says

03/29/2023

Writer and podcaster Nora McInerny offers her hard-won knowledge about life and death in a talk that alternates between being painful and amusing. Her openness about a subject (that will affect us all), is as freeing as it is heartbreaking. She most effectively persuades us to change the way we approach grief. A grieving person will laugh and grin once more, she claims. Check out the full talk here: https://buff.ly/2XUbB68

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates, exclusive offers and freebies! Check out the link in the bio below for more information! ⠀
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# Selfcare

In a talk that's by turns heartbreaking and hilarious, writer and podcaster Nora McInerny shares her hard-earned wisdom about life and death. Her candid appr...

03/24/2023

It can be difficult to know what to say to someone who is grieving. That said, there are things that you should definitely avoid saying. Saying these types of things can actually make a person who is grieving worse ( and at best, it isn’t helping)..

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates, exclusive offers and freebies! Check out the link in the bio below for more information! ⠀
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# Selfcare