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Here at the West Valley Counseling Center, we’re winding down our year. As we leave our offices and head out to enjoy the holiday season, we want to say thank you. Whether you’re a patient or someone who reads our blogs, your interest in mental health is moving the needle.

The stigma around mental health conditions has started to lift (see here and here for evidence). Because you care about this important part of overall wellness, you’re a part of that change. As we thought about what we were thankful for this Thanksgiving, the groundswell of support for increased mental health awareness and care ranked high on our list.

Thanksgiving might be over, but the holiday season is still in full swing. It can be a beautiful time of year, but it can also be a challenging one. We want to share a few tips to help you manage some common difficulties that crop up during this time of year.

Self-care suggestions for the holidays

Everything from your family dynamics to your budget can impact how you feel during this time of year. Still, some challenges seem to affect lots of us during this season. To help you manage them, we gathered up some tips:

• Monitor your stress level throughout December. If you’re feeling tense or anxious, take some proactive steps to protect yourself.
• Put some time on your calendar that you use to do what you enjoy about the holiday season (e.g., walking around and looking at lights, seeing The Nutcracker). Before you make other plans this December, always check your calendar and protect that time for yourself.
• Stick with the parts of your routine that feel healthy. Make it a priority to get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and eat nutritious foods — even if that means saying no to some things.
• If you have difficult family dynamics, make a plan for yourself before you go to any holiday events. You might work on internal boundary setting, or you might script responses to difficult questions you routinely get asked (like when you’re going to start dating or having kids).
• Mind your budget. Overspending during this holiday season means heading into the new year stretched thin. Handmade gifts can mean a lot and help you save money.

We have a guide from a few years back that offers some additional guidance to help you protect yourself and the people you love this holiday season.

We wish you the best during this time of year

This time of year comes with its fair share of difficulties. It also invites us to slow down and drop into the moment with the people who matter most to us (including ourselves!).

To take advantage of that, we’re going to take a little break from blogging. We’ll be back in mid-January.

We hope you find similar ways to lean into the good parts of the holiday season. Take care of yourself. You deserve the gift of doing what you enjoy and protecting yourself from excess stress.

If you want help navigating the difficulties that come with this time of year or you want to get set up to start 2026 with support, we’re here. Contact our team to explore starting therapy.

Life can be more difficult for people living on the autism spectrum. Understanding social cues can be challenging, and communication might feel extra burdensome. Hypersensitivity can make situations overwhelming. And layered on top of all of this, people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face mental health conditions.

That’s not great news on the surface. But as with many areas of ASD, awareness is a key first step.

Connecting ASD and mental health conditions

While estimates vary, experts across the board agree that people living on the spectrum have a higher likelihood of another diagnosis: a mental health condition.

By one estimate, as many as 70% of autistic people have a mental health condition. 40% of those folks have more than one mental health challenge at play.

By another, the estimate ranges all the way up to 94%.

(For reference, only about 20% of the general population lives with a mental health condition.)

The data also says that a range of mental health challenges can affect kids and teens with ASD. Those include:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (35.3%)
• Anxiety (17.1%)
• Depression (7.5%)
• Bipolar disorder (7.8%)

In short, if you’re on the spectrum and you’re dealing with mental health challenges, you’re certainly not alone.

If someone you love has ASD and you’ve noticed the signs of mental health difficulties, don’t dismiss them. The high likelihood that they’re living with a mental health condition means you should get involved to get them the care they need.

It’s serious: Suicidal ideation for kids and teens on the spectrum

Last month, The LA Times published an article underscoring the importance of paying attention here. Some key takeaways include:

• Autistic people are more likely to die from suicide, per one study, and 20% of kids and teens with ASD had ideated suicide.
• Another study reported that kids with ASD ideate suicide younger, starting before eight years old in about a third of kids.
• Data from a 2023 meta-analysis showed that 10% of kids and teens with ASD had attempted suicide, double that of their non-ASD peers.
• A higher cognitive ability connects to a higher likelihood of suicidal ideation in youth on the spectrum, per another study.

Then, the article pivots to helping families and caregivers protect autistic kids and teens.

For starters, it encourages you to ask directly about suicide if you’re concerned. Choose your child or teen’s preferred communication method (a letter might be better, for example). But don’t worry that asking will “plant” the idea in their head. Directly asking provides a core measure of protection, researchers say.

Additionally, you should watch for different warning signs than in neurotypical kids and teens. Those include:

• Sudden or increased withdrawal
• No words to communicate acute distress
• A current traumatic event, reported by self or others
• Marked increase in rate and/or severity of self-harm
• Worsening in levels of symptoms of anxiety and/or depression
• A new focus on suicidal talk, ideation, or death-related topics that are not a special interest
• Perseverative suicidal thoughts and ruminations
• Seeking means or making plans for suicide or suicide rehearsal
• Statements about no reason for living or no sense of purpose in life
• Hopelessness

Experts are working on better ways to screen for mental health challenges in neurodivergent youth. In the meantime, though, watching your child and teen and communicating in their preferred methods goes a long way.

You also don’t need to navigate this alone. Our team offers care for neurodivergent people and their family members. Therapy can help your autistic child or teen manage their mental health challenges, lowering their risk of suicidal ideation. For support, contact us today.

By Rachel Lee, Pre-Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Most of us have to work. Unfortunately, this necessity of life can introduce a range of stressors. To help you manage them, we tapped Rachel Lee, one of our team members with experience in this area.

Here are Rachel’s seven takeaways about work. If you’re feeling burdened by tension around your job, #7 holds particular power for you.

1. Work is one of the top sources of stress for adults

According to the American Psychological Association, work consistently ranks as a leading stressor for U.S. adults. Many people report significant stress related to workload, unclear expectations, or lack of support. This often shows up in therapy as anxiety, irritability, trouble sleeping, or emotional exhaustion.

2. Burnout is a systemic issue, not a personal weakness

The World Health Organization defines burnout as a workplace phenomenon tied to chronic stress, not an individual flaw. People often internalize blame when the real issue is unrealistic expectations, unclear roles, or workplace cultures that make recovery nearly impossible.

3. Certain groups face heightened pressure

Women, working parents, and first-generation professionals frequently describe unique stressors:

• Women often carry emotional labor at work.
• Parents (especially mothers) feel pressure during return-to-work transitions.
• First-gen professionals often feel heightened pressure to prove themselves, which can intensify anxiety or self-doubt.

4. Imposter feelings are extremely common, especially during transitions

Up to 70% of people experience imposter feelings at some point. These feelings often surface during job changes, promotions, layoffs, or other major transitions.

Imposter feelings aren’t a diagnosis. They’re a normal reaction to new expectations, ambiguity, and lack of supportive mentorship.

5. Stress often shows up physically before people identify it emotionally

Clients commonly report early signs like:

• Sleep issues
• Headaches
• Difficulty focusing
• Irritability
• A sense of “not feeling like myself”

These symptoms often appear before someone recognizes the emotional or workplace component.

6. Today’s job market is amplifying anxiety for many people

The current job market is unpredictable across industries, and many people are navigating layoffs, hiring freezes, or long job searches. To compound the issue, being let go can trigger shame, fear, or identity loss. Then, struggling to land a new role can lead to prolonged anxiety and exhaustion, even for highly skilled professionals.

7. Therapy can help even when there’s no crisis.

Many people come to therapy because they want more balance, clearer boundaries, support navigating office dynamics, or help managing stress before it escalates. Therapy provides a space to understand patterns and build practical tools that support long-term well-being.

If any of these insights about work-related stress resonated with you, you could probably benefit from talking with our team. We offer career counseling if you’re trying to find your path, tools for boundary-setting, and any other support you need to manage your job, joblessness, or anything else related to work. Contact us and our intake coordinator can help you connect to one of our therapists.

Fatherhood can be one of the most rewarding, joyful experiences of your life. It can also be one of the most challenging. At our upcoming program, Dad Strength, we want to hold space for men to explore all of the beauties and complexities that come with having a child.

Whether you’re out on paternal leave with an infant at home, navigating through a teenager who’s bringing new challenges in your household, or trying to understand our roles as parents, we invite you to join us. At three sessions in December, we’ll be getting together to talk, process, and build connections with other fathers. If you’re looking for some support as you navigate parenthood, stress, identity, and relationships, you’re in the right place.

The goals of Dad Strength

We created Dad Strength with the goal of helping fathers clarify who they want to be in their roles as caregivers, partners, and men. We want to make space to explore the strengths you already have, along with the stories you’ve inherited about fatherhood.

We know that fathers face plenty of challenges. There’s the burden to provide for your family and the expectation to be a pillar of strength even in the midst of the messiness of family life. Layer on the little-known conditions of paternal postpartum depression and anxiety, which affect one in 10 men.

Plus, if you’re still in partnership with the mother, you have to contend with all of the ways parenting changes your relationship. Dads are more likely to feel judged by their partner for how they parent than moms, for example.

And if you’re a single dad, that comes with a wealth of its own challenges, too.

Fortunately, you don’t have to figure any of this out alone. By getting together with other men, you can first learn that you’re not alone in your experience of fatherhood. While your family dynamics are undoubtedly unique, you probably have many of the same concerns, celebrations, and challenges as other dads.

In fostering the connection between fathers, we make it easier to explore support mechanisms for you and your family. You might go home and try something another dad said worked for him.

Ultimately, we want to help each man move toward a more grounded, intentional connection with the people they care about.

Join Dad Strength

We’re holding three hour-long sessions throughout December as part of a singular program. On Mondays from 5 to 6 p.m., we’ll be at our sister campus, the Ventura Counseling and Wellness Center (950 County Square Drive, Unit 111 in Ventura).

Dad Strength falls on:

• December 1
• December 8
• December 15

Each session costs $25.

For more information or to sign up, contact Eric at (805) 620-8046 or eric.vcwc@gmail.com.

This is just one way our team wants to support fathers. If you think you’d benefit from one-on-one support, we can connect you to a therapist who fits your needs. We also offer family counseling if you want to come in with your partner, child, or as a family unit. Don’t hesitate to contact us.

By Em McElroy, Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee

Music has always been a constant in my life — a fellow companion during moments of anger, grief, heartache, joy, and everything in between. I’ve turned to music to make sense of feelings I couldn’t quite name and to find comfort when words felt too small.

Over time, I came to understand that music doesn’t just accompany our emotions. It helps us feel them more deeply, process and move through them, and sometimes transform them.

As a therapist, my lifelong connection to music naturally became part of how I understand the world, and how I strive to support others. The same qualities that make music so moving make it a powerful tool for healing: the rhythm, bass vibration, melodies, lyrics, and ability to bypass the analytical mind and tap into emotions.

The therapeutic benefits of music

Music has a profound effect on the brain and body. Research shows that it can lower stress hormones, reduce anxiety, and improve overall mood. But beyond science, many people intuitively feel music’s ability to shift emotional states. It can do everything from mobilizing us when we have low energy to soothing us when we’re overwhelmed.

Listening to or creating music engages the nervous system in a regulating way. The rhythm of a song can slow a racing heart, while melody and harmony can evoke feelings of safety and connection. For those who find it difficult to express emotions through words, music offers another language — one that speaks directly to the body and heart.

Shared musical experiences, whether listening together or creating sound as a group, can also build a sense of belonging and community. There’s something profoundly healing about feeling “in sync” with others.

How I use music therapy

In therapy, music can take many forms.

It might be as simple as bringing in and exploring a song that resonates with a client’s story, or using music to help regulate the nervous system. We might build personalized playlists to support emotional regulation or grounding between sessions, or listen to songs together in-session and discuss, if it feels right.

Sometimes, music can express what’s difficult to say aloud. You don’t need to be a musician for music to be therapeutic. You only need curiosity and willingness to listen, both inwardly and outwardly.

For many clients, these musical explorations can open access to deeper emotional layers, bringing forward memories, insights, and sensations that can be processed with direct support.

Looking ahead: Music therapy groups

In the near future, we’ll be offering expressive arts and music-focused therapy groups designed to bring people together in creative, mindful, and embodied ways. These groups will blend somatic awareness, mindfulness, and expressiveness. Our goal is to offer a safe space for connection, release, and play.

Some offerings in development include:

• Therapeutic Music Listening Circles, exploring emotion, connection, stories, and histories through music and sound.
• Vocal Expression, Mindful Movement, & Nervous System Regulation Workshops, reconnecting with the voice and body through music, as a grounding, liberating tool.

To learn more or to get started with music therapy for yourself, contact our team.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about getting some mental health support. It can be a bit of a tricky situation, though. The reason you’re seeking help might be an obstacle to getting it. You might feel anxious about your first appointment, even if you’re seeking guidance on managing anxiety. Or depression can make it hard to muster up the motivation to take the first step to find a therapist.

A lot of people benefit from a little nudge to get started with therapy. Just telling someone to search “therapy near me” online isn’t very helpful. If you’ve felt overwhelmed with the early steps required to get mental health support, you’re in the right place. Our team developed a few actionable tips that can help you get over that hurdle.

#1: Explore your options

Like most kinds of medical care, therapy comes in a lot of different forms. You can get cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on helping you unlearn negative thought patterns. A lot of talk therapy (what you probably picture when you think of going to therapy) uses CBT.

But that’s not your only option. You can also explore alternative mental health support like art therapy or group sessions. If you’re looking for support with a specific relationship, you might benefit from couples counseling or interpersonal therapy. If you’re struggling at work or with finding work, career counseling is probably a really good fit.

If you want to do a deeper dive into any of the types of therapy available to you, Psychology Today has thorough starter guides you can use.

Here, it helps to think about the kind of help you want. Do you want to break a pattern that’s hurting you, or get help navigating your relationship with a particular person or group of people? What’s your goal for therapy?

Once you know that, talk to a mental health pro. They can help match you with the right kind of care. Our intake coordinator, for example, is available to offer this kind of guidance. You can reach us at (818) 758-9450 or info@westvalleycounseling.org to get started.

#2: Learn what to expect

Fear of the unknown is a big and common obstacle to starting therapy. To help alleviate that, we have a guide that covers what to expect at your first appointment.

From there, your therapist will tailor a treatment plan to you. They’ll recommend a specific cadence for your appointments (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly). They might suggest additional tools you can do during sessions or on your own, like art therapy or body work (i.e., somatic therapy). You’ll get a much clearer idea of what therapy will look like for you after you meet with your therapist a few times.

It can also be helpful to know that you won’t necessarily be in therapy forever. The American Psychological Association says that about half of people get the relief they’re seeking with about 15–20 sessions.

#3: If at first you don’t succeed…

Finding a therapist is a little like dating. You might not click with the first person you meet. It takes work to find the right connection, but most people report it’s definitely worth it.

If you have a few sessions with your therapist and it’s not working for you, don’t be afraid to part ways and try someone else.

That doesn’t mean you need to go back to the drawing board of googling “therapy near me.” At the West Valley Counseling Center, we have multiple therapists on staff so we can rematch you with someone else who might be a better fit.

We’re here to help you navigate all of this. For support in getting started with therapy, call us, email us, or use our online form to request a call back whenever you’re ready.

Starting therapy on your own can feel daunting. When you’re diving in as a couple, it’s different. On the one hand, you have the support of your partner. On the other, most couples don’t start counseling because things are peachy. You might feel nervous about surfacing your challenges in front of a therapist, or about what your partner will say during sessions.

That’s completely normal and understandable. Starting couples’ counseling in the San Fernando Valley or anywhere else means coming up against a lot of unknowns. It doesn’t have to be a total mystery, though.

While what happens in your sessions largely depends on you and your partner, there are some basic foundations in place. Knowing about those eliminates some of the fear of the unknown, which can help you feel more comfortable as you get started.

Setting expectations for couples’ counseling

First, if you’re feeling any guilt and shame about starting couples’ counseling, we want to help you release that. It’s normal and even good to have some conflict in your relationship. You and your partner aren’t the same person, and it’s healthy to have your own wants and needs. By deciding to start couples’ counseling in San Fernando Valley, you’re putting yourself in a position to get extra tools to support yourself, your partner, and your relationship.

Secondly, you can come in feeling confident that couples’ counseling has a proven, data-backed track record of success. By creating space for you and your partner to talk about what’s bothering you, you have the opportunity to break patterns that have been burdening your relationship.

Third, what happens during couples’ counseling is totally up to you and your partner. You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to, and you don’t have to explore any difficulties before you feel ready. Your therapist is there to walk alongside the two of you, supporting you along the way rather than pushing you in any specific direction.

What happens at your first couples’ counseling session

The first couples’ counseling session isn’t so different from a first appointment if you’re starting therapy on your own. The main goal is for your therapist to learn about you and why you’re starting counseling.

Your first session, then, often centers around you and your partner telling your therapist the story of how you met. They’ll want to hear more than just the problems that brought you in. Understanding your relationship history, your patterns, and other pieces of context helps them personalize a couples’ counseling plan to you and your partner.

Tailoring your San Fernando Valley couples’ counseling to you

There’s no “normal” way to do couples’ counseling. It’s all about finding what’s best for you and your partner.

Sometimes, both couples always come in to meet with the therapist together. Other times, one partner isn’t ready to start therapy and the other partner starts on their own. In some situations, the couple meets with the therapist together some days, and individually on others. The format really depends on what works best for where you’re at right now. And it can be changed if your needs change as you move forward.

During couples’ counseling with our team, you’ll also get resources you can use (your therapist might call this your “relationship toolbox”). You’ll learn new ways to listen and respond to your partner. Your therapist might even give you take-home exercises so you can practice between sessions.

Ideally, you won’t be in couples’ counseling forever. On average, couples usually attend about 12 sessions, although the right duration totally depends on your specific situation.

If you’re ready to get started with San Fernando Valley couples’ counseling, contact our team. Our intake coordinator can help to pair you with the right therapist from our team for your specific needs and goals. In your first appointment with them, they’ll learn about you and you’ll then learn what they recommend as a plan for supporting your relationship.