The Friends of Semel is honored to join with Zibby's Bookshop in Santa Monica for coffee and a science-based parenting discussion with Dr. Jenny Taitz, UCLA Clinical Psychologist and author of Stress Resets – How to Soothe Your Body and Mind in Minutes and Dr. Robin Berman, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and author of Permission to Parent:  How to Raise Your Child with Love & Limits.

In Stress Resets, Dr. Taitz gives us 75 quick, evidence-based and scientifically grounded techniques and exercises to manage stress, both in the moment and the long run and build resilience.

There are accessible yet powerful exercises like dipping your face in ice water to quiet your body and mind; adopting a half smile to change your mood from the outside in; singing your irrational negative thoughts to reduce their believability; building a hope kit so you can remind yourself of what's possible in tough moments; and making a pie chart of your life to gain perspective.  By incorporating these exercises into your days, you can stop the cycle of obsessing, panicking, and avoiding and instead effectively approach what matters to you most.  You'll also find stress buffers designed to build your resilience so you can navigate whatever comes your way.

Through personal anecdotes, expert interviews, cutting-edge studies, and practical tips, you'll learn how to manage your emotions instead of the other way around.  Stress Resets will not only change how you view your stress but also give you the hope and confidence you need to reset.

About the authors: 

Jennifer L. Taitz, PsyD, ABPP is a clinical psychologist and serves as an assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at UCLA.  Dr. Taitz completed her fellowship in psychology at Yale University School of Medicine and achieved board certifications in both cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. Passionate about spreading hope to a wider audience, she enjoys writing for publications such as The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review and sharing her work on leading podcasts ranging from NPR’s Life Kit to Spotify’s Call Her Daddy. In addition to treating clients in her private therapy practice, she is the author of How to be Single and Happy: Science-Based Strategies for Keeping Your Sanity While Looking for a Soul Mate and End Emotional Eating: Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills to Cope with Difficult Emotions and Develop a Healthy Relationship to Food. Both books earned the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy Self-Help Book Seal of Merit for allegiance to research and readability.

Dr. Taitz is generously donating a percentage of her profits from Stress Resets to the Arc of the United States, an organization that promotes the human rights and inclusion of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities; Breath-Body-Mind Foundation, which offers disaster survivors evidence-based techniques to enhance their resilience and well-being; and Second Nurture, a charity that educates and supports families who want to foster or adopt.

Robin Berman, MD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  She is a founding board member of the UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board of Advisors and a board member of Matthew McConaughey's Just Keep Living Foundation.  Dr. Berman is the author of Permission to Parent:  How to Raise Your Child with Love & Limits. She has appeared on The Today Show and Good Morning America, and her book has been featured in the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the London Times, and Time Magazine online. Permission to Parent has also been published in the UK under the title Hate Me Now, Thank Me Later. Dr. Berman has given parenting lectures throughout the United States and has done hundreds of parenting consultations and leads parenting groups in Los Angeles.  She is a regular contributor to Gweneth Paltrow's goop.