Endless Possibility, Endless Anxiety

what is anxiety

By Jaime LK Jackson, Outpatient Program Coordinator & Life Coach In coaching, I often experience a similar dilemma facing many of my clients, endless possibility. Sometimes, having too many options can become paralyzing. When I tell my clients, you can do just about anything you decide you want to do, within natural reason, I can…

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Happiness: Life on the Other Side of Pain

S.A. is 24 and came to the Optimum Performance Institute In August of 2013 after her fourth suicide attempt since the age of eighteen. Her most recent in-patient Clinic recommended she come to OPI as many of their patients had experienced positive long-term recoveries from their time at OPI. A lot can change in a…

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Q&A with Jaime Jackson, Outpatient Program Coordinator and Life Coach at OPI

Jaime Jackson outpatient Program Coordinator Life Coach OPI Living

We recently connected for a conversation with team member Jaime Jackson to discuss her roles as Outpatient Program Coordinator for OPI’s Intensive Outpatient Program and as a valued Life Coach for the Department of Life Coaching Services. We wanted to know about any new understandings she’s become aware of while working with our participants and…

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SMART Goals for Successful Goal Planning

SMART Goal Setting

2014 is under way and off to an exciting start at OPI Living. After the success of our November “Gratitude Tree,” we decided to create a “2014 Goals Tree.” It has been inspiring to see what our participants and staff aim to achieve this year. Each person who wanted to participate took a snowball-shaped piece…

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A Hike and Yoga Outing in the Hollywood Hills

OPI Living Yoga Outing Hollywood Hills

The Optimum Performance Institute’s Life Coaching Department held its third in a series of Life Coaching Events on Friday, November 1, 2013: “Hiking Trail & Yoga.” A small but enthusiastic group of OPI participants budgeted from their own allowance to pay the $5.00 cost. After traveling to Fryman Canyon Park in Studio City, they were…

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OPI Life Coach Presents at Junior Achievement of Southern California Conference

Jaime Jackson OPI Living Life-Coach JA SoCal

Jaime L.K. Jackson, Life Coach for the Optimum Performance Institute (OPI), was invited to speak at the Connecting to Success Conference for Junior Achievement of Southern California on Friday, October 25, 2013. She shares her experience here. In October, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with some highly motivated high school juniors from the…

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7 Ways to Successfully Cultivate Social Wellness for Life

Social Wellness OPI Living

What is social wellness?  It is about nurturing ourselves, others and our relationships. Social wellness consists of not only balancing our own physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, but also actively participating as an interdependent piece of the bigger puzzle of humankind.  Thus, even as we care about our personal connections, we also care about…

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Mindfulness Kayaking in Malibu with the Life Coaching Department

Mindfulness Kayaking in Malibu

On Friday, June 21, OPI’s Life Coaching Department offered its first “Life Coaching Outing.” We took nine participants to beautiful Zuma Beach in Malibu, CA for a Mindfulness Kayaking Experience. During the morning, participants were guided by life coaches to approach the event as an exercise in observing their thoughts and feelings when facing a…

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Intensive Outpatient Program at OPI Living Expands Services For Local Young Adults

We Treat the Whole Person, Not Just the Disorder

Young adults aged 17–28 in the Los Angeles area who need help defining goals and becoming independent can now participate in a unique Intensive Outpatient Program at the Optimum Performance Institute. This program offers everything from individual and group psychotherapy, life coaching and career development classes to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), yoga, tennis, hiking and…

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Q & A with Reginald Ford – Assistant Director of Milieu for OPI Living Programs

Reginald Ford, Assistant Director of Milieu for OPI Living Programs

Recently, I sat down with Reginald Ford, Assistant Director of Milieu for all OPI Living programs, including the Optimum Performance Institute, specialized OPI Intensive for participants suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder and BPD Traits and our newest OPI Living Program, Intensive Outpatient Services, to discuss a few topics about his valued work here among our…

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Remember to Take Care of Yourself During the Holidays!

Note to Self: just breathe

With the holidays right around the corner it’s very important that all of us remember to practice some self-care during this seemingly stressful season. Whether you’re traveling home to be with your families or snuggling up with your pets, it’s essential to remember to focus on your own needs as well during this busy time…

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Part Three: Q and A with Anne LaRiviere, Director of Admissions at OPI Living Programs

Anne LaRivere, Director of Admissions at the Optimum Performance Institute

I frequently get asked numerous questions by parents and referring therapists during the admissions process, including those that I’ve featured this month in my blog post series about how many participants reside at any one time in our programs, where participants live and how meals are handled while attending our programs. Below is the third…

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