Posts by OPI Team
The Impact of Mindfulness Practice within the Landscape of Treatment
By Jessica Breton, MA, LMFT, Executive Director OPI Mindfulness has become increasingly popular in the past decade, both in popular culture and in therapeutic practice. What, precisely, is mindfulness and how is it beneficial when used with treatment? What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of purposefully focusing your energy and attention on the present…
Read MoreComputer Addiction
We live in an age when nearly every interaction or transaction can be facilitated through an Internet-connected device. The Internet allows you to do anything from catch up with classmates on social media, find a job, pay your bills, and even get mental health therapy online! There is no doubting that the Internet, digital devices,…
Read MoreYoung Adults with Asperger’s Disorder: The Challenges
Asperger’s disorder, also known as Asperger’s syndrome, can be especially challenging for young adults. Because it is often lumped together with autism and other developmental disorders, people with Asperger’s syndrome can often struggle to receive an accurate diagnosis and treatment they need to live independently and succeed in life. History of Asperger’s Disorder in Young Adults…
Read MoreOvercoming Borderline Personality Disorder in Young Adults: It’s Possible!
If your child is a young adult with borderline personality disorder (BPD), you deeply understand the struggles of intense mood swings, the inability to regulate emotions and the wild, impulsive behavior sometimes leading to self-harm or harm to others. Young adults aged 17 to 28 with BPD often struggle with relationships and other areas of…
Read MoreDBT Skills in Academic Settings
School can be especially difficult for many of our clients. We often see them struggle to stay focused in class, follow through on attending, and many also have issues finding connection with others in school. Though they frequently discuss their use of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills throughout their day at OPI, sometimes it is…
Read MoreStacy Pershall: BPD and Functional Improvement Luncheon at OPI
We were so fortunate to have Stacy Pershall, author and Active Minds speaker, visit us again a couple of weeks ago. Stacy shared a short version of her powerful story and offered insight to our team about her struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), a fight she is winning with Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She…
Read MoreAzra Mowlana, M.A., MFT/AT
Optimum Performance Institute is pleased to shine the spotlight on employee Azra Mowlana, who will be featured in our next OPI e-newsletter. Get to know Azra… Hi Azra, please tell us a little bit about your educational and professional background and what you do at OPI. I received my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Illustration…
Read MoreOptimum Performance Institute now has an official Equine Ambassador!
Because Equine Therapy can be an effective, fun, and exciting part of helping our clients create and lead successful lives, OPI is now sponsoring a horse at Mischief Farm, OPI’s Equine Therapy Partner. His name is Phantom of the Opera (nickname “Spot”), and he will be carrying the OPI message to an ever-widening audience, both…
Read MoreAssets of Asperger’s: A Positive Spin
Okay, your adult child has Asperger’s Syndrome. That does NOT mean that he or she is flawed. In fact, it makes them gifted. Keep reading to learn why. Asperger’s in young adults can be a confusing diagnosis to understand. If your child has been diagnosed, you may have been particularly focused on some of the…
Read MoreOCD and Overcoming Failure to Launch Syndrome
Imagine worrying endlessly about your safety. Whenever you try to relax one question springs forward: am I in danger? This endless worrying causes you to arrive late for events and leave early out of insecurity. Perhaps, your only way to combat the unshakeable notion that you are in danger is to constantly confirm that you…
Read MoreOPI’s Education Department’s Monthly Speaker Series: “Getting There”
July’s Speaker: Azra Mowlana Featured Major: M.A. in Psychology: MFT Art Therapy OPI’s Education Department monthly Speaker Series continues a tradition of excellence by offering OPI staff and participants the opportunity to experience and learn from remarkable individuals as they share their educational route to success. Through this monthly series, participants are exposed to various…
Read MoreThe Parents’ Guide to Beating BPD
“I just felt like giving up. I felt like she hated me one day and loved me without limits the next,” Kaylen C. accounts about her youngest daughter. Kaylen’s daughter had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) on her nineteenth birthday. For families dealing with a BPD diagnosis, this feeling is all too familiar.…
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