Wellness Wave Wisdom

  By Dorian Owens Dorian Owens is a graduate student at San Diego State University, pursuing a Master’s in Counseling through the Community-Based Block (CBB) Program, focusing on multicultural counseling and social justice. Dorian's approach to mental health care is rooted in humanistic, trauma-informed, and client-centered practices, emphasizing support for marginalized communities, particularly BIPOC populations. When people hear the term Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), they often picture physical harm. But for many college students, IPV can show up in quieter, less visible ways especially through emotional abuse. And because it doesn’t leave bruises, it’s often overlooked or misunderstood. What is Emotional Abuse? Emotional abuse is a pattern of behaviors used to control, manipulate, or undermine a partner’s sense of self. It can include constant criticism, gaslighting (making someone question their reality), jealousy, controlling who you see or talk to, or making you feel guil...

By Abigail (Abby) Burd, LCSW, LCS 26867 Full-Time Faculty / Licensed Mental Health Counselor Abby is a bilingual (English/Spanish) clinical social worker with over 25 years experience in mental health. Abby is trained as a trainer in creating LGBTQIA+ safe zones, suicide prevention, and mindfulness. Abby has been a clinical supervisor on campuses and through her private practice since 2008, guiding the next generation of pre-licensed social workers, marriage and family therapists and clinical counselors. She is a culturally-humble, integrative clinician, drawing upon Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solutions-Focused Therapy, mindfulness, and trauma-informed approaches. Abby is certified in Brainspotting (a somatic therapy for trauma and more) and Perinatal Mental Health. Let’s talk about something simple that gets overlooked when we talk about alcohol: personal rules. Not rules in the punitive sense. Not rules that are about judgment or “good” and “bad” beha...