Cherylynne Berger, LCSW

12/26/2025

Sharing for those who love Altadena, as we approach the first anniversary of the devastating Eaton Fire. A new edition of Altadena: Between Wilderness and City, written by local historian Michelle Zack, is now available.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
We're excited to announce that is now selling the New Edition of Altadena Between Wilderness And City, written by our local renowned historian, . Altadena Historical Society has reprinted this beloved book and we are honored to be carrying it! As a bonus, a large portion of your purchase goes back to the Altadena Historical Society! This book is in high demand, so hurry in while we have it in stock.

11/17/2025

Sharing an essay by Maria Popova in The Marginalian. It’s based on the iconic book written by Judith Viorst back in 1988. For me, its meaning has only deepened with the passage of time. The book's full title is ‘Necessary Losses: The Loves, Illusions, Dependencies, and Impossible Expectations That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Grow.’ https://www.themarginalian.org/2023/11/21/necessary-losses/

“We cannot deeply love anything without becoming vulnerable to loss. And we cannot become separate people, responsible people, connected people, reflective people without some losing and leav…

07/01/2025

06/18/2025

There are so many ways parents try to help their kids become more motivated. Unfortunately, many dads and moms get frustrated and lean into more punitive strategies. These don’t work in the ways parents hope. Here are some alternative ways to connect with your child and help them to feel inspired to do the work even when the going gets tough.

When kids are falling short, many parents’ instinct is to penalize them by taking away something they love. But that’s the opposite of how to motivate them, Russell Shaw writes: https://theatln.tc/zVACRCEg

📸: Brian Finke

05/08/2025

The silent treatment says more about the person doing it than it does about the person receiving it, Daryl Austin wrote in 2021. https://theatln.tc/ruQlahWN
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It might be employed by passive personality types to avoid conflict, while strong personality types use it as a means of punishment or control. Some people, so flooded with emotion that they shut down, may not even consciously choose it at all. For others, it’s literally addicting.

10/21/2024

It’s Sunday evening! That means it is book recommendation time. Irvin Yalom’s new book will be available in the US in December 2024.

07/09/2024

Posted today: “Students scoff at a school cellphone ban. Until they really begin to think about it…”
Parents, teachers, students, what do you think? 🤔

Students, whose cellphones are an extension of their very being, mull pending L.A. school ban of the devices with praise and frustration.

05/05/2024

The beauty and fulfillment of motherhood are celebrated by writers and poets. It’s also monetized by advertisers and the Hallmark company. If you’re struggling through a difficult time with being a mom, know that you’re not alone.

Our culture and media may present an image of motherhood as heavenly, but every woman who’s a mother, if she is honest, will tell you differently. In real life, motherhood is filled with great moments and not-so-great ones.

Even the best mothers have terrible moments or overwhelming days. If you need help, don’t hesitate to seek support from friends and family. If you’re feeling sad or anxious most of the time, consider talking with a professional therapist.

It’s maternal mental health week, but we should recognise this every week. One of the most common compliments I receive from my first book especially, was how some of the poems made them feel less alone, how it helped pull them out from the darkness, how it gave words to feelings they didn’t know they had. I wrote a lot from this place, but also from the place that outshined the grey, I wrote from there the most. Because writing really helped me, and so did talking about it 🩷

03/06/2024

In my four years of parenting, I've taken several trips with and without my son, Leo. None of them have been more than a week, and my typical threshold for missing him