The trap of avoidance and how it relates to anxiety
Anxiety and avoidance are intimately related— let’s explore how and delve on how avoidance is one of the most painful aspects of anxiety.
Healthcare Heroes Our City of Weston magazine 2026
Dr. Claudia Perolini is a psychologist who has dedicated her career to helping people better understand themselves, navigate emotional challenges, and create meaningful change. As the founder of Integrative Psychotherapy, she provides therapy for tweens, teens, and adults facing anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, life transitions, and relationship struggles. With adolescents…
When Cutting Becomes a Way to Cope *
It was 90 degrees outside, yet “Sheryl” walked into my office with arms and legs fully covered. Her gaze fixed on the floor. Beside her sat her mother, visibly worried and exhausted. Her parents desperate to understand what was happening to their 16-year-old daughter.
Our City of Weston Healthcare Heroes 2025
Dr. Claudia Perolini, PhD, is a psychologist and founder
of Integrative Psychotherapy, where she provides
therapy and psychological testing.
She supports tweens, teens, and adults facing anxiety,
depression, trauma, grief, life transitions, and relationship
struggles. With adolescents, her work often centers on
identity, independence, self-esteem, peer relationships, and
social anxiety. She also conducts psychological assessments
with children, teens, and adults for ADHD, autism, learning
disorders, and giftedness, helping families gain clarity,
recognize strengths, and create thoughtful treatment plans.
Healing What Still Hurts *
As children, we tend to dream of a future filled with joy, love, connection, and fulfillment. We envision a life full of excitement, good health, and opportunities for growth. But often, as we get older, life happens—and it can hurt deeply. Like an ocean wave that crashes unexpectedly, knocking us off balance and pulling us under, we struggle to stay afloat.
Therapy: Worth every penny—or an expensive indulgence? *
I often hear a version of this question: Is therapy really worth the investment—my money, time, energy, and the hope that things could change for me or my family? I get it. Starting therapy is a serious commitment, and it’s wise to consider it carefully. Therapy can feel uncertain at first—showing up weekly, paying the fee, and speaking honestly about our pain, sometimes without a clear end date.
Therapy — The Courage to Do Something Hard*
“Doctor, my daughter has changed. She is not the same. She never seems excited about anything anymore. It has been months since I’ve seen her smile. If it were up to her, she would never leave her room. Can you help us?”
A moment of silence followed. This mother’s anguish was palpable, as was her fear for her daughter. Questions raced through her mind: Is this change permanent? Will she ever be herself again? Can’t she try harder? Did something happen to her?
What if I Don’t Feel Thankful This Year?
Thanksgiving is meant to be a time of gathering and gratitude—a beautiful sentiment if we feel we have reasons to be thankful or can access that emotional state. I know some people say, “There’s always something to be grateful for,” and while that may be true, gratitude can often feel subjective. It really depends on the eyes of the beholder.
If I had experienced a significant loss, for instance, gratitude might not feel very accessible. That’s an extreme example, but we all endure our fair share of pain in life—grief, loss, illness, missed opportunities, divorce, accidents, or even drifting away from people we once held dear. For some, Thanksgiving might even highlight what’s missing. And you know what? That’s okay. It’s okay if gratitude doesn’t come easily this holiday season. Or if it does not come at all.
The Growing Pressure for Teens to Engage in Sexual Activity During the Early High School Years
One trend that came up clearly over the years is that many teenagers feel increasing pressure to engage in sexual activity earlier in their high school years. This pressure often comes from peers, sometimes friends, media, and/ or from a desire to meet perceived expectations from other people their age. While this can impact all teens, it’s especially challenging for young women, who may feel the weight of these pressures more strongly and often share with me that they “first time” was far from what they’d imagined.
When apologies are experienced as “too little, too late”
In her book The Drama of the Gifted Child, Alice Miller delves into the deep emotional wounds children can suffer when their emotional needs go unmet, especially when parents or caregivers fail to provide the emotional attunement and validation crucial during formative years. Miller points out that apologies from parents or caregivers—often offered long after the damage is done—can sometimes feel like "too little, too late."