By Judith A. Verduzco, LCSW — Therapist & Founder of Monarchs TherapyPublished November 1, 2025 As 2025 begins to wind down, I’ve been sitting with a thought I came across on social media. I remember reading it and thinking, wow… yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense. The idea

By Judith A. Verduzco, LCSW — Therapist & Founder of Monarchs TherapyPublished November 1, 2025 Music has always been part of my life—the background hum of long drives, lazy Sundays, cleaning days, BBQs, and those quiet moments when you just need to feel. Or dance it off, for that matter.

By Judith A. Verduzco, LCSW — Therapist and Founder of Monarchs TherapyPublished October 15, 2025 I love this time of year — the colors of fall, the cozy sweaters, the glowing pumpkins, the smell of cinnamon candles (and yes, the excuse to buy yet another mug I definitely don’t need).

By Judith A. Verduzco, LCSW — Therapist and Founder of Monarchs TherapyPublished September 2025 The First Time I Had a Panic Attack I was 23 years old, one semester away from graduating from Cal State Northridge, when I had my first panic attack. I was sitting in a Chicano Studies

By Maribel (Bella) Khoury Shaar, MD — Primary Care Physician and Psychiatry Fellow CandidatePublished August 2025 Why I Started Volunteering When I helped charter the Rotary Club of Mental Health & Wellness, my goal was simple: to give back. I wanted to support mental health projects and help others find

By Judith A. Verduzco, LCSW — Therapist and Founder of Monarchs Therapy Published July 2025 Why Monarchs Matter to Me For me, the monarch butterfly isn’t just a logo — it’s part of my story growing up. As a young child, I would often spend summers in Michoacán, Mexico with