Witnessing A War Through Your Smartphone. How Do We Cope?

#168: The news coming out of the Middle East over the past couple of weeks has been terrifying. There have been thousands of reported deaths in the region following Hamas’ attack on Israel, and Israel's retalitory attacks in Gaza. 

It can be hard to keep up with the new headlines of the day or the stuff we see on social media. It’s…. a lot… and it's heartbreaking. We know a lot of people in L.A. are hurting over this. The Jewish community in L.A. is the second largest in the U.S. after New York… with more than half a million people. And there are nearly 95,000 people of Arab descent living here. 

Overall, there is just a lot of trauma people are experiencing now in different ways. Today, How To LA speaks to clinical psychologist Dr. Rick Williamson about how to cope with this collective trauma. 

Guest: Rick Williamson, clinical psychologist and executive director of the Emmada Institute of Behavioral Health and Wellness

If you live in California and are struggling with your mental health right now, you can call the state’s peer-run hotline for help at 1-800-845-6264.