Judith Bernstein, LCSW

Bio

I have worked at Kaiser Santa Rosa since July, 2008. But I have been with Kaiser as a patient a lot longer than that! I was born and raised on Kaiser health plan. My father was a professor at UC Berkeley at the time of my birth ( I was born at the Kaiser Oakland hospital) and then he took a job at UCLA and moved the family to Los Angeles. I grew up in Southern California and all those years was a Kaiser patient.

I graduated from UCLA, with a degree in art and became an art teacher, working with young people. I realized I enjoyed working closely with people and chose to follow a path in social work. I am a third generation social worker in my family and received my Masters in Social Work from USC.

With marriage and a young family, we moved to Santa Rosa in 1992. After working for several different hospitals and health organizations in Sonoma County, I am delighted to be working in the Chronic Pain Program at Kaiser Santa Rosa. I have also worked in the hospital as a medical social worker.

Previously, I have worked in both mental health and medical settings. I managed programs for people with chronic pain, eating disorders, chemical dependency problems and head injuries. I also have worked as a hospital social worker and in home health, visiting home-bound patients. Over the years, I have cherished the breadth and range of my work experience which has included geriatrics, kids, teens in trouble with the law, people with terminal illness and a full range of psychiatric problems, just to mention a few. I have developed a sense of optimism regarding the ability of humans to adapt to all sorts of challenges and conditions.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

In working with people with chronic pain, I believe in helping people manage their expectations, instilling realistic hope which includes developing steps for positive change, collaborating with patients in the problem solving process and supporting patients to feel more in control of their lives. My approach includes cognitive behavioral therapy, supportive and insight-oriented therapy, lots of education and re-training of habit-based responses. I encourage patients to practice new skills and ways of being, to challenge as well as to accept themselves. I love to observe the learning and connecting that occurs between patients in our classes.

Photos from My Training Years or of Practicing Medicine in My Field:

More distractions!

Distract yourself with beauty and interests outside yourself

Interests

Currently reading:
Corner of Bitter and Sweet

My favorite book or author:
John Irving, Robertson Davies, Amos Oz

Great movie:
The Royal Tennenbaums

Hobby Photos & Links:

Hanging gardens

Family & Friends

People in my life:

I live in Santa Rosa with my husband, a photographer, and our 21 year old son.

Photos of my Family & Friends:

Sunset view, taken by my husband

We have 2 cats: Elektra and Nemo. They are siblings but look very different. Electra is a calico and chubby; Nemo is all grey and thin.
They are best friends!

Travel

Favorite place in the world:

Paris! Why not? It is the best. I really love Venice, Italy, too for the beautiful Mediterrean colors and unique canals.

One of my recent trips:

We've had great fun cruising. Last year we cruised from New York up to French Canada.
We took our first cruise to Alaska and British Columbia. Check out some of the towns, icebergs and summer gardens we visited along the way.

Trip Photos:

Bald eagle rescue center

Alaskan cruise ship

Sitka, Alaska and the islands

Alaska-- baby bergs

River of ice

Butchart Gardens, British Columbia

Sunken garden

Fountains in the quarry