Cultivating Calm: Distress Tolerance for Parents

with Dr. Emily Hsu and Danna Torres, LMFT

Cultivating Calm: Distress Tolerance for Parents

Episode 16, Season 5 | March 30, 2025

Show Notes

Join us for this podcast episode as we talk with CHC experts, Emily Hsu, PhD, licensed psychologist and Danna Torres, LMFT exploring the essential skill of distress tolerance for parents navigating the emotional rollercoaster of raising children. Learn why developing the ability to withstand difficult emotions without reacting impulsively can transform your parenting journey. We discuss practical strategies to build this crucial skill—including mindfulness practices and calming techniques.

Discover how strengthening your distress tolerance models healthy emotional regulation for your children. When parents can remain steady during storms of frustration, exhaustion, and worry, children gain the security and emotional tools they need to develop resilience for life's challenges.

Guest Info

Dr. Emily Hsu is a bilingual (Spanish) licensed psychologist who has experience working with individuals throughout the lifespan utilizing individual, group, and psychological testing. In pursuit of her desire to provide culturally competent and sensitive bilingual services to ethnic minority populations, she enrolled in the Diversity and Community Mental Health Proficiency Track at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University. Dr. Hsu specializes in suicide prevention and intervention, anxiety and mood disorders, trauma recovery, and interpersonal relationships. Dr. Hsu’s research and clinical interests include decreasing mental health disparities, suicidology, and understanding how the complexities of human diversity influence emotional health and coping styles. Her therapeutic approach is integrative and strongly influenced by Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and aspects of rapport building from the humanistic tradition. Previously, Dr. Hsu completed her APA accredited internship at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services in Culver City, California and her APA accredited postdoctoral residency at Kaiser Permanente in Redwood City, California. At present, Dr. Hsu also conducts quality management at Center for Social Dynamics.


Danna is a bilingual licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Her work has primarily focused on supporting children, teens and parents through individual therapy, family therapy and parent education. Danna has experience providing therapy to those needing additional support or skills in the areas of executive functioning, behavior management, emotion regulation and learning coping strategies. Having worked in various school settings, Danna is familiar with school supports such as IEPs and 504s. She also works to foster collaborative relationships with schools and outside providers to better inform care for the client. Danna’s therapy style is geared toward improving interpersonal and family dynamics by addressing challenges with communication, conflict resolution, emotion regulation related to trauma, depression, anxiety and neurodevelopmental diagnoses.