SoCal therapist provides guidance on handling feelings of helplessness, fear amid uncertain times

The video of George Floyd's death and the looting and fires that followed has some people expressing feeling of helplessness. How do we process it all in a meaningful way?

Licensed marriage and family therapist Lisa Lichtenstein joined ABC7 via Skype to discuss and provide some guidance.

What can people do from every community to feel more responsive?
"I do believe that peaceful protest is a great way of standing up for what people believe is appropriate," said Lichtenstein. "It starts with ourselves. We have to examine our - if we have biases. I think that we are brought up in the world from you know upbringing, whether it's family and society, and we all have unconscious and conscious biases. And I think be open, non-judgmental of discovering them inside yourself."

Lichtenstein says with an empowered sense of self, this is how you can make change.

How can we best cope with feelings of fear?
"I think that it gives us the broad picture of what a lot of people in the world are going through, you know, every day," said Lichtenstein. "Examine your fear, be open to discuss it with people."

Lichtenstein says that if you see something that you don't think is right and if you are the only one to speak up, that's empowerment because silence is complicity.

Watch the full interview in the video above.

MORE: Group therapy found beneficial for black men dealing with social injustice, expert says


MORE: Creating new habits, routines to help manage stress amid COVID-19


MORE: Data shows COVID-19 wreaking havoc on Americans' mental health