Category: Uncategorized
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Understanding the Limits of Psychiatric Diagnoses
Daniel Marston Ph.D. Psychiatric diagnoses often do not say much about what is happening with a person. Psychiatric terms do not carry much meaning if all they focus on is symptoms and not how conditions impact a person’s functioning. There are alternatives to the widely-used DSM-5 for better understanding the causes and impacts of psychiatric…
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5 Reasons Why Writing Lists Is Good for Your Mental Health
Sean Grover L.C.S.W. There’s good news for people who love writing lists: Evidence suggests that writing a list is more than just good clean fun; it’s also great for your mental health. That’s right: There are lots of reasons to keep checking those boxes. Your First List You may not remember your first list, but…
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Why Are Old Habits So Hard to Break?
Jessica Koehler Ph.D. Behavior change is a challenging endeavor, requiring intentional and consistent effort to modify actions and habits to attain desired objectives. The field of psychology offers valuable insights into the factors that make behavior change a challenging endeavor. By understanding these underlying concepts, we can better comprehend why altering our habits can be…
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Advancing the Delivery of Mental Health Care With Technology
Susan J. Noonan MD Technology in mental health care can improve access to services for some. The use of technology in providing mental health care has increased dramatically. Virtual appointments and mental health apps can improve access to services for some, but not all, persons. Barriers exist to the use of technology and virtual appointments,…
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The Urgency for Love as a Healing Force
Jan Bonhoeffer M.D. Love. We all talk about it, but how much do we really understand this mysterious force field? We refer to love frequently in poetry, religion, and mysticism. “The universe would disappear without the existence of the force [of love],” said Gandhi. When the Beatles released “All You Need Is Love,” more than…
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Teaching Vulnerability in Clinical Supervision
Amir Levine Ph.D. A newer clinician I supervise recently asked me, “What do you believe is the most important quality a therapist should have?” Reflexively, I answered, “Access to our vulnerability.” Source: wowowG/Shutterstock In all my years of supervising clinicians and observing my own process, I have found that our ability to tap into and…
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How Uncertainty Causes Anxiety
Adam Omary Whole or skim milk? Take your normal route home or an unfamiliar potential shortcut? Flip a hypothetical trolley switch that would kill one person, saving five others. All of these decisions have two things in common: uncertainty and anxiety. Whether you consciously feel anxious or not in deciding between two similar options at the grocery…
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What We Can Do About the Teenage Mental Health Crisis
Douglas Newton M.D., M.P.H. Turning concerning headlines into positive action. If you are concerned after seeing repeated headlines sounding the alarm about a nationwide teenage mental health crisis, you are not alone, and there are things you can do to help the teenagers in your life. Reading the news, you cannot escape the fact that American teenagers…
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How to Avoid Experiential Avoidance
Bruce Wilson Ph.D. “The resolution to avoid an evil is seldom framed till the evil is far advanced, as to make avoidance impossible.” –Thomas Hardy How do most people deal with unwanted experiences? They avoid them. They try to displace them with alcohol, drugs, half-truths, or lies, to themselves or others. Does it work? Possibly, at…
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How Trauma Interrupts Each Stage of Lifespan Development
Kathleen Marriott B. Psyc (Hons) MSoH A traumatic event can occur at any stage of development and hinder growth and success; it can even stop development altogether. Interventions designed to help trauma interrupting development aim to create experiences of the unfinished or underdeveloped stage. With the proper support and resources, you can move forward, rebuild…