New England Psychologist
Massachusetts bans conversion therapy for minors
By Eileen Weber
Massachusetts became the 16th state to ban conversion therapy, a method attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity by treating it as if it’s a mental illness. Sometimes referred to as “reparative therapy,” tactics range from shaming the person to using painful physical stimulation like electric shocks. In early April, Governor Charlie Baker signed into law a bill banning licensed health care professionals from providing this practice to anyone under 18. Fifteen other states and Washington D.C. have already banned conversion therapy, with California being the first in 2012. Massachusetts joins Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and [More]
Leading Stories
- Treating mind and body at the heart of rehabilitation psychology specialty
- Massachusetts bans conversion therapy for minors
- Mental health courts offer alternative path to recovery
- Looking both ways
- Assessment teams factoring into Rhode Island, ME health care
- Weighing the pros and cons of insurance is crucial
- Vermont’s medication assisted treatment program shows encouraging results
- R.I. bill to mandate suicide prevention training for school staff faces quiet hurdles
- CT bill supporting prescriptive authority fails; to be re-submitted
- Psychology by the numbers
Featured Book Review
Book on play is research-based, practical
By New England Psychologist Staff
In “Play and Creativity in Psychotherapy,” Terry Marks-Tarlow, Marion Solomon, and Daniel J. Siegel demonstrate that play can have a significant role in the healing process. Taking the time to relearn how to play as an adult can help build resilience, creativity, and spontaneity for both clients and therapists. As children, it is natural to explore and use play as a way of learning. But as adults, we are supposed to be more serious. We are often overly concerned with how we appear to others, and too often move through life with the logical parts of our brains. Fortunately, it [More]