New England Psychologist
Fake news: Misinformation has its own psychology
By Eileen Weber
Over the past several years, misinformation—particularly political misinformation—has been running rampant on social media. Misinformation and disinformation are not the same. Misinformation is merely having the facts wrong. Disinformation is false information used to deliberately mislead—think skewed reporting, half-truths, propaganda, or conspiracy theories. Both have become a real problem and, with another presidential election in a couple of months, the situation is more concerning than ever. But what’s the psychology behind it? Why do people believe these inaccuracies, seemingly without… Read more »
Leading Stories
Fake news: Misinformation has its own psychology
Killingly, CT students will finally get much-needed mental health services
Medication treatment for opioid disorders limited at outpatient facilities
‘Man Therapy’ comes to Vermont
Disparities between mental, medical use reimbursements highlighted
Is telehealth here to stay?
InStride Health gets $30M investment
CT moving toward peer-run respite centers
Psychologists weigh in on benefits, pitfalls of AI
RI bills aimed at improving treatment coverage
Blue Envelope Program supports neuro-diverse drivers
FAIR Health study: claims, diagnoses increase
CT suicide numbers higher and younger
Bryant University launches doctoral clinical psychology program
Practical Practice
Niche specialization: Is finding your niche important?
By Ellen Anderson, Ph.D
Is it necessary for independent practitioners to have an area of specialty practice? A quick review of popular sites such as the Psychology Today Therapist Directory gives the impression that most psychologists have one or more niche areas of practice. The range of specialty areas of focus is seemingly limitless and includes diagnoses such as OCD, ADHD, PTSD; symptoms such as self-harm, insomnia or sexual dysfunction or therapy; modalities such as individual, couples or family therapy; specific patient populations defined… Read more »
Is student loan debt worth it?
By Ellen Anderson, Ph.D
“I’m trying to decide whether I should become a licensed professional counselor or a psychologist. Do you have any advice?” I wasn’t surprised to hear this question from my client, a 21-year-old psychology major. He sought out therapy and found the process of self-discovery helpful. He had been accepted into both psychology doctoral programs and counseling master’s programs, both of which would make him eligible for licensure. We talked about his motivations and the differences in the curriculum between a… Read more »
Changed: Independent Practice in the Age of Cyberterrorism
By Ellen Anderson, Ph.D
I became aware of a problem related to patient claim submission in late February, when the electronic claim submissions through my electronic medical record platform ground to a halt. As most psychologists are aware, Change Healthcare, a clearinghouse that processes approximately one-third of all medical claims in the United States was hacked. The U.S. Hospital Association called the hack the most impactful and consequential cybersecurity attack on the healthcare system in U.S. history. By March 5, the U.S. Health and… Read more »
Older Practical Practice Columns...
Interview of the Month
NH psychologist combines running, therapy
By Catherine Robertson Souter
If “motion is lotion” for the body, what must it do for the mind? With evidence backing the theory that exercise provides a therapeutic boost for mental health, a small but growing movement in psychology has taken a next step by combining the two. The result is offering movement-based therapy sessions out on the road, beach, nature paths, or rail trails. Beth Connolly, Psy.D., started her Hampton, NH-based practice “This is My Happy Pace: Therapeutic Running Services,” in 2019, after… Read more »
Older Interviews...
Publisher's Note by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
Revisiting AI
Just a year ago, I wrote about the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and its potential to help in mental health treatment. The field continues to suffer from a shortage of therapists, especially those trained in specific types of treatments to help with specific disorders (specialists). Artificial intelligence won’t be a cure-all and it’s not going to replace your job anytime soon. What it can do, however, is help in increasing access to care by patients, reduce certain mind-numbing… Read more »
Thoughts on this issue’s topics
This is an interesting issue in which our contributors explore a wealth of timely topics for clinicians. Our cover story by Phyllis Hanlon takes a deep dive into the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) movement. DEI has increased in recent years not only in visibility and initiatives, but in results too. Our Q&A with Aaron Y Chew, Ph.D., MSCP talks about why diversity matters and should be more than just checking things off a list. I’m heartened to see that… Read more »
Older Publisher's Notes...
In Person with Alan Bodnar, Ph.D.
When we learned to listen: The legacy of Elvin Semrad
Over more than three decades of writing this column, from time to time, I have quoted Dr. Elvin Semrad whom I briefly described as “the late Boston psychoanalyst.” I supposed he needed no further introduction because of his legendary stature in the psychoanalytic community that was synonymous with psychiatric and psychological teaching and practice in twentieth century Boston. As a product of that educational system, I assumed my readers were familiar with the same luminaries who guided my own development… Read more »
Some things I learned along the way
If it’s true that the biggest surprise you’ll ever have is to realize that you’ve grown old, then the second biggest is to believe that you have learned something useful along the way. Sometimes it takes an unbiased observer to start you thinking along those lines or, in my case, a roomful of them. It was the beginning of June, our interns were preparing to move on to the next phase of their training and I was two weeks away… Read more »