The dilemma: to join a group practice or go solo
By Catherine Robertson Souter
It is perhaps the most important question to answer for anyone just starting out in a clinical practice. Does it make sense to take a “safe” position in a group practice or would it be wiser in the long run to set out on your own, rent an office, and start building your brand? There is, of course, no “right” answer, only many factors to consider. Among them, the administrative benefits of each option, the financial impact, the social impact and the market itself must each be considered before deciding which path to follow. Of course, it’s also important to [More]
The empowered patient
By John Grohol, Psy.D.
Patients nowadays are empowered more than ever. They’ve not only read all about their disorder online, but they may have even participated in an online support group or previously tried online therapy before coming to you. This trend is a good one that every clinician should embrace. A fear of misinformation online has been put to rest by research suggesting that most information about mental health concerns online is trustworthy. Of course, people can always seek out non-mainstream opinions and viewpoints, but most do not. An empowered patient doesn’t just mean they’re informed and educated about their condition. It also [More]
The Ethics of Supervision and Consultation: Practical Guidance for Mental Health Professionals
By James K Luiselli EdD ABPP BCBA-D
Book about ethics an ideal resource (March 2011 Issue) “The Ethics of Supervision and Consultation: Practical Guidance for Mental Health Professionals” By Janet T. Thomas American Psychological Association Washington, D.C., 2010 By James K. Luiselli, Ed.D., ABPP, BCBA-D This book is dedicated to the conduct of supervision and consultation by and for mental health trainees and career professionals. By reading the book, psychologist Janet T. Thomas hopes that prospective supervisors and consultants “will learn to recognize the myriad ethical challenges and pitfalls inherent in this work, prevent or avoid them when possible, acknowledge mistakes when they occur and make repairs [More]
The first 20 years
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
Last month marked the twentieth anniversary of New England Psychologist. This month is the twentieth anniversary of this column. It started with a telephone call from the publisher and an invitation to write a column about the day-to-day experiences of a psychologist and the reflections to which these experiences gave rise. And so we called the column, In Person. In all that I have written, I have always intended and hoped that my experiences would reflect yours as we journeyed together through our changing personal and professional lives. If you are reading these words in the later stages of your [More]
The games therapists play
By Mitch Abblett Ph.D.
Tug-of-war is a silly game – all of that straining in order to move a rope a few yards. If you’ve ever played, the whole thing seems pointless, yet it is so easily and regularly played in our daily social lives. Husbands with wives, parents with children, co-workers and confidantes – no one, not even the experienced therapist, is above such game playing. One person feels an unmet need and pulls at an important other to meet it. The other misreads or rejects the person’s pulling and gives a yank themselves. Whether you call it a “power struggle” or a [More]
The Glass Ceiling in the 21st Century: Understanding Barriers to Gender Inequality
By Paul Efthim PhD
“The Glass Ceiling in the 21st Century: Understanding Barriers to Gender Inequality” Edited by Manuela Barreto, Michelle K. Ryan & Michael T. Schmitt American Psychological Association Washington, D.C., 2009 Compelling volume looks at discrimination in the workplace Reviewed By Paul Efthim, Ph.D. Recent references to the “glass ceiling” in public discourse suggest that women finally are breaking through this longstanding barrier. On the cover of the January 2 issue of the Economist, a wartime Rosie the Riveter flexes her bicep, declaring “We Did It!” An accompanying editorial notes that women now make up the majority of the American workforce, gushing [More]
The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide: Guidance for Working with Suicidal Clients
By James K Luiselli EdD ABPP BCBA-D
“The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide: Guidance for Working with Suicidal Clients” By Thomas E. Joiner Jr., Kimberly A. Van Orden, Tracy K. Witte, and M. David Rudd American Psychological Association Washington, D.C., 2009 Interpersonal theory of suicide outlined in valuable work Reviewed By James K. Luiselli, Ed.D., ABPP, BCBA-D Mental health professionals require specialized training to properly assess clients at risk for suicide. Understanding the threat of lethal self-harming behavior, in part, should be based on theories of suicide and respective clinical implications. This book is intended to “demystify clinical work with suicidal patients by grounding this work within a [More]
The inventory of terrible things
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
When American architect Louis Sullivan coined the phrase, “Form follows function” in 1896, he certainly wasn’t thinking about how psychologists would be doing risk assessments more than a century later. Now here we are busily re-defining our functions throughout the spectrum of mental health services and looking for forms to help us categorize the things we consider important in understanding and changing human behavior. Especially in the realm of inpatient care, psychologists throughout New England, if not the entire nation, are shifting their focus away from doing therapy and toward providing specialized assessments and developing treatment plans to be implemented [More]