Articles
Domestic violence helpline callers are just trying to manage
By Janine Weisman
Numbers don’t tell the whole story when it comes to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rates of domestic and family violence. Calls to SafeLink — Massachusetts’ statewide domestic violence hotline at 1-877-785-2020 — initially decreased about a third and then ramped back up in April and May to about 90 percent of what they were pre-pandemic, according to Casa Myrna, Boston’s largest provider of domestic violence shelter and supportive services. Maine’s domestic violence resource centers also saw an initial decline in helpline calls and reach-outs when COVID-19 hit. Then, requests for emergency shelter were significantly down through the [More]
Self-care for psychologists in a time of uncertainty
By Catherine Robertson Souter
Coping with the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic can lead to a barrage of symptoms most people don’t know how to manage. That is where psychologists come in, with advice and guidance on self-care that can help to steady the ship while we all navigate unsettled and unchartered waters. But what about the therapists themselves; what does self-care look like from the other side of the couch? “Even though everyone has been impacted differently, this trauma is unique in that we are experiencing this along with our clients,” said Ana Rodriquez, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and founder of the Self-Care [More]
Why Suicide Prevention Advocates Right Now Don’t Despair
By Janine Weisman
Mental health infrastructure has come a long way since 1918-1919 influenza pandemic. Social isolation, a key strategy to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 , is considered a significant risk factor for suicidality. So school closures, mandated face masks, and bans on large gatherings along with the most rapid change in the employment sector ever recorded in the U.S. have led to growing dread that suicide rates might rise. But is an increase in the suicide rate inevitable? Not according to Jerry Reed, Ph.D., MSW, a nationally recognized leader in the field of suicide prevention. “I think it’s really important [More]
Discovering What Matters Most
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
After almost three months into the Coronavirus lockdown in Massachusetts, we are cataloguing our losses and discovering new sources of vitality. So many things that we took for granted have changed or simply disappeared. This is true of our daily routines and of the larger societal rituals that sustained us in ways we may have never even stopped to consider. We are changing the way we work, worship, use our leisure time, and relate to one another, and along the way, we are discovering what matters most. Many of us are working from home using videoconferencing platforms like Zoom, Doxyme, [More]
NHPA Educational Foundation presents first award
By Phyllis Hanlon
In 2009, the New Hampshire Psychological Association (NHPA) created the NHPA Educational Foundation under the leadership of then-executive director Kathryn E. Saylor, Psy.D and in collaboration with several other psychologists. This entity was designed to educate the public and practitioners, publish educational materials, sponsor quality programs that advance the profession, and recognize student achievement with scholarships. However, the Foundation remained dormant until January 2019 when Saylor moved out of state. The new leadership focused on other issues until the current NHPA president Celia Oliver, Ph.D, and incoming executive director, Jena Mottola made reviving the Foundation and establishing the scholarship two [More]
Psychologist shares her experiences working in Haiti
By New England Psychologist Staff
Like many psychologists now, I am spending my time at home, focused on a computer screen. I am talking with people I know well and care about tremendously, who are at a distance, and am seeing clients via the same small square on my lap or the table. What is a little different for me is that many of the people I am “Zooming” with are in Haiti, part of a small college of social work there, and we have been communicating like this for a long time. What is unusual right now is that, in the past, our Zoom [More]
Mass. AG settles with health plans on mental health parity compliance
By Janine Weisman
Seven insurers agree to policy changes, including correcting reimbursement disparities Seven health insurance plans are making policy changes and paying a combined total of nearly $1 million to fund initiatives to increase access to behavioral health care under recent settlement agreements with the Office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. The policy changes by five health insurance companies and two companies that manage behavioral health coverage for other insurers are outlined in agreements filed Feb. 27 in Suffolk Superior Court. The changes address reimbursement rate disparities, eliminate unnecessary authorization requirements and improve the accuracy of provider directories. These settlements followed [More]