Interviews
Psychologist disseminates autism research, best practices
By Catherine Robertson Souter
According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in 59 children will be diagnosed with autism, many by age four. This number has grown over the past few decades, perhaps because of greater recognition or to changes made in the diagnostic criteria. And, right along with the increase in prevalence, the amount of research being done on the disorder has expanded. But, as is typical with research in many fields, the path from the laboratory to the clinician’s office is not always a straight line. Getting that information out to organizations, schools, and practitioners is key, said Cynthia M. Anderson, [More]
Q&A with Robert Jamison, PhD
By Catherine Robertson Souter
With the crusade against the over-prescription of opioids, medical professionals are finding it difficult to ascertain if and when they should ever prescribe the medications to clients. The chief psychologist at the Pain Management Center of Chestnut Hill, Mass., Robert Jamison,Ph.D has worked with pain management for close to 30 years and has witnessed the rise and fall of opioids as the go-to medication for treatment. As his team realized how detrimental the drugs could be to some patients, they began to search for a way to predict just who may be at risk for abusing opioids and to see [More]
Walden’s CEO combines clinical background with business skills
By Catherine Robertson Souter
In the country’s convoluted health care system, forging a path towards recovery can be frustrating at best and a setup for failure at worst. A patchwork system, grown organically over the years as need arises or funding is available, US health care encompasses a wide variety of services, both public and private, for and not-for-profit. It can be overwhelming for individuals trying to navigate and find help for themselves or loved ones, especially for mental health services. With its whole person approach, Walden Behavioral Care, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based mental health care system that specializes in treating eating disorders, looks to [More]
Couples face challenges but long for love, security
By Catherine Robertson Souter
Healthy marriages are good for everyone involved – the couple, of course, but also the rest of the family, the community, colleagues… everyone benefits. But, with a reported 50% of marriages ending in divorce, the on-going need for couples therapists seems like a niche that will never be fully filled. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, New England Psychologist’s Catherine Robertson Souter had a chat with Robert L. Miller, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist with a practice in Cambridge and Stoneham, Massachusetts about his work with couples and how it has changed over the past several decades. A supervisor in the [More]
Long-time columnist shares insight, experiences in new book
By Catherine Robertson Souter
They say that it’s best to write what you know and let the bigger truths come from the personal ones. When Alan Bodnar, PhD, began writing for this publication’s predecessor, Massachusetts Psychologist in 1993, the plan was to shine a light on the life of a practicing psychologist and his relationships with his clients at institutions where he worked. Over the past 25 years, however, as hospitals and agencies shifted and expansion led to New England Psychologist, he discovered that his columns were helping him understand that he was talking about more than one professional’s experiences in and outside of [More]
Psychologist Ashley Warhol, Psy.D finds job at Devereux fulfilling
By Catherine Robertson Souter
As the saying goes, find a job you like and you will never work a day in your life. Psychologists, more than most people, are aware of the need to find meaning in the day to day. For some, however, finding their passion generally takes a long time. For others, it comes more quickly. For Ashley Warhol, Psy.D, finding her niche as director of clinical services and internship training at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health flowed naturally, and quickly, from a predoctoral internship with the organization in 2012. Following the internship, she was offered a position as a staff clinician, moved [More]
Developmental trauma disorder is focus of research
By Catherine Robertson Souter
It would surprise no one that children who have been mistreated or have been subjected to another form of trauma would experience repercussions. It makes sense that trauma can result in symptoms that look like behavioral disorders, oppositional defiant disorders, anxiety, depression, or ADHD. Yet, for many children the symptoms are treated as not being related to their traumatic experiences. As part of an on-going research project, Julian D. Ford, Ph.D, A.B.P.P., professor of psychiatry and law at the University of Connecticut and director of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice, and colleagues Joseph Spinazzola, Ph.D. and Bessel [More]
Researcher Nicole Overstreet, Ph.D., focuses on concerns of women, marginalized groups
By Catherine Robertson Souter
Until recently, medical and psychological research was done with a “one-size-fits-all” approach – white men around the age of 35 made up the majority of research subject pools and findings were then extrapolated to apply to women, other ethnic groups, children and the elderly. Researchers began to question standard practices as concerns rose around the over-medication of children by using much larger test subject prescriptions. Also playing a role was the realization that symptoms of the same illness may differ between men and women and that certain treatment regimens work differently for different ethnic populations. There’s been a shift towards [More]