Health and Psychology

It's a new year and many people make resolutions to change habits.  So let me explain how to change a habit. There are three steps.  

1.  Identify all the things that make you do the thing you want to change.  These are known as cues.

2.  Identify a reward for changing the behavior.  Something small that you can do every time you do the new behavior.

3.  Change the cues and do them consistently for a few weeks, (somewhere between 4 and 12 w...

Several psychological assessment companies are moving in the direction of allowing psychologists to practice in the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of clients online.  Most psychologists will require a face-to-face meeting in an office setting prior to setting up online services for clients.  We are currently moving towards providing some, if not most, of our services in online service delivey.  These types of services are especially helpful with tracking of behaviors on ...

What is Therapy?  

There are different types of therapy.  Some types of therapy are classified as evidence based-meaning they have research to support the fact that they are effective.  These include types of therapy for anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and trauma.  The main therapies are that are considered evidence based are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Committment therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Behavior Therapy, Trauma Focused ther...

A friend of mine went to a psychiatrist recently to look into getting medication for his depression and was surprised when the psychiatrist referred him to therapy instead.  "Medication for mild to moderate depression, just isn't that helpful, but therapy is far more effective."  

That's true, for the most part.  It depends on the type of therapy being offered.  It also depends on making sure the actual diagnosis is depression.  Supportive psychother...

Helping your children manage distress in the aftermath of a shooting

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/aftermath.aspx

Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/mass-shooting.aspx

Five Questions on the Tucson, Ariz...

I was asked yesterday by two different parents of autistic adolescents if their children will become mass murderers. Psychology list serves are talking about gun control, problems with arming teachers, and lamenting treatment for mental illness.  And I just thought of the shooting as a terrible tragedy until I saw the CBS 48 hours Tonight special last night which provided a timeline on the shooting.  Then I became very upset.  So let me share what I heard last night, because I ...

The DIagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM V) is published by the American Psychiatric Association.  It is due out next year.  Already the complaints are coming in about it not having an adequate research basis for many diagnostic categories.  The is another diagnostic system: The International Classification of Disease 10th Edition (ICD 10).  As a result of problems with the DSM system many psychologists will be switching over to the ICD ...

Evaluations are as minimal as a good clinical interview and as complex as a 12-20 hour testing battery.  An evaluation is as complex or as simple as what is required to answer a referral question.  

I teach psychological testing, but it's not always indicated as a requirement for an evaluation.  Some people want to know if they have a specific diagnosis.  In many cases the symptoms they have do NOT match the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of...

We're coming up on the holidays and there are the normal stresses of family drama, and there are the stresses of those with health conditions and food issues.

Family Drama Tips:

1.  Recognize that you cannot control the behavior of others.

If you tend to excessively worry about how people will "be" with each other, challenge yourself to stop taking on other people's issues. If there is an issue between two adults, let them work it out. It's not yours to ow...

It was a busy morning with some breaks that allowed me to have a conversation with an assistant.  The conversation went like this:

"I felt funny yesterday.  Sort of confused for a moment or two, and if the woman hadn't honked I might have hit her car."  she said.

"Funny and confused how?"  I asked.

"Just sort of tired and out of it.  Then my arm felt funny. It's still a little numb but it's better."  she said.

"And you broke ou...