I have spent all this time explaining what I do as a psychologist. I have said nothing about psychology as a career and my therapy world is located in a small and very particular corner. Fortunately, I had the good fortune to be invited to my former school in Devon to talk to sixth formers … Continue reading Psychology as a career
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Routes to Nudging: some reading
The obvious text to mention here is: Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein Publisher: Yale University Press ISBN: 9780300122237: Number of pages: 304 The notion of how to 'nudge' was brought to the fore by this 2008 book. The primary concern I have with their … Continue reading Routes to Nudging: some reading
Crisis, Anxiety or both?
Crises generate anxiety. That anxiety, however, is likely to be 'right' for that moment. Humans experience anxiety in strange situations. There was a child psychologist, Margaret Ainsworth, who demonstrated how this works for infants. Truth be told, I have not changed that much even though I am at the other end of the life span!! … Continue reading Crisis, Anxiety or both?
Linguistic Ethnography
I was introduced to this research method by Jamie Murdoch, Research Fellow, at the University of East Anglia (UEA). The term sounds rather intimidating so let me say more about it as it will help some readers interested in research and 'safe experimenting' The term ‘linguistic ethnography’ is an umbrella term for specific approaches to … Continue reading Linguistic Ethnography
Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT)
I am not going to attempt to do justice to the 'big' models and how they inform the work I do. Part of your 'safe experimenting', may be to research these areas for yourself, and in your own way. I am making mention of some key models throughout the web site to encourage your own … Continue reading Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT)
Blind Spots
There is a problem with the method I recommend. It places a lot of responsibility on you to decide the direction of change and how to go about it bit-by-bit. Therapy has thrived as a profession because individuals possess blind spots that make it difficult to direct our own therapy. The Johari Window demonstrates how … Continue reading Blind Spots
Power, Threat and Meaning
A group of clinical psychologists have recently (2017/18) started a debate about the increasingly frail system of mental health assessment - processes used to label emotional and psychological 'problems'. This rather lengthy commentary can be found via: https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/introducing-power-threat-meaning-framework I mention this work as they question the tendency to label behaviour and to see our responses … Continue reading Power, Threat and Meaning
The Defence Mechanisms
I have been prompted to think about the psychological 'defence mechanisms'. In general, these come out of Freudian tradition of psychological therapies. A detailed account of some of these mechanisms can be found in several places but have a look on: https://www.psychologistworld.com/freud/defence-mechanisms-list Indeed, I have a book Defense Mechanisms in the Counseling Process by Arthur … Continue reading The Defence Mechanisms
The Evolving Ape.
Recently I was asked: why provide this information for free? Doesn't your living depend on it? As an evolving ape, I am beginning to realise that there is an alternative to short-term profiteering from other people's hardship and distress. To explain what I am getting at here prompts me to comment on my motivation for … Continue reading The Evolving Ape.
Models informing therapy
There are literally hundreds of approaches to therapy. This can be viewed critically as does Vybíral, Z. (2014) in Thomas's Psychotherapy Encyclopaedia of Critical Psychology, Chapter 253. Identifying approximately 250 different therapies recognized by the scientific community (and that may will be conservative estimate nearly ten years later), Vybíral concluded that therapy was especially effective … Continue reading Models informing therapy