The impact of yoga on the professional and personal life of the psychotherapist

This study explored the impact of a regular practice of yoga in the personal and professional lives of psychotherapists. Six licensed psychotherapists were interviewed about their perceptions regarding the influence of their yoga training on their personal and professional lives. These effects were then categorized into common patterns that emerged as four themes addressing professional growth and the self care of the therapist. These themes are: internal/self awareness, balance, acceptance of self and others, and yoga as a way of life.     

“SLANG”—Sensitive Language and the New Genetics—an Exploratory Study

SLANG—Sensitive Language and the New Genetics—is a concept that arose out of informal discussions between a number of interested parties, both consumers and professionals, who were becoming increasingly uneasy with some of the language commonly used in medical genetics. Some language choices were felt by the authors to be inappropriate for a variety of reasons. Poor language choice may impede an individual's understanding of a genetic condition or important medical information and the chosen words themselves may simply be perceived as discriminatory and even offensive. SLANG is an important concept to explore partly because literature in this area confirms that language choices in medical settings can be of great significance to both patients and families. Studies have shown how language choices impact on professional practice by, as one example, changing the intended meaning of medical information and affecting individual perception of risk and choice which, in turn, may affect individual or familial well-being. In addition language choice has the power to affect how individuals perceive themselves and are viewed by others. This paper presents the results from our pilot study and discusses the implications for health professionals with particular reference to medical genetics settings.     

Patient-targeted googling by psychological therapists: A narrative review of the literature and ethical implications

Background

“Patient-Targeted Googling” (PTG) refers to a healthcare professional using the Internet to discover information about a patient. The present review explores PTG by psychological therapists. The review focused on the prevalence of PTG, how often consent is sought from the patient, and the motivations for and consequences of PTG.

Method

A narrative literature review of published PTG studies was undertaken. Potentially eligible studies were identified by searching PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, and MEDLINE. Results were screened for suitability for inclusion in the sample (n = 9). All studies were appraised for quality using a structured tool developed for this review.

Results

PTG prevalence rates ranged from 20% to 98%, with rates of non-consent ranging from 60% to 84%. Motivations for PTG included curiosity, to gather new information and to verify existing information. Consequences of PTG included enhancing the therapist's sense of safety and causing harm to the therapeutic relationship.

Discussion

Current literature on PTG is limited and focussed largely in the United States. This review revealed no published PTG studies including UK-based psychological therapists, as well as issues in defining and operationalising PTG. Further research is needed to understand the prevalence of PTG by UK-based psychological therapists, as well as the motivations behind, and consequences of, PTG. This evidence base will inform the development of PTG professional guidelines and training, neither of which currently exist for therapists practising in the UK. Both would be timely given the increasing move of the therapeutic frame to the online environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.     

A Posture of Reciprocity: A Practical Approach to Collaboration Between Professionals and Parents of Culturally Diverse Backgrounds

The current emphasis on developing culturally responsive services for families of children with disabilities from culturally diverse backgrounds informs the need for professional self-awareness whereby professionals learn to recognize not only the cultural specificity of personal values and beliefs but also of their professional practice. We describe an approach, the posture of reciprocity, that enables professionals to acquire this level of cultural awareness. Examples to illustrate applications of the posture are provided.     

Utility of computerized case simulations in therapist training and evaluation

The present quasi-experimental study attempted to evaluate the utility of a set of three computer simulations for therapist training and evaluation by comparing psychology students from two universities at three training levels. The three groups consisted of junior and senior level undergraduates, first year graduate students, and third or fourth year graduate students. Analysis of outcome measures indicated subjects were generally accepting of computer simulation use for therapist training and evaluation and performance differences between the groups could be explained by group population differences. The results are discussed relative to the utility for computer simulations use for therapist training and evaluation.     

Religion and Science in America: Populism versus Elitism

Historian James Gilbert argues that the dialogue between science and religion is an important dynamic in the creation of contemporary American culture. He traces the dialogue not only in the confines of the academic world but also in popular culture. The science-religion dialogue reveals a basic tension between the material and the spiritual that helps define the core of the American psyche: fascination with material progress yet commitment to traditional religious beliefs. Gilbert's cultural narrative traces the dialogue in a unique way because of the attention given to popular renditions of science and religion in evangelical films used by the military, in televised science programs, in science-fiction literature, and at the Seattle World's Fair in 1962. Gilbert suggests that the discussion between science and religion is significant because it is part of the process of creating new cultural structures necessitated by social, scientific, and technological developments. The tensions between religiously informed commonsense science and professional science work to create new cultural forms in a democratic society. Religion and science in dialogue are part of the process of cultural creation. Dogmatism on the part of either scientists or religionists is countered by the democratic process itself.     

A dark talent: silence in analysis

This paper is presented jointly by two analysts who have worked with patients whose silence stretched over years. They taxed our professional selves and our therapeutic repertoire of responses and techniques to the limit. Partly in response to these experiences, each analyst found herself needing to talk with another who could verify disturbing countertransference reactions from the standpoint of similar experience. The patients' (largely silent) attacks on analysis and their inability to use it conventionally constellated the need in us to talk, in an effort to relieve projected anxiety. Our conversations provided some containment of the destructive fantasies which we found developing in response to lack of verbal interaction with our patients. Unlike patients who project into an analyst in the unconscious hope of finding containment, silent patients project the need for containment, which they then disavow, leaving the analyst carrying the need, and feeling helpless, baffled and undermined in their therapeutic identity (Colman, private communication). In keeping with the theme of this conference, we found that our collaboration about what chronic analytic silence may mean helped to counteract its destructive effect on the analyst-patient relationship     

Electrocortical signs of arousal in response to darkness and the assessment of type A behavior in professional drivers with and without cardiovascular disease

Background and Aims  In night driving, the fatal accident rate is about four times that in daytime. There is a lack of published studies of the effect of darkness on electrocortical responses in professional drivers (PD). Aim: Assessing relations between electroencephalographic (EEG) reactions to enforced darkness reminiscent of night driving, and untoward behavioral response patterns, notably Type A behavior. Methods  PD: 13 with ischemic heart disease, 12 hypertensives (HTN), 10 borderline hypertensives and 34 normotensives, and 23 non-PD controls. Five minutes of electroencephalographic recording with eyes closed, and subsequently 3 minutes exposure to darkness. EEG parameters were: alpha abundance, amplitude and frequent. Type A behavior (TAB) was assessed by observation and by questionnaire. Results  Alpha abundance diminished significantly for darkness compared to spontaneous recording for all groups. No between-group differences were found for EEG. There were no significant differences in EEG between drivers with IHD or HTN taking versus not taking centrally active β-blockers. Drivers with IHD were the only group to show significant increase in dominant α frequency at darkness. The IHD group also had the highest TAB questionnaire scores and the heaviest exposure to professional driving. Type A scores were significantly correlated with dominantt alpha frequency during darkness. Low availability of attachment and special driving hazards best predicted TAB scores in driven. There was a significance between group difference with respect to Symbolic Aversiveness at the work place comparing each driver group with the non-PD control group. Conclusions  Exposure to darkness reminiscent of night driving can elicit central arousal, in conflict with circadian rhythm, and in combination with other driving hazards which contribute to symbolic aversiveness, the essence of driving. And low availability of social attachment could contribute to sustained, and in turn to the development of Type A behavior in professional drivers.     

Neuropsychological rehabilitation after brain injury: Scientific and professional issues

Neuropsychological rehabilitation after acquired brain injury is an important contribution to our health-care system. Despite a growing database which supports its clinical utility, the insurance coverage for this form of care is now being threatened. This paper addresses some of the professional and scientific issues that psychologists need to face in order to continue to provide these services.Invited Address, President's Mini-Convention To Your Health: Psychology Through the Life Span, American Psychological Association Convention, New York, August 12, 1995.