Myths – Psychotherapists believe that the personality is cemented by age five
The belief that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks is perhaps the biggest myth of all. When you read a novel in which a therapist says that personality is fixed by age five, it’s laughable and the story loses credibility. Neuroscientists have shown that the brain is malleable, and new MRI technology allows us…
Consequences of Sexual Harm
Many people who suffer sexual abuse during childhood come to equate their sexuality with their self-worth. Over the years, the person may have come to “accept” the abuse as though it was the only aspect of their character which offered gratification to another person. It greatly skews a person’s perception of who they are, what…
Gloriavale’s sexual assault policy asks victims to ‘forgive’ abusers
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/122525960/gloriavales-sexual-assault-policy-asks-victims-to-forgive-abusers-gives-offenders-three-chances-to-stop Sexual assault victims at the secretive religious Gloriavale sect are made to meet with their abuser and forgive them – without police being notified. Gloriavale leaders then give offenders “second and third chances” to stop offending, along with more rounds of forgiveness and repentance meetings when they fail to stop, before leaders will consider…
Sociopathic traits linked to non-compliance with mask guidelines
https://www.psypost.org/2020/08/sociopathic-traits-linked-to-non-compliance-with-mask-guidelines-and-other-covid-19-containment-measures-57773 In the online study, 1,578 Brazilian adults completed a measure of maladaptive personality traits between May 21 and June 29, 2020. They also completed assessments of empathy and compliance with COVID-19 containment measures. The researchers found that those who scored higher on measures of callousness, deceitfulness, hostility, impulsivity, manipulativeness, and risk-taking tended to be…
Men who asked, “When are you going to tell our story?”
For the past six years, the news photographer Mary F. Calvert has been taking pictures that reveal the civilian lives of veterans with trauma that lingers long after their discharge from the military. Her journalism has focused primarily on women who were victims of military sexual assault. But after that work was published, she said she started to hear from men…
Tools for Staying Focused and Getting Stuff Done
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-integrationist/202008/8-effective-tools-staying-focused-and-getting-stuff-done 1. Pay attention to your normal escape behaviors – and manage them. Escape behaviors are those things you do to alleviate the stress or boredom that crops up whenever you have to work on a specific task or assignment. 2. Take a Technology Time Out. Before sitting down to work, silence all non-essential apps, close all programs…
Recognise and respect clients’ ethnic, cultural and spiritual values
Social Sector Accreditation Standards – The organisation will have a policy and procedure in place to ensure work with clients is carried out in a culturally competent manner. Evidence the organisation ensures services are culturally appropriate may be found in: cultural diversity in client data cultural diversity of staffing cultural training and supervision provided to…
Myth : Psychotherapy can solve problems in one or two sessions.
While convenient for the novel or television show to have a character “fixed” in a session or two, it doesn’t work that way in real life. The average session is around 50 to 60 minutes and the first session is basically an intake and getting acquainted session. To get to the heart of a problem,…
Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders: What’s the Connection?
https://psychcentral.com/blog/sexual-abuse-and-eating-disorders-whats-the-connection/ Donald described shamefully, “After my parents divorced, my mother would get drunk and dance around the house in her nightgown. She scared me, but the worst part was I got turned on. To try and get control, I began starving myself and developed anorexia. Through therapy, I now understand how I was trying to starve out…