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Disclosure re: “Right” Therapist Before jumping in, I should note – first, I am a psychotherapist (psychologist). And second, I have a new practice. So yes, some obvious self-interest biases there. On the other hand, as you may have gathered from the title, I am not going to try to prove that I am the… Continue reading The Myth of Finding the “Right” Therapist

Is Psychology a Science recap Last time, we discussed what “science” is, and then the different understandings of what “psychology” is. We recognized that science is not truth but constantly evolving models of truth. We acknowledged that psychology involves so many complex factors at many levels that its predictions are more akin to meteorology than… Continue reading Is Psychology a Science? Part 2

Psychology as a Scientific Discipline While pretty much all psychologists consider their discipline a science, the general US adult population is less certain. (78% view as a science, with 43% viewing as more of a theory; as cited by Prinstein, M., “Is Psychology a Science,” 9/30/2022.) This has many reasons and sources: partly because the… Continue reading Is Psychology a Science? Part 1

Mental Health: More Assumptions Last time, we explored the assumption that health is a natural state that gets knocked down by illness. Next assumption: there is an “I” separate from a “You.” This is a difficult concept to address. Many of us spend a lot of energy from around 2 years-old defining ourselves as separate.… Continue reading What is Mental Health? Part 3

Inadequate concepts… What does it mean to be mentally healthy? In part 1, we sifted through some common ideas – being happy, not being sick, not having very uncommon experiences – and none of them adequately identified what we’re looking for. What can we do with that? There’s a basic guideline we can follow. If… Continue reading What is Mental Health? Part 2

There’s an obvious answer, right? There isn’t. Many people seem to live by the principle of the 1960s counterculture: ‘If it feels good, it is good.’ (In particular the corollary, ‘If it feels bad, it is bad.’) That would be really convenient, no? If I’m happy, if you’re happy, let’s go with it! Blog post… Continue reading What is mental health? Part 1

Admit it – you can’t immediately tell which version of prejudice currently pervading our society I’m referring to. To do with wars and violence? Fights over rights and access? Or even what type of prejudice – is it ethnic? Gender-based? Political? Religious? Economic? Ability-based? I’ll end the drama – I’m talking about all of them.… Continue reading Responding to Hate and Prejudice

I am not a blogger. Ceci n’est pas un blog. (jk) What I mean is, welcome to my blog! I am a clinical psychologist who has worked in NY for 14 years across the age-range and in many settings. I am a scientist: my undergraduate career at MIT has enabled me to sift through the… Continue reading My blog!