psychotherapy

uok? The upside of texting.

texting depressed teen

Image: iStockphoto

Text messaging often gets a bad rap for contributing to illiteracy and high-risk behavior such as reckless driving. But a social welfare professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has found an upside to texting, especially for people who feel stressed out, isolated and alone.

 

Adrian Aguilera, a clinical psychologist who treats many low-income Latinos for depression and other mental disorders, said his patients report feeling more connected and cared for when they receive text messages asking them to track their moods, reflect on positive interactions, and take their prescribed medications.

“When I was in a difficult situation and I received a message, I felt much better. I felt cared for and supported. My mood even improved,” reported one Spanish-speaking patient in Aguilera’s cognitive behavior therapy group at San Francisco General Hospital.

The project began in 2010 when Aguilera developed a customized “Short Message Service (SMS)” intervention program, with the help of UCSF psychologist Ricardo Munoz, in which Aguilera’s patients were sent automated text messages prompting them to think and reply about their moods and responses to positive and negative daily interactions.

The psychologists published the results of the project last year in the journal, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Aguilera has since been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. [continue reading…]

Therapy Dogs

A number of studies have found that just being around a dog or petting a dog can lower blood pressure. One study found the same with a pet goat. Another found that simply watching a Lassie movie was enough to lower stress.

Well we haven’t got a pet goat at our practice Tri-City Psychology Services, but we do have therapy dogs!

Over the years we have observed the special fondness and respect our clients develop for our dogs.

Many clients starting therapy are unsure and nervous on their first visit.

We want very much for our new clients to feel safe and comfortable, and aim to set them at their ease from the moment they first step through our door.

We have worked hard to achieve this by creating an inviting and calming office space, a dog picks up on any nervousness in a person, and our little greeters are there ready and eager to help clients through that first uncertain encounter.

Sadly in August we had to say goodbye to first therapy dog, Portia (a stalwart Scottish Terrier) who succumbed to kidney disease.

Mac our younger Scotty, missed her terribly. We knew it would just be a matter of time before we got another dog.

Lola  and Kathy

Lola & Kathy

And so this week little Lola has joined us. Lola is a cute as a button West Highland Terrier. She still has to learn the ropes ~ as therapy dogs must learn to ignore loud noises, stay calm and definitely not be barking mad ;). They also have to learn not to bother any people who don’t want to be bothered. Above all they have to be friendly and comfortable socializing with strangers.

China on the couch

This week in the New Yorker Evan Osnos writes about how psychoanalysis is gaining a foothold in China. Here, Osnos talks about the state of mental health in the world’s most populous country and the differences between how Americans and Chinese talk about themselves.
Link to read more or to listen to the podcast
Image: Getty Images
Source: The New Yorker

A look at four psychology fads

therapist

Getty Images

The LA Times takes a look at four psychology fads: est, primal therapy, Transcendental Meditation, lucid dreaming

Now and then, a new psychology movement bursts onto the popular scene and shakes up the mental health establishment. Typically these efforts tickle the fringe of accepted science, buoyed by celebrities and alternative therapy enthusiasts — which is to say, they often settle in California. Some, like est or primal therapy, traffic in mental transformation. Others, like Transcendental Meditation, whisper of ancient wisdom. Still others, like lucid dreaming, have echoes of science fiction. While the extent of their legacies varies, these four movements have all stood the test of time. So where are they now? Curious? Continue reading

Source:LATimes