Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 6.
Senator J. P Morrell is putting forth revisions to the Behavior Analyst law that passed last year, in the current legislative session, Senate Bill 71. The bill changes provisions for the line technician.
Proposed law amends present law to provide a registered line technician shall be at least 18 years of age and possess a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent. Proposed law provides a line technician shall be registered by his supervising licensed behavior analyst with the board. Proposed law provides within 14 days from the date of application for registration, the line technician shall initiate a criminal background report from the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information of the office of state police within the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
The proposed law provides the board has the authority to deny or revoke a registration in the best interest of public safety and welfare, and that the registration provided shall be renewed annually by the supervising licensed behavior analyst.
The proposed law also removes “supervised independent fieldwork” from exemptions for people not affected by the chapter.
Attending last Gulf Coast Applied Behavior Analysis Conference are (L) Dr. Dolleen Day-Keohane, BCBA-D, Paula White, CABAS, from Terrebonne Parish School System, and Mary Johnson, M.A, Acension Parish School System. A number of Rules and at least one proposed bill about issues for those in applied behavior analysis are in the news.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 6.
In Lieu of Sanity Commission House Bill 15 to Add Licensed Counselor To Those Who May Serve on Clinical Team
House Bill 15 would add licensed professional counselors to the list of persons who may serve on a clinical team that is appointed in lieu of a sanity commission, if the measure is approved.
According to the digest, the present law provides for a sanity commission to be appointed by the court after a mental examination of a defendant is ordered. The sanity commission shall examine and report upon the mental condition of the defendant.
Present law authorizes the court, in lieu of appointing a sanity commission, to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement with the local mental health unit to examine and report on the mental condition of the defendant. Present law provides that if the local mental health unit is ordered to conduct the examination, it shall form a two- or three-member clinical team to be composed of one or more licensed physicians. If only one licensed physician is a member of the clinical team, the remaining members of the clinical team may be composed of any of the following persons who are qualified by training or experience in forensic evaluations: clinical psychologists, medical psychologists, or licensed clinical social workers.
The proposed law would retain present law and add licensed professional counselors to the list of persons who may serve on a clinical team.
Representative Ted James from Baton Rouge is the author.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 7.
The Behavior Analyst Board has an Emergency Rule posted on the Louisiana Register website, which addresses issues due to the lack of a grandfathering clause in Act 351 and individuals practicing behavior analysis in the community. There is insufficient time to promulgate these rules under the usual procedures noted the statement.
The Rule concerns Chapter 3 and “Application procedures and Board Fees.” Included are application and registration information and directions for the applicant for licensure as a behavior analyst. Also the applicant for certification as a state certified assistant behavior analyst is provided directions.
The Rule also outlines the registration of line technicians, noting that a Louisiana licensed behavior analyst must register with the board all line technicians functioning under their authority and direction. Also, the statement says that it is the responsibility of both the licensed behavior analyst and line technician to submit registration paperwork for each supervisory relationship.
Licensing and administration fee charts are included.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 7.
The Addictive Disorder Regulatory Authority published a Notice of Intent to change rules, in the February Louisiana Register.
According to the Notice, the scope of practice for the Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) shall include the rendering of professional guidance to individuals suffering from an addictive disorder to assist them in gaining an understanding of the nature of their disorder and developing and maintaining a responsible lifestyle. The CAC may not practice independently and may not render a diagnostic impression. The scope shall also include making referrals to appropriate professionals, providing counseling to family members and, as appropriate, to others affected by the individual’s addictive disorder, and the utilization of KSA and core functions.
Regarding the Registered Addiction Counselor (RAC), the notice is that scope of practice for the RAC shall include the rendering of professional guidance to individuals suffering from an addictive disorder to assist them in gaining an understanding of the nature of their disorder and developing and maintaining a responsible lifestyle. The RAC may not practice independently and may not render a diagnostic impression. The scope shall also include making referrals to appropriate professionals, providing counseling to family members and, as appropriate, to others affected by the individual’s addictive disorder, and the utilization of KSA and core functions.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Bills Prefiled Last Friday Legislative Session To Convene March 10
The legislature will convene next Monday, March 10, and plod through its growing set of proposals until Monday June 2 when it is set to adjourn. This session sees prefiled bills for a number of issues in the psychology and behavioral health community. Bills are offered for a new designation for licensed specialist in school psychology, a new license for post-doctoral level individuals in psychology called a provisional license, and new provisional designations for interns in counseling and marriage and family therapists. A measure to clarify definitions is also proposed. There is a bill to create a license for art therapists and one to make changes in the behavior analyst law to clarify issues for line technicians.
A measure to combine the Department of Health and Hospitals with the Department of Child and Family Services has been prefiled and if approved takes effect this November, as part of the Executive Reorganization Act to promote efficiency in state functions.
One topic likely to characterize this year’s debate is Medicaid and issues surrounding the Affordable Care Act. A variety of bills have been prefiled on the topic, including proposed constitutional amendments to expand Medicaid eligibility to conform with federal law. There are also alternative proposals. Among these, one prohibits enforcement of the Affordable Care Act and there is another one aimed to establish an alternative program, the “Louisiana Health Care Independence Program.”
Prefiled bills were due Friday, but legislative members can introduce up to five more each after the session begins. These bills must be “requested” by March 31 and introduced by April 1.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 8.
The regular issue of the Louisiana Register posted an Emergency Rule regarding Applied Behavioral Analysis- Based Therapy Services in the Medicaid program, effective on February 1, 2014.
Also, another Emergency Rule, having to do with the topic was posted on the Register’s website, which is to be published in the next Register. The second Rule was effective February 22. Both are available in full at the Louisiana Register at http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/ osr/reg/register.htm
In the February 1 Rule, the Department of Health and Hospitals, Bureau of Health Services Financing and the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities amends the provisions of the children’s choice waiver in order to provide for the allocation of waiver opportunities to Medicaid- eligible children identified in the Melanie Chisholm, et al vs. Kathy Kliebert class action litigation, referred to as Chisholm class members.
The Rule also notes that the action was taken as a temporary measure to ensure Chisholm class members would have access to ABA therapy services as soon as possible.
According to the Rule, those qualifying for ABA-based therapy services must meet several criteria. Among these, the individual must exhibit the excesses and/or deficits of behavior that interfere with home or community activities; be medically stable; be diagnosed by a qualified health care professional with a condition for which ABA- based therapy services are recognized as therapeutically appropriate; have a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and a prescription for ABA-based therapy services.
Under a section on Covered Services and Limitations, the Rule notes that services must be provided directly or billed by behavior analysts licensed by the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board.
Also the statement notes that services shall be based upon the individual needs of the child, and must give consideration to the child’s age, school attendance requirements, and other daily activities as documented in the treatment plan. The Rule notes that any services delivered by direct line staff must be under the supervision of a lead behavior therapist who is a Louisiana licensed behavior analyst.
Also, ABA-based therapy services shall be rendered in accordance with the individual’s treatment plan. The treatment plan shall identify long, intermediate, and short-term goals and objectives that are behaviorally defined and identify the criteria that will be used to measure achievement of behavior objectives, for example.
Also mentioned was that Licensed behavior analysts who render ABA-based therapy services shall meet the be licensed by the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board, and Certified assistant behavior analyst that render ABA- based therapy services shall meet certain provider qualifications.
Reimbursement for ABA-based therapy services shall be based upon a percentage of the commercial rates for ABA- based therapy services in the state of Louisiana. The rates are based upon 15-minute units of service, with the exception of mental health services plan which shall be reimbursed at an hourly fee rate, noted the statement.
The more recent Rule is published online at the Register. The Emergency Rule is to amend provisions for children’s choice waiver and to allow Medicaid participants to coordinate services through a direct support professional rather than a licensed enrolled provider agency, according to the announcement.
The Rule relates to the Medicaid eligible children identified in the Melanie Chisholm, et al vs. Kathy Kliebert class action litigation, and notes that this is an action being taken to comply the judgment.
The Rule adopts criteria for the provision of ABA services to Chisholm class members. Among other things, the statement defines who is qualified to receive services and how the children’s choice waiver is to work. It sets a cap on yearly services of $16,410 but notes that the capped amount shall not apply to ABA services provided to persons entering the waiver under the reserved slots for Chisholm class members.
The Rule also outlines provider qualifications and enrollment. In this more recent Rule, providers who may qualify include board- certified behavior analysts, licensed psychologists, licensed clinical social worker, licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed addiction counselor, or advanced practice registered nurse, with coursework that includes, at a minimum, 40 hours of coursework in behavior analysis, behavior management theory, techniques, interventions and ethics, and autism spectrum disorders.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Ballots for a 5-year position on the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists will have to be sent to the over 650 licensed psychologists in the state for a third time.
According to Dr. John Fanning, President of the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA), the organization that helps conduct the election, a clerical problem caused some mailings not to contain a cover letter explaining to licensed psychologists exactly why there was a second ballot being sent to them. The cover letter was to help avoid any voters’ confusion.
“Two days ago we learned that some undetermined number of ballot envelopes did not contain the page with the paragraph stating that we were having a re-vote,” Fanning explained.
“I apologize for this, and am very, very unhappy about the fact that in both cases the problems were essentially clerical in nature,” Fanning wrote to members of the psychological association. “This is not at all what we want to be doing as an association.”
Elections for the psychology board are conducted in a cooperative effort between the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA) and the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychology (LSBEP) according to an agreement that has been in place for many years.
Dr. Fanning also told LPA members and the Times that he had hoped the psychology board would agree to send an email to all the licensed psychologists, making sure everyone understood what was happening. This seemed like a reasonable remedy, he said.
“We asked the board to send an e-mail to all psychologists licensed in the state, but the board declined to do so,” Fanning said.
According to a memo from LSBEP Executive Director Kelly Parker, to Fanning, Parker had polled the psychology board members and they all agreed that LPA should issue new ballots for a third vote.
The first set of ballots were sent to all licensed psychologists at Christmas last year, but were voided due to an error in the color of the ballots. The ballots were printed on plain white paper rather than shaded paper, and some feared that duplicates could be made.
This latest ballot was printed on shaded paper and numbered.
Some in the community feel that tensions surrounding the election may be contributing to the problems, in one way or another. One source told the Times that elections in other years had just as many glitches, but few people cared enough to be concerned.
In January, after the first ballots were recalled, Fanning explained that he did not suspect any misbehavior. “We do not have any evidence of any voting impropriety having taken place,” he said, “but we want the election to be unambiguously above-board.”
The election is considered to be an important one for many in the psychology community, because of conflicts over issues between groups that emerged with Act 251.
Running for the 5-year position are Dr. Robin Chapman, a newcomer to the state and health psychologist, Dr. Joe Comaty, a medical psychologist, and Dr. Connie Patterson, a Tulane professor and school psychologist.
For some in the community, the election is pivotal because of an ongoing tug-a-war between psychologists and medical psychologists for control of the board. Currently, three medical psychologists serve on the state psychology board but represent only about 5 percent of those holding a state psychology license.
Psychologists Dr. Rafael Salcedo (L), Dr. Kim VanGeffen, and Dr. John Fanning, listen to questions at a jointly sponsored presentation by Tulane and the Louisiana Psychological Association last year. Dr. Fanning has apologized twice now for problems with ballots for the state board election. Ballots will be going out for a third time to all licensed psychologists.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 8.
In a decision still not available in the minutes of the state psychology Board, the members decided to allow the continuing education offered in the past by the Political Action Committee named Louisiana Academy of Medical Psychology-PAC.
The PAC, commonly referred to as “LAMP,” has been offering continuing education to medical psychologists for several years. With the passage of Act 251 in 209, medical psychologists were required to purchase 25% of their training from LAMP-PAC. Specifics of this arrangement are not clear, but some sources note that the cost was $2500, also considered a contribution.
The practice of requiring contributions to a PAC is prohibited by Louisiana campaign finance laws, and the arrangement of fees for continuing education under these conditions is unclear. Both the medical board and the psychology board approved these continuing education courses, but rules for neither of these boards include PACs as professional training providers.
The Times reporter attended the February meeting of the psychology board and asked about the decision. Board members said that they decided to approve past training by the PAC, but not for the future.
LAMP leaders recently formed a new organization by the same name, registered with the Secretary of State. Some sources refer to this as a new, “regional” organization. The creation of a new organization came after an investigative effort by the Times which included asking the state ethics board about a PAC selling or requiring payments for continuing education.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 2.
Recently the psychology board’s open-door closed a little. They noted on their website that the public is to submit concerns in writing via the U.S. mail, and that, “It is improper to contact Board members individually.” This is not all that unusual, since most boards warn their members not to speak to the public about board matters.
One reason for this, I’m told, is because the public is too stupid to understand the board member is speaking for themselves rather than as a mouthpiece for the regulatory body they serve. Is that sort of like the Pope speaking for God? I wonder if a short, one-sentence warning could help? Something like, “I’m not speaking for the board.”
Board members volunteer a lot of time and effort, so it’s probably a hassle to be pestered by people. Maybe it’s hard to be assertive and say, “Leave me alone.” So there is that.
Of course a good reason one might want to restrict communication is to avoid risk. Chair Dr. Culross said in her newsletter address that they had consulted their attorney about the issue, which gives us a clue.
The attorney sub-culture has interesting social norms. Since they participate in an adversarial (“Let’s fight!”) social system, their focus on offense and defense characterizes their approach, often portrayed in our– –the larger social system––humor.
• What is 500 lawyers at the bottom of the sea? A pretty good start.
• What’s the difference between a lawyer and a leech? After you die, the leech stops sucking your blood.
• Why do psychologists use attorneys in their experiments instead of rats? There are some things rats just won’t do.”
While avoiding risks is one valid goal, there are invisible costs to that choice, and also important benefits of other goals to be considered. A direct result of restricting and delaying communication is the impact on a group’s information bias. This is the source of groupthink, but also, when not quite that dramatic, it is the source of limitations in the quality of decisions. Reducing both upwards and downwards information exchange, and installing a nasty time-delay, will likely reduce the quality of group decisions.
The board’s move also appears to accentuate issues of status and power, which is not all that desirable if you’re striving for a high- functioning team or group.
Then there is the impact on participation, which is already extremely low in our community. A good time for choosing a high engagement, participative leadership style is when you realize that much of what you are hoping to influence is really going on beneath the surface, where you can’t see it or change it.
I remember when this theoretical idea hit me in practical, concrete terms. I was consulting in a petrochemical plant. Some Theory X manager was stomping around, being a jackass, and talking down to the men who reported to him. One of these men said to me, “It’s as if he doesn’t understand that all I have to do is put a teaspoon full of a certain chemical in the system, and we’ll be shut down for a week.”
Openness and participation are harder, it takes more effort, it may even be riskier in some ways, but free exchange of information will support our community better when it comes to our very highest ideals.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 8.
The psychology board issued an opinion in December about psychologists advertising as “behavior analysts.” The short one-sentence notice is, “This opinion is for the purpose of clarification that psychologists cannot advertise as ‘Behavior Analysts’ unless licensed by the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board. The Opinion did not mention advertising the practice of behavior analysis.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 2.
One of our readers pointed out that the Mark Twain quote Julie Nelson used in the February editorial was incorrect. Twain said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Nelson quoted Twain to say, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember what you said.” The reader, Dr. George Hebert, Assistant Professor at LSU Health Sciences Center’s Human Development Center, remarked that he wanted to help us keep our “standards high.” The Times thanks Dr. Hebert for his correction.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 9.
Dr. Elliott Beaton, Assistant Professor in the University of New Orleans (UNO) Psychology Department, is Director of the new Stress, Cognition, and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) Laboratory in the Psychology Department.
Beaton and colleagues are studying how stress and anxiety might affect long-term development and risk of schizophrenia in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion in a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.
Children with this disorder often must deal with medical issues, illness, problems in school and social interactions, and are also at increased risk for psychiatric illness.
The goal of the team at the new SCAN Lab is to study prevention, mitigation, and treatment of adult mental illness by better under- standing risk factors in childhood.
Currently the research team is inviting families to participate in the study on stress and health for youngsters with 22q11.2ds.
The researchers are also interested in how parents of children with neuro- developmental disorders do in terms of their health and well- being. The researches currently have funds to help pay for travel across North America for research participants.
Dr. Beaton joined the UNO faculty in 2012. He is from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He has focused his work on stress, brain function, and genetic disorders, and has worked at the U. of California Davis MIND Institute. He was awarded a K99 Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health for his research.
Graduate students David Stephenson and Andrea Tountas are also members of the SCAN Lab team.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 3.
Representative Stuart Bishop, from Lafayette, is authoring House Bill 634 to establish art therapy as a licensed profession. The measure would create an Advisory Committee for art therapists under the Licensed Professional Counselors Board.
The proposed law defines "art therapy" as the integrated use of psychotherapeutic principles, art media, and the creative process by an art therapist for clinical mental health diagnosing, increasing awareness of self and others, promoting developmentally appropriate academic and social interaction, and for clinical mental, physical, and emotional goals.
These would include coping with symptoms, stress, and traumatic experience; addressing cognitive abilities, and identifying needs of a client for therapeutic intervention to meet developmental, behavioral, mental, or emotional needs.
A master's degree in art therapy from a college or university art therapy program approved by the American Art Therapy Association, and also credentials from the Art Therapy Credentials Board.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Living with Your Body & Other Things You Hate How to Let Go of Your Struggle with Body Image Using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Dr. Emily Sandoz and co-author Troy Dufrene have written a very different type of self-help book in their beautifully human, Living with Your Body & Other Things You Hate. It is a book about the experience of being in one’s body, how we sometimes turn that into suffering, and how to find a way out based in freedom, choice and value-based existence.
The subtitle, How to Let Go of Your Struggle with Body Image Using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, tells the reader that the work is an application of the evidenced-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, and its strong reliance on mindfulness, experience, and values.
“Call to mind a moment when you felt really free—not burdened or pushed or squeezed down—just there, where you were. It might be something recent, or you might have to reach way back in your memory to find that free moment. It might be something really important to your life—a big day that others would remember. Or it might be something simple, like a smell that reminds you of spring or of your grandmother. What you’re looking for here is any free moment. A moment you would choose.”
Reminiscent of phrasing in hypnotherapy styles, the authors craft the conversational tone that is in itself poetic, compassionate, soothing and inspiring. They encourage without pressure or condemnation, posing choices and options and staying close to the principles of ACT by validating personal freedoms.
There is no regurgitation of facts or scientific literature, or pointing out of what it wrong. While deceptively simple on the surface, the delightful style could be training for therapeutic speech in general, and specifically, how to navigate the nuances of resistance.
The work addresses a serious societal issue––body image. “We’re writing this book right now because for many people, body image is a problem.” Issues with body image are both the result and cause of problems for many people in all ages and walks of life. The authors take on the issue and offer an elegant, unusual solution.
“Most of us have a vague idea of the impact on people’s lives but the authors describe it to us so we can feel it. “Millions of people will organize whole chunks of their lives today around how they feel about the way they look. They’ll wake up an hour early to style their hair or apply their makeup. They’ll change out of a shirt they love because it doesn’t look like they think it should, or they’ll skip lunch with a friend so they can fit in another workout. Some will pretend to be sick so no one wonders why they aren’t eating, and others will avoid the eyes of someone who cares about them so they don’t have to imagine what she might see.”
The authors aren’t trying to help people find a way to change how they feel about their body or to give advice on how to look better. Their approach is paradoxical. Sandoz and Troy are presenting something altogether different.
“We should go ahead and confess: this book is not about changing how you feel about your body any more than it is full of tips on how to look good. It’s worth saying again: we’re not going to teach you to like your body. We don’t think you need any more of that kind of advice. In fact, we think that if strategies for feeling better or looking better were going to help you live your life, you wouldn’t be reading this book. We wonder if there isn’t another way to let go of this struggle—a way that doesn’t depend on changing how you look or even how you feel about how you look.” The authors do not pound the ideas into the reader with logic, facts or specific rationales. They help the reader create the vision. In “Where You Could Be Headed,” they write that they are not necessarily interested in the life that your mother, or your brother, or your spouse, or partner, or teacher might want for you. “We are explicitly interested in the life you would choose, the one you would reach out and pluck from all the possibilities. The life that you would value, the life that you would work for. The life in which you could find your freedom.”
Sandoz and Dufrene write about the psychological costs, gently pointing out that some of us get through much of our day in a productive way, but “…without it being very meaningful at all. In some cases, we can get through much of our lives without even being there.”
The work seems perfectly timed and well suited for clients with eating disorders, weight-loss resistance, body-image distress, and all the related concerns, as well as being a help for those therapists treating people with these struggles.
This is a large group. A recent survey found that women spend 55 minutes a day on appearance, to “feel better about themselves.” Sixty-seven percent of adult women worry about their appearance, more than finances, health, relationships or professional success. Sixty percent of women and 36 percent of men have negative thoughts about themselves weekly. And perhaps the most alarming aspect of the research is that 78 percent of teenage girls are “plagued with this kind of self-criticism.”
Sandoz and Dufrene address this. “We are writing this book because we care about people finding freedom in their lives and because we’ve known far too many people who found themselves trapped in a struggle with their own bodies. If you know something about that struggle, and if you are ready for something different, welcome.”
Living with your Body & Other Things You Hate is structured into two parts. Part 1 includes the overview, with what definitions and theory this experiential text includes. Chapter 1, “Your Body Image,” and Chapter 2, “Letting Go of the Struggle,” compose Part 1.
Part 2, “Four Opportunities for Change,” seeks to engage the reader in the experiences of change from the standpoint of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Audio files for this practice and other practices in this book are available for download at the publisher’s website. In the first parts the authors give an interesting breakdown of some of the definitions and theory, one of the few sections like this in the text. They describe what is known as body image disturbance which can be viewed as body image distress, feeling sad, nervous, disgusted, or overwhelmed about body experiences. They also define body image distortion and body image dissatisfaction. And, they explain what is called body image avoidance, body checking, and body image investment.
These struggles can grow until “they are taking up more time and attention and energy than we’d ever dreamed,” say the authors.
Sandoz and Dufrene explain Body Image Inflexibility and how it includes narrowed attention to certain aspects of appearance, consistently painful thoughts and feelings about the body, and efforts to find relief. Included is evidence about how body image inflexibility impacts other aspects of life, how those with this struggle are more likely to have heart problems, physical illnesses, increased risk of drug use and alcohol or how it impacts relationships, sense of security, or how it leads to depression.
They show the paradoxical nature of the problem and how most approaches are backwards. “We are pretty sure we could give you tips on how to struggle better with your body image. Except here’s the deal: you’d still be struggling! This book is about trying something different, something that’s neither fixing your body nor fixing your body image. This book is about setting down your struggle with body image and living for something more than how you look or how you feel about how you look.”
In “Letting Go of the Struggle,” the authors give an overview of the approach and philosophy of ACT and point to the main concepts, including the emphasis on psychological flexibility as a principle part of psychological health. Another purpose of ACT is valued living, or living a life that is closer to the one a person would be living if the struggle did not exist, the authors explain.
Part 2 is “Four Opportunities for Change,” and provides the reader with a journey through their experiences and mental practice. Four approaches applied to body image are being present, seeing beyond your thoughts, accepting experience, and getting to know you. The authors weave ACT concepts through narrative and mental exercises to ease the reader into greater awareness and choice. Highlights include Chapter 3, where the authors walk the reader through issues of awareness, when it is scattered or stuck. In “Right Here, Right Now: Being Present,” they point out and show that many people find it difficult to be aware of their bodies without their awareness becoming stuck.
Chapter 4 is explains the concept of fusion, in “More than Words: Seeing Beyond Your Thoughts.” The authors describe fusion as when thoughts take over, impacting psychological flexibility. They note that humans are prone to this fusion, and that fused thoughts cannot be figured out, like figuring out a math problem. Fused thoughts limit the way a person can see an issue, since everything is filtered through that lens, they explain.
Sandoz and Dufrene point to the paradox and futility of trying to add opposite thoughts. “Even though it makes intellectual sense, trying to add thoughts that conflict logically with thoughts that are already there isn’t the best way to stop fusion. First, even when we’re able to flip a lens and look through it the opposite way, our world is still being filtered through that lens. And when seeing through any lens (whether it feels good or bad), we’re not experiencing the world fully.”
In the psychological flexibility model, they explain, the goal is defusion. “… to hold our thoughts in such a way that we can see what they are telling us, decide how and if they are important, and see the world around us so we can choose how to respond.”
In Chapter 5, “Opening Up: Accepting the Unacceptable,” authors help the reader understand and address experiential avoidance. Once a person is able to defuse their thoughts, what happens next is they are faced with feelings or thoughts that are painful. Experiential acceptance involves receiving experiences, whether pleasurable or painful.
“If you’re someone who struggles with body image, the situation that causes you pain is often the very body you inhabit,” the authors write, and “… there’s just no escaping your body.” From the flexibility perspective, write the authors, acceptance in not about whether something can or cannot change. Everything changes. It is not about “accepting the fact that…” something is difficult or painful. It is about accepting experiences, the flow of experiences, without avoidance, and letting go of the effort to avoid.
The additional chapters present the reader with alternatives and mental experiences for change and new options, including the ACT concept of commitment, and challenges to those commitments. The authors end each chapter with an opportunity for the reader to think about what they value and to notice how some aspect of inflexibility has interfered with moving toward that value. “…You’ve noticed the times when your awareness is scattered or stuck, and you’ve practiced being present and aware. You’ve noticed the times when you are seeing the world through your thoughts, and you’ve practiced defusing and letting the rest of the world fill in. You’ve noticed when you are in run-trap-kill mode in your own life, and you’ve practiced accepting your experiences as they unfold. You’ve noticed when you are seeing yourself and others through your thoughts, and you’ve practiced getting to know you and others as more than whatever your mind is offering in that moment.”
Living with your Body is a perfect addition to a therapeutic regimen, but it is also much more than a self- help book for body image. It is full of wisdom about accepting life first as it is, and moving in graceful parallel to its realities, creating our most meaningful journey.
It is a book for everyone.
Dr. Emilly Sandoz of the University of Louisiana Lafayette Psychology Department, and author, speaking at a past science track presentation at the Louisiana Psychological Association.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 7. Source pages: 3.
Two different bills have been prefiled in this legislative session which would qualify individuals for “provisional” licenses.
Senate Bill 157 by Senator Daniel Martiny (Metairie) would allow the state psychology board to issue a provisional license to those who are being supervised for a psychology licensure.
According to the proposed law, candidates for the provisional license in psychology will need a minimum of one year experience practicing psychology under the supervision of a psychologist or substantially equivalent as defined in the rules and regulations of the board and required as part of the doctoral degree in psychology as defined by the board, as noted in the legislative digest for the bill.
The provisional license has been a topic for the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, and topic across the nation, as to how to help speed doctoral-level individuals through the two-year supervision requirement for psychologists.
Several sources indicated to the Times that a provisional license may help these professionals while under supervision, be reimbursed for services.
In different but somewhat similar type of move, Senate Bill 194 by Senator Fred Mills would replace the title Counselor Intern with “Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor” and also the title Marriage and Family Therapist Intern with “Provisional Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.”
According to Cindy Nardini, LPC, the bill is a collaborative effort by the Louisiana Counseling Association (LCA) and the Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Nardini is Governmental Relations Chair for the LCA.
According to the legislative digest for SB 194, provisional licensed professional counselors will only use the title "provisional licensed professional counselor," and may practice mental health counseling, only under the direction and active supervision of a board approved supervisor and only while obtaining the post- graduate degree experience required for licensure as a professional counselor.
Likewise, the provisional licensed marriage and family therapists may only use the title "provisional licensed marriage and family therapist" under the direction and active supervision of a board approved supervisor and only while obtaining the post- graduate degree experience required for licensure as a marriage and family therapist.
A person with the provisional license may not practice independently or advertise themselves as able to practice independently.
Nardini explained to the Times that LCA had been approached for several years by interns who asked for the change, because the word “intern” was confusing for the public. Many were incorrectly viewed as students instead of those under supervision.
The change will not affect fees, said Nardini.
Psychology board members Dr. Darla Burnett and Dr. Phillip Griffin listen to Executive Director Kelly Parker at the February board meeting. The board is supporting a bill to give those in the post-doctoral supervision phase of licensing a “provisional” license to practice psychology.
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