Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 4. Source pages: 12.
Donna Thomas, PhD Department Chair, Psychology & Behavioral Sciences George and Jean Baldwin Endowed Associate Professor Louisiana Tech University The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
“I recently finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. It is a fascinating account of Mrs. Lacks' incredibly viable cells, harvested without her consent during her treatment for cervical cancer. Her cells have been used for years to research cancer, AIDS, gene mapping, and more; all without her knowledge and without any benefit to her or her family. Henrietta was poor, uneducated, and Black. The story of her family's struggles contrasts with the robust nature of her bodily tissues to make an intriguing story of the development of medical ethics, particularly informed consent, and a family's search for truth and understanding.”
[Editors note: Both Dr. Thomas and Dr. Hammond recommended this book, along with others. So, it is a top recommendation for psychologists!]
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 3. Source pages: 6.
The “Traveling Wall” will be in Monroe Louisiana, on Veterans Day this year also. Dr. Kelley Pears, Psychologist and PTSD/SUD Specialist in the PTSD Clinical Team at the VA in Alexandria, noted that a group from Alexandria will be traveling to see the exhibition in Monroe.
The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is a 3/5 scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. It serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by those in the Vietnam War, and honors the courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty of Vietnam Veterans. The names of the men and women who gave their lives in the Vietnam War, or who remain missing, are engraved on the Wall.
The Monroe exhibit will be from November 8 to 11, at the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 3. Source pages: 16.
Tulane University will host it “Brain & Behavior” conference on December 7 and 8, 2012, in New Orleans.
The conference theme is “60 Years of Tulane Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Brain, Behavior and Communnity.”
John Constantino, MD, the Blanche F. Ittleson Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, and Director, William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, will speak. He will deliver the invited address, “Unraveling the Genetic Structure of Autism: Implications for Causal Mechanisms, Treatment, and the Path Forward for Child Psychiatry.”
Tulane Faculty Speakers include Drs. Stacy Drury, Richard Dalton, Margaret Hauck, Michael Scheeringa, and Charles Zeanah.
Topics will also include combining clinical experience and research data, and substance abuse in adolescence.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a new online Community Provider Toolkit (www.mentalhealth.va.gov/communityproviders) aimed at delivering support, therapeutic tools, and resources to community providers treating Veterans for mental health concerns.
“Many Veterans seek mental health care at VA, yet many also choose to go to providers in their community,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “VA is committed to helping Veterans wherever they may seek care. This toolkit will enable those community providers who treat Veterans to better understand the specific issues Veterans face and help them access VA resources.”
The goal of the Community Provider Toolkit is to further enhance the delivery of mental health services to Veterans through increased communication and coordination of care between community providers and VA. It not only provides information about accessing, communicating with, and, if needed, making referrals to VA, but also provides effective tools to assist Veterans who are dealing with a variety of mental health challenges. The Community Provider Toolkit also includes sections intended to increase providers’ knowledge about military culture.
On Aug. 31, President Obama issued his historic Executive Order to improve mental health services for Veterans, Servicemembers and military families. As directed in the Executive Order, VA is hiring 1,600 new mental health professionals and 300 support staff. The Executive Order also directed a 50 percent increase in the staff of the Veterans Crisis line. Last year, VA provided quality, specialty mental health services to 1.3 million Veterans. Since 2009, VA has increased the mental health care budget by 39 percent. Since 2007, VA has seen a 35 percent increase in the number of Veterans receiving mental health services, and a 41 percent increase in mental health staff.
VA provides a comprehensive continuum of effective treatments and conducts extensive research on the assessment and treatment of PTSD and other mental health problems. Those interested in further information can go to www.mentalhealth.va.gov or www.ptsd.va.gov to find educational materials including courses for providers and best practices in mental health treatment. They can also learn more about the award-winning VA/DoD PTSD Coach Mobile App, which provides education, resources, and symptom monitoring and management strategies. Find this Community Provider Toolkit at http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/communityproviders/military.asp
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 3. Source pages: 16.
Professional Training Resources (PTR) will present “Violence Across the Lifespan” in Lafayette, Louisiana, on November, 2, 2012. The presentation will be at The Clarion Hotel.
Also in November, PTR will present “Going to Court Even Though You Don’t Want To,” coming up November 14, from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm as an online webinar.
The training schedule for Spring 2013 has been posted to PTR website, said Ms. Lisa Driscoll, Training Director for PTR.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Amid celebrations and honoring of veterans this year, there remains a concern for military men and women due to continued high suicide rates.
An August 16, 2012 press release form the Department of Defense confirmed the rising suicide rates in the military. This last July saw high numbers, and in a press release General Lloyd J. Austin, III, vice chief of staff of the Army, said in the release, “Suicide is the toughest enemy I have faced in my 37 years in the Army.”
In August this year, President Obama issued an Executive order to improve the mental health for Veterans, service members and their families. Because of this, the VA has been hiring 1,600 mental health professionals and increasing the support for the Veterans Crisis line.
But experts also say that families, communities, and private sector professionals must be fully engaged in helping also.
Using 2010 information from the CDC and Defense Department, Time Magazine noted that military suicides are high, but the causes are unclear. Time reported that suicides are 95 percent male, 95 percent enlisted, 80 percent white, and 47 percent under the age of 25. Eighty-three percent were in the US at the time of suicide. Eleven percent had combat history. Seven percent had major depression, 5 percent PTSD, and 3 percent Traumatic Brain Injury. Twenty-six percent had substance abuse.
The military site “Real Warriors” (http://www.realwarriors.net/), an initiative by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, and the recently launched Online Toolkit for Providers, notes that military training, survival skills, and the military culture may cause challenges in reintegration for returning service members.
The Times spoke with two Louisiana psychologists, Dr. Dana Boose and Dr. Andrew Thrasher, about what their perspectives and what they view as important in the Louisiana community and in efforts to assist the returning servicemen and women to transition back to home.
Dr. Dana Boose is a Clinical Psychologist in the Post Deployment Healthcare Clinic at the Alexandria VA Healthcare System. She is also commissioned as a Captain in the Louisiana Army National Guard.
PT: Can you comment on what you see as the most important things that local Louisiana psychologists and mental health professionals could do, in your opinion, to help in this area?
Dr. Boose: “ I concur … family and community connectedness and easy access to effective care are essential,” she said.
“Additionally, we as mental health professionals need to be keenly aware of the risk factors associated with suicide and need to be proactive in our care!
One of the most salient risk factors that encompasses a number of different areas includes loss-loss which can manifest itself in many different ways: death of a fellow soldier/close friend in combat, loss of a relationship upon return (marriage/friendship), loss of employment, loss of physical functioning (may have been injured during deployment), or loss of cognitive functioning (especially debilitating among young, otherwise healthy veterans who have endured a traumatic brain injury that contributes to cognitive impairment). Other relevant risk factors to include in your assessment are presence of substance abuse, access to weapons, separation or pending separation from military, and problems adjusting to their civilian roles post deployment, among others.
“Another area of impact is assisting veterans in easing their transition back to civilian life. They go through an intense train-up to deploy, but comparatively not the same amount of attention is given to assisting these veterans in understanding and learning how to adjust to assuming their roles as fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, employees, students, etc. upon their return home…many veterans experience extreme difficulty with this transition and I believe it largely contributes to exacerbation of mental health problems among our veterans.”
PT: What factors do you see as promoting the returning veterans feeling more connected and less isolated?
Dr. Boose: “Two things immediately come to mind: Veterans need support from their community–one of the biggest needs for returning veterans continues to be employment. In my work I see a positive correlation between employment and feeling connected and empowered among veterans. They need jobs when they come home. Perhaps one of the greatest ways a community could demonstrate support for their veterans is to recognize the vast training, skills and experience that our veterans gain during their military training, and assist them in job placement upon their return from duty.” “They need patience and understanding from friends and family members and their community. Unfortunately it's easy for people to make blanket statements, and sometimes family members are the worst culprits, with comments such as "he's crazy", "she's changed", or placing any number of negative labels upon a veteran without truly taking the time to understand or appreciate what he or she has been through—largely contributing to feelings of isolation and avoidance for the veteran. Take time to understand a veteran's experiences and what he or she is going through– volunteer to help veterans, spend time with them. Whenever possible, offer services to veterans in appreciation of their sacrifices–they appreciate it.
PT: I see that the VA is adding help for these veterans, and also recommending coordination between the VA and other agencies and people in the community. Do you have a comment about how that is going?
Dr. Boose: “I am excited about what the VA is doing for our veterans and their families, as well as how the VA partners with community agencies to ensure our veterans needs are met. The VA recognizes the increased need and benefit of incorporating the family into the veteran's care; to this end we are offering treatment groups specifically for spouses of veterans as well as couples counseling. Educational interventions for family members to better understand the veteran's experiences are available. The Vet Center also provides readjustment counseling and couples/family counseling. As I previously mentioned employment is an ongoing need; the VA's vocational rehabilitation program works closely with the Louisiana Workforce Commission in an attempt to locate jobs for veterans. The VA has a homeless veteran's program that works closely with local shelters and the local housing authority in Alexandria assisting veterans in securing housing. We also have a veteran's justice outreach program that works closely with our local district attorney's office and judges to identify veterans in the justice system with mental health needs and seeks to provide them with needed mental health care. As the needs of our veterans evolve I'm certain that the VA and the community will continue to think of novel ways to come together in the interest of assisting our veterans.” The Times also interviewed Dr. Andrew Thrasher. Dr. Thrasher is a licensed psychologist at the Psychotherapy Clinic, LLC, in Sulphur, Louisiana. He is a also veteran and he is member of the Give An Hour program.
PT: It looks like there are some complex things going on with the suicide rate and wonder if you can comment on that? Dr. Thrasher: “The 38th Annual National Suicide Prevention Week took place this year September the 9th through the 15th. Unfortunately, suicide is still a major concern for the nation and especially in our military. I Googled suicide in the military and, after wading through the political finger pointing (which president is at fault), found some interesting information. It seems people suffering from PTSD may have a significantly higher risk of suicide than other trauma survivors diagnosed with other psychiatric illnesses (Ferrada-Noli et al., 1998). An excellent graphic from Time http://www.time.com/time/interacti ve/0,31813,2119360,00.html breaks down military suicide data very well and also presents a few surprises. For example, only 11 percent experienced combat and as few as five percent were diagnosed with PTSD. The top two behavioral issues involved with suicide in the military were substance abuse with 26 percent and major depressive disorder with seven percent. PTSD was third with five percent.”
PT: Can you give a little perspective on yourself as a veteran?
Dr. Thrasher: “My personal experience with the military occurred when I joined the draft. For those of you unfamiliar with the term draft, it is a rather antiquated ritual that used to occur in the United States. At the age of 18, men in this country were required to sign up for the military draft and could be called into the military service at any time. To avoid any future surprises of being called to service, I volunteered for the draft to fulfill my two year obligation. I was stationed at Colorado Springs, Colorado and was rather enjoying my stint in the Army. I wanted to believe that I was protecting my country from the enemy infiltrating the ski resorts in Colorado.
“My illusion ended one morning when I was ordered to report for battle to an unknown destination in the Middle East. I was a member of the missile command which was part of the Strategic Army Corps (STRAC). Apparently, I could be deployed to battle in order to strike quickly in the case of a military emergency. The emergency was called off and I was not deployed; however, I vividly remember standing in line, with my rifle, at the airport preparing to board a military plane. Even though I was a soldier, I was completely unprepared to go into battle. I am sure that the stress of just thinking about going into battle caused me some degree of PTSD. I can only imagine the horror of being involved in combat and will always have a warm spot for those that served our country in this manner.”
PT: How are you currently involved with assisting the military?
Dr. Thrasher: “My current involvement with the military involves volunteer work with Give an Hour http://www.giveanhour.org/.
“This is a worthwhile organization that gives psychologists an opportunity to give back to the troops that were deployed and are now integrating back into civilian life.”
Dr. Dana Boose is a Clinical Psychologist in the Post Deployment Healthcare Clinic at the Alexandria VA Healthcare System. She is also a Captain in the Louisiana Army National Guard. She talked with Times about the ways to help veterans readjust to civilian life. Photo taken earlier this year at events of the 2225th Bridge Company in Marrero, LA. (Courtesy photo)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 3. Source pages: 16.
The Louisiana Psychological Association On-Line Academy is providing Home Study Courses of its past webinar presentations. These include topics on Dreamwork in Therapy, Sleep Medicine, and Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Contact LPA for further information.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 3. Source pages: 8.
The Louisiana Psych- ological Association hosted a webinar training event for psychologists in Georgia, titled, “Clinical and Forensic Aspects of a Social Security Psychological Consultative Examination: An Ethical Approach.” The event took place on October 20, 2012.
The presenter was Michael Chafetz, PhD, ABPP, who presented his research and continuing investigation of classification accuracy with social security disability claimants. Dr. Chafetz discussed the roles and boundaries of professional psychologists, different approaches to noncredible behaviors and why one type is more prevalent in disability. He also addressed special problems inherent in the assessment of low- functioning claimants.
Dr. Chafetz presented this track of research as an invited presenter at the American Psychological Association last year.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 3. Source pages: 8.
In the spring legislative session Senator Mills authored a Senate Resolution to urge the Department of Health and Hospitals to take a more active stand in the prevention of disease model, and specifically in the building of awareness of deficiency of vitamin D.
The resolution pointed to a list of research findings suggesting that deficiency of vitamin D, which is made by human skin during and after exposure to “high- angle sunshine” and ultraviolet B light, is related to a variety of health issues.
The resolution urged the awareness of the health benefits of vitamin D and its relationship to health and disease, including the “increased chances of cancer survival with sufficient levels of vitamin D.”
Sen Mills noted the importance of D in the prevention of Rickets, bone disease, and influenza compared to other school children. Also he noted a 2010 article published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine that reported a study in Egypt that found that children without autism had blood serum levels of vitamin D averaging 40.1 ng/ml, and children with autism had significantly lower blood serum levels of vitamin D, averaging 28.5 ng/ml.
He also noted studies having to do with vitamin D for the first year of life and being less likely to develop type I diabetes by the age of thirty; that females who received regular vitamin D supplementation during the first years of life are fifty percent less likely to develop preeclampsia in their first pregnancy; and a 2009 study at the Medical University of South Carolina found that pregnant women who took 4,000 IU a day of vitamin D during pregnancy had a fifty percent reduction in the rate of premature births and delivered fewer babies with low birth weight than women who took 400 IU a day of vitamin D.
A study of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared cancer rates of a group of post- menopausal women taking 1,100 IU of vitamin D supplements in combination with calcium, to cancer rates of a group taking a placebo, and that found the risk of developing any cancer after four years was sixty percent lower in the group taking vitamin D.
Another study presented at American Association for Cancer Research found that blood serum levels of vitamin D of at least 50 ng/ml were associated with an eighty- three percent reduction in the incidence of breast cancer compared to blood serum levels of vitamin D of 25 ng/ml.
Many more articles were mentioned in the resolution, which can be found on the legislative website as SR 22.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 3. Source pages: 8.
Dr. Michael Chafetz presented a special review of his research on malingering in social security disability for Senator Thomas Coburn’s Congressional Office members. The online presentation took place on September 26, 2012, hosted by the LPA On-Line Academy.
Dr. Chafetz is a clinical, neuropsychological, and forensic psychologist working in New Orleans. He is board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology and a reviewer for Applied Neuropsychology, Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. He has published numerous articles in refereed journals, including To Work Or Not To Work: Motivation (Not Low IQ) Determines SVT Findings (Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 26, 306- 313), and The Psychological Consultative Examination for Social Security Disability (Psychological Injury and Law, in press). He presented “The Role of the Psychologists in the Psychological Consultative Examination for Social Security Disability,” an invited talk at the 2011 APA Annual Convention for the Division of Neuropsychology. He serves on the Board of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology.
Dr. Chafetz was named Louisiana Distinguished Psychologist for 2012 by LA Psychological Assn in the spring.
Dr. Susan Dardard speaks with Dr. Michael Chafetz at an LPA Conference.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 3. Source pages: 9.
Interest around the country is growing regarding electronic means of engaging with clients. Last month the president of Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology indicated that guidelines being developed by different groups may impact IO psychologists. The American Psychological Association and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, have attention focused on these issues.
The Louisiana psychology board published Opinion 13 this past April, saying that “… in order to practice telepsychology within the State of Louisiana, one must hold a current, valid license issues by the Louisiana State Board of Examiners or shall be a supervisee of a license being deldgate telepsychology practices.”
The Opinion also noted, “… this rule does not authorize licensees to practice telepsychology in service to clients domiciled in jurisdictions other than Louisiana …”
Confusion still exists however, whether telepsychology is only mental health, or if it involves general applied psychology. Most definitions suggest that these are not included, but this remains unclear and matter some are concerned about.
At the same time, the ASPPB received a grant to help with license portability and ways to promote the use of telehealth technologies.
The Times talked with Dr. Rober Glueckauf, of the Department of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences at Florida State University about a tele- psychology study that he is assisting with for Florida State University, College of Medicine. He told the Times, the purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics, opinions and online experiences of mental health professionals who either use or plan to use technology in providing online counseling services. We are interested in identifying the types of technologies they are currently using and their awareness of laws, regulations, standards and guidelines applicable to the provision of online counseling.”
The target populations for the study are professionals, such as psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, nurse practitioners, marriage and family counselors, mental health and drug counselors, faith- based (religious) practitioners, and psychiatrists providing mental health services. (See box on this page.)
Survey: “What Do You Think About Telepsychology?”
Have you provided telepsychology services to clients? Do know someone who has? Are you interested in or considering providing telepsychology services? You are invited to participate in a brief online survey assessing the characteristics, opinions and experiences of mental health professionals who currently provide or intend to provide online counseling services.
Telepsychology and online counseling services are increasingly becoming more common and available to the general public. However, relatively little is known about the professionals providing online services, their training and knowledge, the types of services they are providing and technologies being used. This study is a collaborative effort among researchers at the Florida State University College of Medicine and Kansas University Medical Center, and the TeleMental Health Institute.
The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. The survey questions do not require disclosure of personal information and your identity and responses will remain anonymous. Summary results of the survey will be available at www.SelfhelpMagazine.com after the study is complete.
To complete the survey go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HXLBVJ6
If you have any questions about the study or need further information, please feel free to contact the principal investigator, Dr. Marlene Maheu, http://support.telementalhealth.com
* Telepsychology services include counseling services offered at a distance using telecommunication technologies, such as telephone, email, and videoconferencing.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
The Louisiana Attorney General issued an Opinion on October 12, 2012 after reviewing objections submitted last year by the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP) about rules for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs), put forth by the Counselors state board.
The Attorney General (AG) found no problem with the rules, and summarized, “The permitted scope of practice of licensed marriage and family therapists includes the assessment and treatment of emotional, behavioral, personality, and mental disorders, subject to the specific limitations …” And that “The training require- ments set forth” in the rules “are consistent with the statutory scope of practice of licensed marriage and family therapists, do not expand said statutory scope of practice by rule, are not violative of the prohibition on the unlicensed practice of psychology, and do not require training in areas that an LMFTs would be prohibited from exercising.” The original request was submitted last year, according to LSBEP Executive Director Kelly Parker. It was signed by then Chair Dr. Tony Young and listed four objections:
“(1) the rules impose training requirements that are inconsistent with the statutory definition, treatment population, and scope of practice of an LMFT; (2) the rules expand the scope of practice of LMFTs by rule; (3) the rules constitute a violation of the statutes that govern the practice of psychology; and (4) the rules require training to qualify for licensure in areas that LMFTs would be prohibited from exercising.”
According to the AG, the LSBEP’s main reasoning for the objections was that “the proposed coursework requirements would expand, by rule, the scope of practice of LMFTs to include assessment, treatment planning, and treatment of mental, intellectual, emotional, or behavioral disorders. The LSBEP avers that this expanded scope of practice is outside the therapeutic focus of an LMFT …”
The AG examined the issue of scope of practice for LMFTs, noting “The definition very clearly includes assessment and treatment, but omits diagnosis from the scope of practice.”
Then, by comparing the definition of MFT with the definition of mental health counseling services, “which is found in the same statute, we see that the latter specifically includes mental and emotional disorders in the scope of practice of Licensed Professional Counselors (“LPCs”): …” wrote Charles Belsom, on behalf of James Caldwell.
The AG sets out a detailed argument including, “First, the statute does not use the term therapeutic; rather, it uses the term ‘psychotherapeutic.’” And, “Furthermore, the statute does not limit the scope of practice to marriage and family systems and the treatment thereof; the statute includes ‘psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques.’ Id. (emphasis added). Finally, the statute quite plainly includes ‘assessment and treatment’ within the scope of practice of an LMFT. Id.”
The AG writes that “It is apparent that the term psychotherapeutic by its very definition involves emotional, behavioral, personality, and mental disorders. The inclusion of psychotherapeutic in the definition of marriage and family therapy therefore indicates that the scope of practice for LMFTs does include the assessment and treatment of emotional, behavioral, personality, and mental disorders.”
And that, “LMFTs cannot independently assess or treat persons with serious mental disorders. The regulatory scheme for LMFTs is found in Chapter 13 of Title 37 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. The definition of “[m]ental health counseling services” within that chapter specifies that no person licensed under Chapter 13 can work with an individual suffering from a serious mental illness unless the individual is under the concurrent care of a psychiatrist (or other qualified practitioner), and the licensee is collaborating with said qualified practitioner: …”
The AG found no evidence that training set out in the rules should be a concern, writing“ … an LMFT is likely to treat patients who are on medication that has been prescribed by a qualified individual, and is likely to treat patients with serious mental illnesses concurrently with a psychiatrist or other qualified person in accordance with La. R.S. 37:1103(7). In these cases, instruction in psychopharmacology and the full content of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders would prove useful, and perhaps necessary, to an LMFT.”
“It is true that the LPC Board cannot expand the statutory scope of practice of LMFTs by rule. Nevertheless, as explained in the preceding paragraphs, these rules do not require instruction in any matters that are outside the statutory scope of practice of an LMFT.”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 3. Source pages: 9.
In this month’s Gumbo, I asked Dr. Gary Pettigrew, a classmate of mine from LSU to review an article that I think is important. Cognitive psychology is showing us more and more the implicit mind is at work, thank you very much Sigmund. This article grabbed my attention last year, but it popped back in while I was writing the article on veterans, and the alarmingly high suicide rates. Gary has made a study of implicit cognitive psychology, and I’m delighted he agreed to look at this article for us. He has some important links in his comment below.
• “Measuring the Suicidal Mind: Implicit Cognition Predicts Suicidal Behavior” – Journal of Psychological Science, 2010. M. Nock, et al.
Researchers found implicit associations exceed the predictive validity of known risk factors in suicide.
“The Implicit Association Test (IAT) presents one or two categories on the upper left and upper right side of a computer screen, into which the participant classifies a target word shown center screen by pressing a key on the left or a key on the right. Target words are presented in random order, and categories occasionally switch sides in a counterbalanced manner. For the suicide IAT, for example, the categories DEATH and NOT ME might appear on the left, while LIFE and ME are shown upper right. The target word "myself" is correctly classified by pressing the right-hand key, as it belongs to one of the categories on that side. After all trials, if it was much easier (more efficient in speed and accuracy) to classify ME words when that category was on the same side as the DEATH category, a strong implicit (subconscious) association between those categories would be calculated for the patient performing this task.
“A recent Psychological Science article (Nock et al., 2010) reported that patients presenting to the emergency department after a suicide attempt had a significantly stronger implicit association between ME and DEATH than those with other psychiatric complaints.
“More impressively, this association predicted future suicide attempts during six-month follow-up better than the patient's own prediction or other clinical factors studied. Patients with this IAT result were six times more likely to make another attempt. Previous IAT studies have also shown potential for clinical utility, including the issues of anxiety, alcoholism, emotional self-regulation, and self esteem.
“Downloadable research articles can be found at http://www.projectimplicit.net/papers.html and a Windows computer application to use the IAT method may be downloaded from http://www.savetimesoftware.com/ ”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
The Children’s Cabinet launched its “Louisiana Kid’s Dashboard” on October 9, 2012, a continuing step in the Cabinet’s efforts to coordinate and engage agencies, policy makers, families and the larger community, with the goal of improving conditions for Louisiana’s children.
The Children’s Cabinet is part of the Office of the Governor, and Dr. Tiffany Simpson, a graduate of the University of New Orleans psychology department, is the Executive Director.
The Cabinet was created in 1998 by legislation. Development was prompted by the awareness that a better coordination of efforts were needed in Louisiana to improve the systems of juvenile justice, child welfare, and education, according to the website introduction. Dr. Simpson obtained her doctorate in psychology from the University of New Orleans. She worked closely with her major professor and current Chair of the psychology department, Dr. Paul Frick. Dr. Frick is an international expert in child behavior and psychological factors that impact adolescent behavior.
The Times asked Dr. Simpson how her training in psychology has helped her with the challenges of her role as Director of the Children’s Cabinet.
“Most of the work I’ve done, including in graduate school,” Dr. Simpson told the Times, “was in the juvenile justice area. In juvenile justice you have an understanding of the broader view, you aren’t stuck in one box,” she explained.
“I’ve realized that in order to impact the justice system,” she said, “you have to understand the other factors––how important education is, the impact of poverty on children and families, the impact of poor health outcomes, …”
This broad perspective may be essential in Dr. Simpson’s complex role. The main objective of the Cabinet is to coordinate five state departments that provide services and set policies for children and adolescents. These are the Departments of Education, Health and Hospitals, Children and Family Services, Office of Juvenile Justice and the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board is composed of thirty-eight representatives from all over the state and in all capacities. The Children’s Cabinet is also responsible for making funding recommendations to the Governor, and also for the Children’s Budget, part of the General Appropriation Act of the state legislature.
Coordinating the variety of data and views requires a certain perspective, something for which Simpson’s background in psychology has helped prepare her. “I’m able to see how many factors come together and this helps me to understand what can drive change,” Simpson explained to the Times.
The Louisiana Kid’s Dashboard is an example of this integrated effort, using web-based technologies to help coordinate ideas, services, and feedback of key indicators to help promote positive change.
In October the Children’s Cabinet launched the Kid’s Dashboard, a lively, user-friendly, and educational website that links important information and tracking of information for citizens, families, policymakers, and those interested in helping improve the lives of Louisiana youngsters.
The Dashboard brings together, in one place and in a comfortable, understandable format, key indicators such as health outcomes, educational progress, and economic variables. Visitors can review the status of important conditions for children’s well-being and how the state compares nationally.
Indicators in the topic of health care, for example, include “Low Birth-Weight Babies.” For education, “Students Will Graduate On-Time” is included. The category for well- being includes “Child Support Collections.” Visitors can see at a glance that these factors are going in a positive direction. But, “Children in Poverty,” is flat and no change has occurred from baseline. This can provide accurate feedback to help focus efforts and review programs.
All indicators have a section on the Dashboard so that data can be downloaded from the site, with an explanation of the measure and how it is calculated. And, there are links to the five state agencies.
The Times asked Dr. Simpson how the project was created. “We were thinking ‘where do we want to go, what is our direction?’” she said. “So I met with every member of the Cabinet individually and talked about the direction we wanted to go.”
“Every single one of them said, ‘We want to look at outcomes.’”
“At that same time,” Simpson explained, “the current Chief Justice [Catherine Kimball], who was not a member of the Cabinet, had a conversation with the Secretary of DHH and with the Governor.”
“The Chief Justice wanted to know what we could do to improve our ranking, how we could not be 49th or near the bottom, in nearly every indicator. She felt we needed to do something to really improve the well-being of children in Louisiana. And, she talked with the Governor about her ideas.”
Then when Simpson spoke with the Governor, everything came together. “It was almost like an ‘ah ha moment.’” Simpson said. “The Children’ Dashboard came from those discussions.”
“We wanted to involve the community. We knew that until we could get the community involved, we were really not going to get the change we wanted,” she said.
“We wanted to create the Dashboard and use the real-time indicators …,” she explained to the Times. “We could use it as an internal tool to track indicators, but also we felt it could be a way to really drive change.”
The Kid’s Dashboard is found at www.kidsdashboard.la.gov
In October the Children’s Cabinet launched the Kid’s Dashboard, a creation of the Children’s Cabinet and Executive Director Dr. Tiffany Simpson, to help drive positive change. The Dashboard helps coordinate a variety of data points and links agencies together with the same information. The Children’s Cabinet is a policy office in the Office of the Governor, created by the legislature in 1998. Dr. Simpson works closely with five departments that provide services to children in the state. These are the Department of Education, Health and Hospitals, the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Public Safety and Corrections, and Social Services. Dr. Simpson received her doctorate in psychology from the University of New Orleans. For the Dashboard go to http://www.kidsdashboard.la.gov/ Dr. Tiffiany Simpson, Executive Director of the Children’s Cabinet. Dr. Simpson studied with Dr. Paul Frick at the University of New Orleans.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.