Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 1. Source pages: 9.
“How are we as psychologists to regard a discipline that succeeds primarily in speaking to itself?” This was a 1995 comment by Gergen, repeated by Sommer in his 2006 APA article about getting the word out. Novelist Doris Lessing said, “It is one of the paradoxes of our time that ideas capable of transforming our societies, full of insights about how the human animal actually behaves and thinks, are often presented in unreadable language.” Dr. Katie Cherry, LSU Professor, is doing her best to get the word out in an understandable way with her newest book, The Other Side of Suffering. Dr. Cherry crafted the book to be helpful for the general public by sharing her academic and experiential knowledge. We are thankful for her continuing effort to educate the public how about psychology!
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 1. Source pages: 11.
One of the most serious problems in health and mental health is the science–practice gap, the divide between research literature and applied interventions. The gap is everywhere and believed to be responsible for the finding that a large proportion of clinicians do not use evidenced-based treatments. Dr. Amanda Raines, Clinical Investigator at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System and Assistant Professor at LSU, is reducing that gap with her community connections and involvement efforts. A distinguished scientist herself, she directed and promoted training programs through the Louisiana Psychological Association, connecting practitioners with research scientists from across the state, and obtained rave reviews for her efforts. Well done!
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 1. Source pages: 12.
It takes vision and the entrepreneurial spirit to begin to talk about how to adapt to the new social and business environment caused by the virus. That is exactly what the industrial organizational psychology team of Dr. Costello and Mr. Stood did when they focused on how to make changes in occupational choices, for both readers and their clients. Thanks to these visionaries for keeping us at the transformational view of the world––and for supporting the optimism that comes with that perspective!
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 14.
A Simple Act of Gratutude
“A Simple Act of Gratitude,” emphasized that when one focuses on giving thanks, even for the ‘smallest’ things, over time positive changes will occur internally, which then makes for external transformation of how you see your life, and the world around you.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 14.
This delightful small coffee table book contains 63 bite size pieces of advice from Saltz organized into six steps to becoming an artist. He includes artistic exercises for some of his pointers. While the exercises are mainly for visual artists, his concepts are for artists of all sorts and apply to anyone who relies on creativity for their craft, regardless of the medium or discipline. Saltz reflects on his own story and draws inspiration from musicians, scientists, and writers, as well as visual artists. Photographs of artists, their works, and anecdotes from their lives effectively illustrate his points. The tone is encouraging and motivating. The advice is a mix of practical suggestions, timeless truths, and sage advice. It’s one of those books you can randomly open to any page for an inspirational quote or idea. Tip #60 You Must Prize Radical Vulnerability. Saltz defines this as “…following your work into the darkest or most dangerous corners of your psyche, revealing things about yourself that you don’t want to reveal but that your work requires you to, and allowing yourself the potential of disappointment.”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 14.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The
To say that the year 2020 was a little wild is kind of like saying the sky is a little blue. Life didn’t get thrown sideways. The fabric of society, in almost every aspect world wide, has had to adjust to a new normal. And frankly, we’ve all had our struggles with this adjustment. Work, family, friends, traditions, have all been impacted in some way. Many of us have experienced a loss, either directly or indirectly. People look for ways to settle their mind. Yes, I know some folks head for the higher octane beverages or food, but I’m trying to keep this G rated. When I think of ways to soothe the soul, I think of a good cup of tea, tasty treat (hey I’m Southern and food is a wonderful part of our culture), crafts, and of course, a good book. Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Joy of Christmas: 101 Holiday Tales of Inspiration, Love and Wonder, edited by Amy Newmark is a lovely collection of stories about the holidays. These stories cover a multitude of holiday topics, including gifts, miracles, family, memories, traditions and decorating. For me, the decorating stories and those from a child’s perspective are the most salient. It brings to mind some of the traditions my husband and I are sharing with our young child, and her joy and enthusiasm at Christmas are infectious. The story of the Barbie Christmas Tree had me thinking of my little one and how fast the dolls would come off the tree. The story of Perfectly Imperfect particularly struck me as the author describes her mother-in- law’s NOEL decoration that was missing a letter. The point of the short little story really struck home this season. Here, the author speaks of how an imperfect holiday set resembles a family. How family is not perfect, but it is still family. Life isn’t perfect, but people can be resilient and go on.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 16.
According to a press release from the governor last month, Louisiana leaders launched an innovative program to hone the entrepreneurial skills of veterans who start a business in the state. Pathway to Assist Veteran Entrepreneurs, or PAVE, is a partnership of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, Louisiana Economic Development, the Louisiana National Guard and the Louisiana Small Business Development Center Network. PAVE begins with three online courses available 24 hours a day. Upon completing that self-paced training, veterans register for a virtual boot camp. Following the interactive boot camp, each veteran receives ongoing support from a designated counselor in the LSBDC Network. The program is open to Louisiana military personnel or veterans who intend to start a business.
"Through service to their nation, our men and women in uniform have gained unparalleled skills, including leadership, management, assertiveness and technical training, all of which suit them for turning business plans into reality," said Gov. John Bel Edwards. "I am proud to join with state leaders to announce the launch of the Pathway to Assist Veteran Entrepreneurs Program, which will equip our veteran entrepreneurs with the resources they need to see their businesses grow and thrive."
"The PAVE Program is a tremendous addition to resources available for our Louisiana veterans," said LDVA Secretary Joey Strickland, who is a retired U.S. Army colonel. "I commend Secretary Pierson, a veteran himself, his team at Louisiana Economic Development and also the Louisiana Small Business Development Center for their hard work. This comprehensive, hands-on platform will greatly assist our aspiring veteran entrepreneurs in a way that we have not experienced before." PAVE is open to active-duty personnel and reservists in good standing, as well as veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 2.
Last week the Trump election defense team brought out their witnesses before committees of the Pennsylvania and Arizona legislatures. Witnesses told their stories, describing various misbehaviors such as obstructing poll watchers, adding signatures, and rerunning stacks of ballots. There were accounts of very strange things, such as the truck driver who testified that he drove a shipment of ballots from New York to Pennsylvania. For me, the cyber security experts and statisticians were the most interesting. These technocrats have been conducting all sorts of cool research on the voter datasets. My very most favorite “fact" from the plethora of statistics that the geeks showered on us was the analyses demonstrating that at certain times, more votes were recorded than was mechanically possible for the machines.
My second most favorite was the pattern analyses. The third most interesting theme to me are the claims that the Dominion voting machines were rigged and linked to bad actors in foreign countries, made even more entertaining by Dominion officials refusing to show up and answer questions at these hearings.
All very interesting news. What is most interesting to a system theorist is that none of this is being covered by the major media outlets. More than 70,000,000 people in the United States might be at least slightly interested in what is going on here. A Shakespearean three act drama, with mystery, villains, and heroes. And it is unfolding at a breakneck speed, with a cast of characters all under the clock. It is completely newsworthy. CNN didn't air the Giuliani–Powell press conference because, they say, it was "bananas." Setting aside the problem in logic of how do you know if something is bananas before you even see it, Scott Adams pointed out that most of the American public would probably want to see something that's "bananas." At least it can't be as boring as more Covid news. Ignoring this story may not be hurting the big blue channels but it seems to be impacting Fox News rather dramatically. The small news outlets are doing whirlwind business, catching the disgruntled viewers. Newsmax is booming. You can even find bits and pieces of reporting from Sky News (Australia) and something called NDT. Apparently anybody with a video recorder can report on news these days. I really love this free market experience. So why the media blackout in coverage? Several possibilities come to my mind. First, it might be a case of simple "Information avoidance." Journalism no longer exists as a real job, reporting these days is more of a personal-opinion type of activity. So, people may be taking this very personally and just not wanting to hear any contradictory information or bad news. Who likes to feel bad? Secondly, they could believe, wrongly, that giving a voice to an opponent creates more conflict. So their intuition says to suppress discussion of the matter. I see this often in people who are high in the conflict avoidance, often tender-minded people. However, suppressing discussion just doesn't work long-term. The third reason is more dark. The news outlets are engaging in 1984 Ministry of Truth type censorship for some nefarious purpose. They want to manipulate people's thinking to achieve some goal of self interest. We're not supposed to think for ourselves. Regardless of anything else, whether the play is Hamlet, Macbeth, or A Midsummer Night's Dream, there's one thing that all psychologists can agree on––censorship is bad and freedom of information is good. When Trump was elected in 2016, the progressives had so much trouble believing that he had been actually chosen fairly that they created a narrative that he must have somehow colluded with Russia. That went on for 3-1/2 years. So, the conservatives are due their time in the land of disbelief. If there is fraud, then conservatives will be doing us all a great service by uncovering it.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 16.
On November 6, Gov. Edwards announced his appointments to the Climate Initiatives Task Force, which will recommend strategies to cut statewide net greenhouse gas emissions among other issues relating to how the climate affects Louisiana. The Gov. called on leaders from across government, the private sector, academic institutions, and civil society to follow the science to arrive at policies able to help reduce Louisiana's contributions to global climate change while fully recognizing Louisiana's climate vulnerabilities and its industrial and economic characteristics. "By engaging stakeholders from all sides of this issue in the development of these policies, we will take a comprehensive look at how to best meet the challenges of the future. I know we can achieve consensus on the most important points because I know we all want a better future for Louisiana and its people," said Gov. Edwards.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 3.
On November 25, Gov. Edwards announced that he had requested a Major Disaster Declaration, formally requesting direct assistance to those people and communities impacted by Hurricane Zeta. Hurricane Zeta made landfall in Lafourche Parish on October 28 as a very strong Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph. In addition, the same areas hit by Zeta are also still recovering from Category 4 Hurricane Laura, Category 2 Hurricane Delta and the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. "Hurricane Zeta was the third storm within two months to wreak havoc on communities that were already in the process of rebuilding their homes and businesses damaged by two previous storms," said Gov. Edwards. "Zeta landed as a strong Category 2 storm but was likely a Category 3 hurricane and brought considerable damage to the impacted areas." The Governor is specifically requesting Individual Assistance for Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and Terrebonne Parishes (6); debris removal (Category A) for Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and St. Charles Parishes (6); emergency protective measures (Category B), including direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program for Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Livingston, Lafayette, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana Parishes (35); and Hazard Mitigation statewide. Earlier in November, Melissa Wilkins, MPA, FEMA Public Affairs Specialist, provided an update for hurricanes Laura and Delta.
* For Hurricane Laura, FEMA has put $185 million in the hands of survivors, $127 million for housing assistance and $59 million for other needs assistance. * Additionally, the SBA has approved almost $407 million in low interest loans. * FEMA has registered 220,855 households for Hurricane Laura. * For survivors of Hurricane Delta, FEMA has put more than $6 million in the hands of survivors, $5 million for housing assistance and $985 thousand for other needs assistance. * Additionally, the SBA has approved $3 million in low interest loans. * FEMA has registered 31,885 households for Hurricane Delta.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 4.
On November 19, Gov. Edwards and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson welcomed the award of $2.4 million in federal funds to spur business recovery throughout Louisiana in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. LED will match $600,000 in state funds for a $3 million initiative. The department will work with economic developers statewide on recovery-focused efforts to retain and attract small and large businesses. "We are deeply appreciative of this EDA technical assistance grant and what it can do for business recovery throughout our state," Gov. Edwards said. "As we continue to chart a path toward COVID- 19 health recovery, we also are mindful of the major impact this health crisis has had upon the businesses of Louisiana. LED will work with its regional and local partners across the state to fund meaningful economic development programs that can secure jobs and investment for our economy."
The EDA grant represents $2.4 million in CARES Act recovery assistance, part of a $1.5 billion package of economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. In Louisiana, LED will survey key economic development organizations and small business service-providers to identify COVID- 19 recovery projects. Those efforts will focus on local projects designed to have maximum impact on the state's economic recovery.
Louisiana Economic Development is responsible for strengthening the state's business environment and creating a more vibrant Louisiana economy. LED cultivates jobs and economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana, and promotes business opportunity for employers of all sizes. LED's Small Business Services team, in partnership with the Louisiana Small Business Development Center Network, assisted more than 10,700 Louisiana small businesses and entrepreneurs in 2019. For more information, go to OpportunityLouisiana.com .
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 6.
In October, a key contributor to the opioid addiction crisis, Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, agreed to plead guilty to three federal criminal charges relating to its role in the opioid crisis. Charges included violating the federal anti- kickback law, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and violating the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, according to several reports on the web. Purdue is supposed to pay $8.3 billion in fines, forfeiture of past profits and also included are civil liability payments. According to reports the company does not have the liquid assets to pay the fine and so will be dissolved. has been reported that the assets will be used to create a public benefit company that pays for addiction treatment.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 6.
From the Minutes Selected Items from July 2020 Minutes of the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP)
Friday, July 17, 2020 (Published November 6, 2020)
Dr. Henke was voted Board Chairperson and Dr. Gibson Vice-Chairperson. Dr. Henke addressed the board: I am going to speak about five goals I have for this year but please know that this is not an exhaustive list. There are many important objectives the Board continues to work to achieve. My first goal dates back to my original platform in 2016. This platform, supported by LPA, included my resistance to the EPPP-2 as an unnecessary burden that would further impede access to services by adding an expensive and poorly planned barrier to licensure. I aim to continue to work collaboratively with ASPPB to incorporate more flexibility in their implementation of this exam and support consumers of psychological services by ensuring barriers to licensure are high enough to protect the public but do not serve as an unnecessary obstacle for our newest licensees. My second goal has become clearer […] Licensees seem to want more support from LSBEP in meeting and maintaining the necessary standards to maintain licensure. So, it is my goal that we continue to develop and expand our Juris Prudence exam […] A third goal for this year includes opening discussion regarding specialty designations and their utility. […] My fourth goal centers around enhanced communication between the Board and licensees. […] I'll end my last goal and this statement with my official theme for the year, courtesy of our Public Member, Mr. Chance McNeely. That theme is "Step Into the Present." Oftentimes, government and administrative agency progress is painstakingly slow. However, we have an opportunity to step into the present by automating more of our processes and utilizing technology to reduce administrative burden from both Board staff and licensees. Dr. Henke exercised her privilege and made the following committee appointments: 1. Finance Committee – Henke and Gibson 2. Oral Examination Committee – Gormanous and Moore 3. Jurisprudence Examination Committee – Gibson, Moore and Harness 4. Legislative Oversight Committee – Henke, Gormanous and McNeely 5. Liaison to Professional Organizations and Boards – Gormanous, Moore and Harness 6. Public and Professional Outreach Committee – Henke, Moore and McNeely 7. Continuing Professional Development Committee – Henke, Gibson and Harness 8. Supervision/Credentials Committee – Henke and Moore 9. Complaints Committee – Henke and Gibson Long Range Planning Committee -Gormanous and Gibson 5. Legislative Oversight Committee – Update on AdHoc Legislative Collaborative Committee (ALCC) – Ms. Monic reported that the ALCC has continued to meet and discuss the proposed legislation. The ALCC has not completed its review for a final recommendation. The committee will be meeting in August and will have Attorney Courtney Newton available to answer legal questions. 6. Liaison to Professional Organizations and Boards – The committee discussed the new composition noting that Dr. Harness would focus on LPA and the National Register, Dr. Moore would keep up to date on APA and APPIC developments and Dr. Gormanous would focus on APA and ASPPB updates.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 8.
According to Dr. Thomas Levy, gradate from Tulane medical school, inhaling a very diluted concentration of hydrogen peroxide through a nebulizer may be an effective way to prevent, or even treat, the Coronavirus. This home treatment, first introduced by Dr. Charles Farr in the early 90s, requires only two things; a nebulizer (with a face mask) and food grade hydrogen peroxide, diluted to .1 percent (one tenth of one percent), making it easier to carry out than most at- home coronavirus treatments, according to authors. The hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) consists of a water molecule with an extra oxygen atom. It is the oxygen that inactivates the virus by breaking down its structure. According to an article by authors at Mercola, breathing in this diluted version of hydrogen peroxide allows it to travel into the mouth, nose, and lung. Then the hydrogen peroxide works in a similar way as soap works, by dissolving the fatty coating of the coronavirus infected cells. "Effective hydrogen peroxide nebulization quite literally, 'chops the head off of the snake,' and the virus present elsewhere in the body can then readily be mopped up when the new virus influx has been terminated," Levy notes in the Mercola article. "It should be kept in mind that hydrogen peroxide kills pathogens very readily upon contact in an open wound. It should, therefore, be understandable why putting a fine mist of hydrogen peroxide in all the areas of maximal viral replication promptly puts the body on a pathway to rapid healing." The American Journal of Infection Control found that H202 can inactivate 99% of a virus on surfaces after 2.5 minutes of exposure. Researchers at the Journal of Hospital Infection, found similar results, after testing with H202 and stainless steel. A study conducted in 1997 concluded that vaporized H202 was effective against many exotic animal viruses.
[Note: Consult your physician before using any of the techniques described in this article. Go to Mercola.com to read the full article.]
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 12. Source pages: 13.
As a long term fan of Esther the Wonder Pig on faceboook I finally got around to reading the two books about her and her adoption by Steve and Derek. The two books are: Esther the Wonder Pig, changing the world one heart at a time, and Happily Ever Esther, two men, a wonder pig and their life saving mission to give animals a home. When Steve and Derek adopted Esther they thought she was a baby mini pig. Things worked out differently. She currently weighs 700 or 800 lbs. What fascinated me about the books were two things. The first was getting to know a pig by proxy. I never have had that opportunity. The second was even more fascinating, getting to know the men who adopted her. As a result of their relationship with the pig both men became vegetarians, gave up successful careers, bought a farm mainly with money from Esther’s fan club (of thousands) and built a place for homeless and unwanted animals. A breathtaking change.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.