Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 4. Source pages: 3.
– Letter to the Editor – A Professional Crisis
We are all absorbed in our personal and professional struggles to deal with Covid 19. But there is another crisis, less dramatic but very real, that cries for our attention.
Consider what will become of “professional” psychology if the university, including academic psychology, continues its collapse into a job preparation enterprise.
Academic psychology, from its outset, was focused on research—a good thing—and training students who looked forward to becoming professors like their mentors.
The post WW II development of professional psychology programs and academic psychology’s focus on research obscured the centrality of and interest in human nature as central to the liberal arts.
A rot set in.
Academic psychology forgot the liberal arts mission of undergraduate education: contributing to what Cardinal Newman called “cultivation of the intellect for its own sake.” Its aim became preparing them to apply to graduate programs.
Professional schools of Psychology emerged, committed, not to the liberal arts, but to the preparation of practitioners.
My professional life has always included both full time university teaching and clinical practice. I view the rise of professional schools of psychology and the addiction to prescription privileges as cultural diseases.
As the university collapses into a credentialing store, professional psychology will devolve into something like chiropracty or naturopathy or life coaching.
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. 4. Source pages: 3.
A new survey conducted by the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association (LOGA) reveals the back-to-back knock out punches caused by COVID-19 and the oil glut generated by the Saudis and Russians could prove to be potentially fatal for many independent energy producers and service companies and the thousands of workers they employ across the state.
The survey shows that without some kind of emergency relief, energy producers may be forced to shut-in more than half of the wells they currently operate in Louisiana and potentially reduce their workforce by as much as 70 percent over the next 90 days.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, there are 33,650 oil and gas wells currently operating in the state. As many as 16,800 of those could be shut in according to survey respondents.
The operation of these wells directly employs approximately 33,900 workers. Based on survey projections, more than 23,000 jobs, which generate $2.2 billion dollars in earnings annually, are at immediate risk.
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. 4. Source pages: 5.
In a press release, Gov. John Bel Edwards is encouraging small business owners across the state to immediately apply for assistance with payroll, rent and other operational expenses through the federal Paycheck Protection Program, if they have not already done so. The federal loan program is being made available to them through their Louisiana based financial institutions.
“The rollout out of the $349 billion through this program comes at a critical time for our state as we face this public health crisis, but it will not last long as businesses across the country will also apply, which is why our small businesses should not wait for the glitches in the system to be worked out before filling out their applications,” said Gov. Edwards. “Time is of the essence and the time to move is now.”
he Paycheck Protection Program is offered through the SBA and provides a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on payroll. It will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest or utilities. Visit SBA.gov for more information.
Gov. Edwards announced additional help through a new Louisiana Loan Portfolio Guaranty Program, which will offer loans of up to $100,000 to Louisiana small businesses of fewer than 100 employees that are impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. To help Main Street and rural businesses sustain operations, the loans will require no payments and no will bear no interest for 180 days and carry below-market interest rates of no more than 3.5 percent.
LPGP loans will provide up to $100,000 in immediate financing to help small firms impacted by COVID-19 meet their payroll, retain employees, pay their rent and mortgages, and keep their lights on and their doors open. Interested businesses may find loan details at OpportunityLouisiana.com/covid19, and a list of participating bankers will be posted at the site by Friday as banks complete their participation agreements.
“This is a very difficult time for everyone and the impact of this virus is being felt in all segments of our society, but small businesses should know these funds are available today and Louisiana banks are positioned through the SBA to assist their customers during this crisis," the Gov. said
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. 3. Source pages: 3.
According to a press release from the House of Representatives, State Representative Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, met international diplomats to discuss human trafficking legislation, specifically HB 1105 of Louisiana’s 2014 Regular Session.
The five countries represented were Greece, Brazil, Bang- ladesh, Sierra Leone, and Denmark. They were invited to the United States as part of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. The program will explore initiatives to recognize, protect, and assist victims of abuse and trafficking with recovery and reintegration programs, and investigate international law enforcement cooperation in trafficking cases.
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. 3. Source pages: 7.
On February 13, the Attorney General's office issued an Opinion requested by the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. The board asked the Attorney General (AG) to give an opinion regarding the reporting of information the board members receive when they are reviewing complaints against psychologists and conducting investigations. Specifically, the board asked that since many are licensed psychologists, and designated as mandatory reporters for the purposes of suspected child abuse and neglect, does the board fall under this mandatory reporting law as a collective.
In the summary, the AG published Opinion: 19-0068, "The obligation of any member of the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists as a mandatory reporter of child abuse under the Louisiana Children’s Code primes any requirement that the Board’s complaints, investigations, and disciplinary proceedings be kept confidential. The Board is not required to report final adjudications and orders finding licensees in violation of the laws and rules governing the practice of psychology, except National Practitioner Data Bank reporting requirements and insofar as a duty arises as to individual Board members under the mandatory reporting provisions of the Louisiana Children’s Code."
In the full Opinion, Assistant AG Alexander Reinboth explained that in the opinion of the Office, a mandatory reporter's duty exists notwithstanding any claim of privilege communication. And he said that the law requires any statutorily defined mandatory reporter of child abuse who has caused to believe that a child’s physical or mental health or welfare is endangered to report the suspected abuse irrespective of any claim of privilege.
"This office is therefore of the opinion that the obligation of any member of the board as a mandatory reporter of child abuse under the Louisiana children’s code primes any requirement that the boards complaints, investigations, and disciplinary proceedings be kept confidential."
The board members through their attorney also asked "whether it is legally permissible for the board to report complaints of criminal conduct and confidential information received in such complaints to law-enforcement or other state licensing bodies our other state and federal agencies with jurisdiction or shared your subject jurisdiction over allege violations."
Reinboth said that the information obtained by the board must be evaluated on a case by case basis to determine its confidentiality. He put in a footnote that one such consideration would be whether the information that issue would be subject to the protections of HIPPA. And he said, "This is a fact intensive inquiry upon which this office is not well- suited to opine."
Lastly the board asked as to whether the board has any duty to report to law- enforcement or other agencies final adjudications and orders.
“This office was unable to locate any specific requirement that the board must make such reports on its own motion," and so concluded that this type of report is not required except for the National Practitioner Bank.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Researchers from Across the State to Present at Southeastern Psychological Association, to be Held in New Orleans in April
The Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) will hold its 66th Annual Meeting in New Orleans from April 1 to April 4 at the Sheraton New Orleans. An array of researchers from across the state will present their posters and research findings'
"A History of the Department of Psychology at Louisiana State University Shreveport," will be presented by Yong Dai, Louisiana State University Shreveport for "History of Departments of Psychology in the Southeast" where histories of four psychology departments in the Southeast will be presented. Presentations will include brief histories of the institution, information about the faculty and about the curriculum, and unique aspects of the department. Information about outstanding students and faculty members will be discussed.
Poster presentations include:
Ethnic Identity and Alcohol Use Among Historically Black College/University (HBCU) Students. Laura Braby & Christoph Leonhard, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Xavier University of Louisiana
The Snowflake Theory: Instagram Use and Resiliency in Generation Z. Rachel Alvarez & Jennifer Hodges-Crowder, Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Criminal Thinking Patterns Among Sex Offenders Based on Victim Age. Alec Rothman & Jennifer Hodges-Crowder, Northwestern State University of Louisiana Child-Directed Word Associations Convey Reliably Different Semantics. Ashlyn Suchand & Christopher Cox (Faculty Sponsor), Louisiana State University
Testing Memory without Mentioning “Memory”. Niels Dickson, Louisiana State University, Daniella Cash, Sam Houston State University, & Megan Papesh, Louisiana State University
Distinct Effects of Acute Anxiety on Memory and Metamemory. Felicia Chaisson, Lauryn Burleigh, Steven Greening, & Heather Lucas, Louisiana State University
The Relationship Between Vocational Interests and Parenting Styles Moderated by Work-Family Integration. Kendall McGoey & Rachel Williamson Smith (Faculty Sponsor), Louisiana State University
Expect and You Shall Remember: Incidental Encoding During Prospective Memory. Juan Guevara Pinto, Abigail Jahnke, & Megan Papesh, Louisiana State University
Recognizing Stereotypes, Microaggressions, and Racial Biases by Undergraduates. Rabiya Farooqui & Evan Zucker (Faculty Sponsor), Loyola University New Orleans
Effects of Nonprofits’ Sequential and Simultaneous Positioning Requests Affect Donor Allocations. Kim Ernst, Loyola University New Orleans, & Nicholas Militello, University of Southern Mississippi. Perceptions of Co-Workers with Body Modifications. Teddy Herrick & Even Zucker (Faculty Sponsor), Loyola University New Orleans
Examining the Unique Challenges of University Student Parents. Sara Sohr- Preston, Southeastern Louisiana University
Divine Entitlement, Views of Suffering, and Divine Struggle. Elizabeth Manuel & Sara Sohr-Preston, Southeastern Louisiana University
Ratemyprofessor and Student Gender Effects on Self-Efficacy for Course Effort. Stefanie Boswell, University of the Incarnate Word, & Sara Sohr- Preston, Southeastern Louisiana University.
Assessing Change in Knowledge Among Developmental Psychology Students. Sara Sohr-Preston, Elizabeth Manuel, & Abigail Haik, Southeastern Louisiana University.
From Childhood Adversity to Emotion Regulation Difficulty Through Attachment Insecurity. Dylan John, Gabriel Hunter, Hung-Chu Lin, Amy Brown, Paula Zeanah, & Manyu Li, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Anxiety Sensitivity in PTSD and Subthreshold PTSD. Anne Madison Tompkins, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System, Amanda Raines, Louisiana State University, Jessica Walton, Stacey Parkin, Michele Carroll, & Laurel Franklin, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System. De-Catastrophizing Intrusive Reminders of Trauma to Mitigate Trauma Symptom Development: Evidence from the Trauma Film Paradigm. Joseph Boffa, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, Amanda Raines, Louisiana State University, & Laurel Franklin, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
Psychologically Flexible and Inflexible Predictors of PTG and PTSD. Dustin Seidler, Laurel Franklin, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, & Chad Drake, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
From Childhood Adversity to Emotion Regulation Difficulty Through Attachment Insecurity. Dylan John, Gabriel Hunter, Hung-Chu Lin, Amy Brown, Paula Zeanah, & Manyu Li, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Condom Availability, Attitudes, and Intentions. Kelsey Mayes, Samantha Arbella, Cristian Rivera, & Amy Brown, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Defining Sexual Harassment: Impact on Perceptions of College Harassment. Kelsey Mayes, Megan Fowler, Lauren Neumeyer, & Amy Brown, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
As reported in the February issue, also presenting will be Dr. Charles Figley. Dr. Figley who will present the Rosecrans II Invited Address, “What About the Self of the Psychologist? Self Care Sense of Self," at the annual conference, to be held in New Orleans in April. Dr. Figley is the Paul Henry Kurzweg Distinguished Chair and Professor in the Tulane School of Social Work, and the Director of the Tulane’s Traumatology Institute.
Also presenting this year will be Dr. Elliott Hammer, Experimental Social Psychology Professor at Xavier University of Louisiana. Dr. Hammer will present the CEPO/SEPA Invited Address, " Reaching Everyone: The Science of Student Identity and Success in a Biased World." Dr. Hammer holds the John D. LaFarge Endowed Professorship in Social Justice at Xavier University.
Also, Dr. Lindsey Poe, Dr. Megan Brokenbourgh, & Sandy Hyatt from the Louisiana Health Sciences Center will present a workshop, "Health Literacy: Making Healthcare Understandable."
In his session, Dr. Charles Figley will provide "perspectives on practitioner mental health for themselves and why they rarely develop useful self-care plans. Attendees will learn how mental health risk and protective factors are associated with compassion fatigue and the importance of the self in the context of self care.
The Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) will hold its 2020 conference in New Orleans. In this photo participants are at SEPA 2016, also in New Orleans. L to R: Dr. Thomas Mitchell, from the University of Baltimore, Dr. Jerry Tobacyk, from Louisiana Tech University, and Efehi Edomwony, from Xavier University.
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. 3. Source pages: 11.
Peter Gollwitzer, Father of "Implementation Intentions" to Speak at La Psychological Association Convention in May
Dr. Peter Gollwitzer burst onto the scene with his 1999 American Psychologist article, "Implementation Intentions: Strong Effects of Simple Plans," and has since led the way in ground-breaking work in goal-achievement, planning, mindset, and self-regulation. He will present "A Goal Perspective on Behavior Change," at the Annual Convention of the Louisiana Psychological Association to be held May 8 and 9 at the Sheraton Galleria in Metairie Louisiana.
Dr. Gollwitzer has worked in academic institutions in the US and in Germany including the Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research and will bring a wealth of research and cognitive science to attendees at the May conference.
"I will begin with describing how the goal concept emerged in the history of the psychology of motivation," said Dr. Gollwitzer, "and then turn to the question of whether and how goal striving can be enhanced by self-regulation. I will argue that ineffective goal striving can be overcome by using a simple self-regulation strategy: preparing goal striving in advance by forming implementation intentions…".
Dr. Gollwitzer has conducted laboratory studies using cognitive task paradigms and performed field experiments and intervention studies with clinical samples, including with children with ADHD, stroke patients, and individuals suffering from addictions or anxiety disorders. He has developed models of self- regulation, such as the Theory of Symbolic Self-Completion (with Robert Wicklund), the Auto-motive Model of Goal Striving (with John Bargh), the Mindset Theory of Action Phases, and a Theory of Planning that specifies implementation intentions (if- then plans) as a powerful self- regulation tool.
At the May conference, he will explain beneficial effects and underlying processes of forming implementation intentions and report on studies demonstrating that implementation intentions can be used to "curb disruptive reflexive cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses. In closing, I will turn to health behavior change interventions that are based on forming implementation intentions."
Research has uncovered the basis of the psychological mechanism behind this technique. A mental link is forged between the if and the specified goal response that occurs in the plan of when. Selection of a critical future situation, causes a mental representation of the situation to become activated and more accessible.
Currently Dr. Gollwitzer has co-authored: "Implementation intentions," for the 2019 Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine; "Goal attainment," in the 2019 Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation; "From feeling good to doing good," in the 2019 Oxford Handbook of Positive Emotion and Psychopathology; and "Mindset theory of action phases and if-then planning," in the 2019 Social Psychology in Action.
Gollwitzer has explained that goals, or goal intentions usually are structured as: “I intend to reach XYZ!” with XYZ relating to a desired future behavior or outcome. Implementation intentions, in contrast have the structure: “If situation B is encountered, then I will perform the goal-directed response A!”
"Thus," he writes, "implementation intentions define when, where, and how one wants to act on one’s goal intentions. In order to form an implementation intention, individuals need to identify a goal-relevant situational cue (such as a good opportunity to act, or an obstacle to goal striving) and link it to an instrumental goal-directed response."
Most goals only contain a desired behavior or outcome. "On the contrary," he says "the if-component of an implementation intention specifies when and where one wants to act on this goal, and the then-component of the implementation intention specifies how this will be done."
"Implementation intentions facilitate goal attainment on the basis of psychological mechanisms that pertain to the specified situation in the if-part and to the mental link forged between the if-part and the specified goal-directed response in the then-part of the plan. Because forming an implementation intention implies the selection of a critical future situation, the mental representation of this situation becomes highly activated and hence more accessible."
Implementation intentions improve goal achievement and behavior change because, "They delegate action control to situational cues thereby endow action control with features of automaticity."
In a meta-analysis of almost one hundred studies, the cognitive technique demonstrated "a medium to large effect on increased rate of goal attainment."
Some of his work available online is:
An online randomised controlled trial of mental contrasting with implementation intentions as a smoking behaviour change intervention. Psychology & Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870 446.2019.1634200
Using Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) to reduce bedtime procrastination: Two randomised trials. Psychology & Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870 446.2019.1652753
The goal concept: A helpful tool for theory development and testing in motivation science. Motivation Science, 18, 185-205.
Planning out future action, affect, and cognition. In G. Oettingen, A. T. Sevincer, & P. M. Gollwitzer (Eds.), The psychology of thinking about the future(pp. 335-361). New York: Guilford.
Promoting the self-regulation of stress in health care providers: An internet-based intervention. Frontiers in Psychology, 9: 838.
Downregulation of anger by mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII). Frontiers in Psychology, 9: 1838.
Dr. Peter Gollwitzer authored the American Psychologist article, "Implementation Intentions: Strong Effects of Simple Plans," and has since led the way in ground-breaking work in goal- achievement, planning, mindset, and self- regulation. (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 11, No. 3. Source pages: 15.
Great Need for Psychologists as Mediators Louisiana Chapter of Assn Family & Conciliation Courts to Hold 10th Annual Conference in This Week in New Orleans
The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Louisiana Chapter (AFCC-LA) will celebrate its tenth anniversary with a two-day training on parenting coordination and mediation skills, March 6-7, 2020, to be held at the Canal Street Sheraton in New Orleans.
The theme, “Calming the Waters: Parenting Coordination and Mediation Skills” aims to help professionals who want to add competencies in this practice area. The event includes six hours of training on Friday for parenting coordination and six hours on Saturday for Mediation Skills Training.
AFCC-LA Chapter President Leslie Todd, LCSW, has said there is a great need in Louisiana for more mediators and coordinators. This conference aims to provide needed training for those professionals who are thinking of building this competence.
“Sadly, I don’t believe there is a single psychologist in Louisiana who provides mediation or parenting coordination, although this is common in other states," Todd has said. "Those interested in family systems could offer these much- needed services to help families with divorce, visitation, relocation, and even eldercare.”
She hopes that Louisiana psychologists will be encouraged to hear nationally- known psychologist Dr. Robin M. Deutsch, a pioneer and advocate of parenting coordination, at the March 6-7 event.
Robin Deutsch, PhD, is a Diplomate in Couple and Family Psychology and Professor of Clinical Psychology at William James College. She is founder and Director of the Center of Excellence for Children, Families and the Law at William James College.
Family Courts, which have evolved from a more adversarial system, Todd has explained, are in need of more psychologists and other mental health professionals who can help families define their structures and address their conflicting interests in more self- empowering and productive ways.
The March 6 presentation aims to help meet this need. Dr. Deutsch has performed a wide variety of forensic evaluations and testified in juvenile, family, district and federal courts involving divorce and visitation disputes. She teaches extensively to judges, lawyers, mediators, and mental health groups in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. She has published extensively on issues related to attachment, alienation, co-parenting after divorce, high conflict divorce, parenting plans, and parenting coordination. She is the co-author of 7 Things Your Teenager Won’t Tell You: and How to Talk about Them Anyway (Ballantine, 2005, 2011) and co-editor of Overcoming Parent-Child Contact Problems: Family-Based Interventions for Resistance, Rejection, and Alienation (Oxford, 2016).
Also presenting will be Dr. Ann Ordway, core faculty in the Counselor Education Department at the University of Phoenix. She holds a Juris Doctor degree and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision.
Also presenting is Mark Myers, JD. Myers has been providing ADR services for more than 20 years as a member of the Association of Attorney Mediators, the Association for Conflict Resolution, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. His degree is from Tulane.
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. 3. Source pages: 15.
The annual mindfulness day will be held April 4 at the meditation hall in Baton Rouge. Presenters will include Gary Pettigrew PhD, and John Pickering PhD.
The topic for the day will be "Conceptions of the self: a day of mindfulness for mental health professionals." Dr. Pickering said registration is still open. The event is co – sponsored by 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 11, No. 3. Source pages: 16.
Psychology-Law Society Conference This Week in New Orleans, March 5–7
Dr. Beth Arredondo, ABPP-CN, Continuing Education Chair for the American Psychology–Law Society, announced the upcoming training for the Society's conference, to be held from March 5 to March 7 at the Sheraton in New Orleans.
The Society, Division 41 of the American Psychological Association, promotes the contributions of psychology to the understanding of law and legal institutions, the education of psychologists in legal matters and law personnel in psychological matters, and the application of psychology in the legal system.
Dr. Gina Mire, local Louisiana forensic psychologist, and board certified by ABPP/ABFP, will present "Ethics in the Courtroom: Psychological and Legal Perspectives," along with Katherine Mattes and David Pipes, two local attorneys who specialize in criminal law. Also presenting with Dr. Mire is Dr. John Thompson, a local forensic psychiatrist. They are joined by Dr. Joel Dvoskin, a nationally renowned expert in forensic psychology.
According to workshop materials, "Psychologists who are called upon to evaluate individuals involved in criminal or civil court proceedings work with legal professionals regularly. In fact, for many forensic psychologists, attorneys are their most frequent clients. In this workshop, we will explore the differing paradigms and the intersection of psychology and law from the perspectives of practicing attorneys and forensic mental health professionals. Learning objectives will be accomplished through the use of instruction, panel discussion, case examples, 'hot topics,' and audience participation. Issues pertaining to competency to stand trial evaluations, sanity at the time of offense evaluations, case formulation, and the role of psychological factors in other legal evaluations will be explored from ethical, legal, and psychological perspectives."
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. 3. Source pages: 2.
by J. Nelson In Rodney Hesson's Constitutionally based §2255 Petition, we finally get his side of the story of the 2015 Medicare fraud case that resulted in convictions of three psychologists on conspiracy charges. The legal goal of the Petition is to show that Hesson's attorney was so bad that the trial was unfair. The prosecutors at the DOJ have until April to respond with their side of the story.
While the trial transcripts give a rather bizarre and convoluted back-and- forth debate, in his Petition, Dr. Hesson is able to lay out his views, and it makes for fascinating reading. He provides a different narrative than the prosecutors' storyline. Hesson was a small business owner trying to work within the regulations, albeit taking advantage where he could of the same rules used by hospitals, agencies, and physicians. One might fault him for being entrepreneurial or naïve, but Hessen's company did ask the Civil–DOJ for a review in 2012, and by 2015 he was being indicted.
I've been following this story since it broke and I can say that I don't think any of these psychologists had a fair trial. DOJ "Medicare Strike Force" has the ability to create a narrative that is so strong in the minds of the public, and in this case, the jury and perhaps even the judge, that it amounts to believing something that goes against common sense. What psychologists would conspire to commit Medicare fraud, all the while knowing that their actions are completely transparent to anyone at Medicare with a calculator?
While I met Dr. Hesson only recently, I have known Beverly Stubblefield for a good many years. And I ask: In what universe would Beverly Stubblefield commit fraud, much less conspiracy?
How did the DOJ manipulate the narrative so effectively? They have a tremendous talent stack when it comes to creating a frame and manipulating the storyline, all with their deep pockets. Some are:
Framing: The June 18, 2015 press release sported the headline that the US attorneys Office had charged companies with "fraud schemes." Promotions hyped the "Medicare Fraud Strike Force" and a "national takedown…." Hesson was characterized as carrying out a "scheme" in psychological testing services, services that were unnecessary. The report added up all his claims over several years so that it sounded like a lot of money but in fact he ran a small business. The press release was 1239 words long. The very last sentence was, "A complaint or indictment is merely a charge, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty."
Confirmation Bias: Once the indictment media propaganda frames the individual as guilty, it is easy for people to engage in confirmation bias, the human tendency to look only for information that supports a belief. It is a little frightening to see how much confirmation bias is accepted and how few checks and balances there are in the legal system by prosecutors, especially when they have the power to cut the financial legs out from under defendants with the charge of conspiracy.
Fear/Identification with the Aggressor: I'll mention briefly––the experience of fear and the scattering of the herd at the attack of the DOJ on our colleagues. I felt it.
Binary Bias: Once the DOJ had crafted the narrative of guilt then it's easy to engage other biases that truncate information such as the binary bias––the systematic and automatic way our brains categorize complex problems into either or, in this case guilty or innocent. There is no gray area of complexity to be analyzed. The prosecutors seem to know this very well.
Anchoring: A good example of how the prosecutors used anchoring was to cause the judge and the jury to fixate on CPT codes. Taken all by themselves, the codes make it look like Hesson violated standards.
Fast Think: Kahneman's fast and slow think apply. The prosecutors and the legal procedures themselves also seem tuned for fast, truncated, simplistic thinking. The whole trial atmosphere and methodology are exceedingly strange in my view, especially if you're trying to learn the truth.
I list just a few of the cognitive biases that were brought into play automatically–hypnotically–to persuade us to believe what common sense would warn us to question, presented by the prosecutors with the help of media.
The only good news is that Hesson, and others like him, do have some chance to get their story out in a format where we can think thoroughly and clearly about the facts, and so maybe in some universe, actually discover the truth.
[Julie Nelson is a licensed psychologist, journalist, organizational consultant, and publisher of the Times. She also holds other various positions in the community. However, her opinions here are those of her own, and do not represent any group or association. She and the Times receive no compensation other than paid advertising. Email her at drj@drjulienelson.com, ––she welcomes feedback.]
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. 3. Source pages: 2.
Leslie Todd alerted us to jumbling up presenters in our article about the training at the Louisiana Chapter of AFCC March 6- 7. We corrected it as soon as she contacted us. We apologize.
Send your corrections to: psychologytimes@drjulienelson.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. 3. Source pages: 3.
On February 12 Gov. Edwards
appointed Louisiana native Dr. Courtney N. Phillips, to lead the Louisiana Department of Health. Phillips returns to LDH after leading health departments in two other states.
In October 2018, Phillips became the first woman to serve as the executive commissioner of Texas Health and Human Services (HHS). Before joining Texas HHS, Phillips served as the chief executive officer of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and spent 12 years with LDH in a variety of roles. She earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a Master of Public Administration from Louisiana State University, and a Ph.D. in public policy from Southern University in Baton Rouge.
"Courtney is a proven leader with a can-do attitude and passion for improving health outcomes and making a difference in the lives of others. Her experience as the head of one of the country's largest health departments is invaluable, and we're excited to welcome her back to Louisiana to serve as the newest secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health," Gov. Edwards said. "Over the past four years, we have made great strides in expanding access to healthcare, eliminating Hep-C and lowering the HIV rate in our state, and I'm confident that Courtney will continue this progress and advance our mission of improving the quality of life for all Louisianans."
Dr. Phillips will begin her role in April.
As executive commissioner of Texas HHS, Dr. Phillips oversaw the largest state agency with more than 40,000 employees, a $78.5 billion operating budget and more than 220 programs, ranging from health care, food safety and benefits to public health tracking and regulation of child care, nursing, and health care facilities.
She spearheaded the creation of Blueprint for a Healthy Texas, a business plan which highlights systemwide initiatives to promote a dynamic shift in the culture of the Texas HHS. As of December 2019, Blueprint for a Healthy Texas has accomplished 95.4% of the 130 deliverables scheduled for completion by the end of December.
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Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 3. Source pages: 3.
On February 14, Gov. Edwards signed an executive order formally establishing the Governor's Advisory Council on Rural Revitalization. The Council will identify the needs and issues facing Louisiana’s vital rural communities as well as solutions to removing any barriers that prohibit them from being more productive, healthy and attractive places to live and work.
"Rural communities across the country are in crisis, and we are no different here in Louisiana. They bear a disproportionate burden of poverty, lack adequate access to healthcare, education and other basic necessities. This council will help us identify their unique challenges and help implement effective and innovative Louisiana solutions," Gov. Edwards said. “It's in the best interests of our state to engage in a centralized and coordinated effort to further the revitalization of our rural areas and make certain the resources are available to help them grow in a sustainable way."
The advisory council will be comprised of 34 key state and local stakeholders appointed by the Governor who also appointed his retired chief of staff, former Senator Ben Nevers as chairman. The Council will develop and submit a comprehensive strategic plan to the Governor by January 5, 2021 and annual progress reports thereafter.
The duties of the council include: Identifying the needs, issues, and solutions relative to rural revitalization, including economic development, education, healthcare, infrastructure, clean water, housing, workforce development, and broadband.
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. 2. Source pages: 1.
The Louisiana State Legislature will convene at noon on Monday, March 9, 2020 and adjourn no later than 6:00 PM on Monday, June 1, 2020. The session convenes for up to 60 legislative days. Bills are being prefiled now and the deadline for most types of bills will be 5:00 PM, Friday, February 28, 2020
Subject matter for this session is to be general in nature. However, no measure levying or authorizing a new state tax, or similar matters shall be introduced or enacted.
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