Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 14.
Spirituality at Work: 10 Ways to Balance your Life on the Job by Gregory F.A. Pierce
Pierce has done a great job of defining ten disciplines needed to nourish our spiritual lives as we attempt to balance work, family, relationships, etc. It is not your typical pious treatise on spirituality but rather a laymen’s attempt to find meaning and purpose in our everyday lives in the workplace.
The disciplines are not esoteric or monastic but down-to-earth practical activities and behaviors that serve to nourish and enhance our spirit. He talks about finding sacred objects, (which can be a family portrait, a piece of art work, a souvenir, etc.), living with imperfection, assuring quality, giving thanks and congratulations, building support and community, dealing with others as you would have them deal with you, deciding what is enough-and sticking to it, balancing work, personal, family, church and community responsibilities, working to make “the system” work and engaging in ongoing personal and professional development.
The book begins with a saying that was carved in a plaque that hung over the door to the office of psychoanalyst Carl Jung “Bidden or not bidden, God is present”. The divine reality can be encountered in tangible ways in the workplace. Studies have shown that increased productivity and a spirit of collaboration are evident when employers, managers, white collar workers, professionals, CEOs recognize the importance of the universal search for something greater than ourselves. You will find this book inspiring and life-enhancing. It is a recommended read which offers a provocative and unusual guide for developing our spirituality on the job.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 14.
Familiar Evil by Rannah Gray
In Familiar Evil Rannah Gray provides the incredible narrative of how she was contacted by a British stranger who led her to investigate the true identity of Baton Rouge's media celebrity Scott Rogers. He was actually a child sex predator whose last act was to get one of his victims to participate in murder-suicide before the FBI caught him. Written in collaboration with Mary Jane Marcantel, the paralegal whose forensic acumen broke the case, and the English survivor known by the alias Ethan, this book describes the international search for a predator who was hiding in plain sight—and who had adopted two handicapped Baton Rouge boys before being exposed.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Just about the same time that behavioral health for Medicaid finishes a full transition to integrated care, the state is looking at even more cuts, some which will have to come from public health. State officials are looking at a $370 million shortfall from what they expected, which is the same tune as every year –– deep cuts to health care and higher education are unavoidable, say experts. In a Times–Picayune article by Julia O’Donoghue, administrative officer Stafford Palmieri said, "We're going to solve the problem. Whatever it takes, we're going to solve the problem.”
Louisiana's public colleges and universities typically take on the burden of budget shortfalls, because their funding is not protected by law. There have already been cuts that have fallen on higher education, and this next push will likely track exactly the same places in the state. Higher education and health have been cut every year for almost a decade.
The new in-coming Governor will also have to contend with another $117 deficit remaining from last year’s budget cycle.
According to O’Donoghue, the state's health care budget is also facing a more than $500 million deficit. Some of this comes from lost federal funding, but there are also other issues fueling healthcare’s problems, she wrote.
At the same time, some professionals are concerned about the reimbursement rates in the new healthcare plans. Sources indicate that the Medicaid rates for psychologists for one hour of therapy is less than $80 and for psychological assessment, less than $50. Representatives form Louisiana Healthcare Connections, Beverly Hunter and Pamela Cobb, worked to help clinicians sort out the new systems, meeting with those interested at a recent conference in Baton Rouge.
At the center of the financial woes, many believe, are falling oil prices, but others say the Legislature is also too blame. A run on tax credits seems to have created lower revenues, created by legislators. Some are questioning whether the state will have the cash flow to pay it bills, suggested O’Donoghue.
Ms. Beverly Hunter (L), Network Manager, and Ms. Pamela Cobb (C), MBA, Director of Network Operations for Louisiana Healthcare Connections speak with Dr. Susan Andrews at a recent conference for psychologists in Baton Rouge. Public health has transitioned to new programs amid continuing budget cuts.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Imagine this: You’re an American woman who has for many years worked as a nurse. But, feeling that this wasn’t enough, you became a social activist, protesting poverty and nuclear weapons. After a number of years, however, you moved to Nicaragua following its bitter civil war, to train women in impoverished rural regions to become midwives. But in addition to the everyday hardships of life there, you had to move out of your house and into the village, because the Contras were going to rape or kill you. Even now, in your elder years, long after your husband left and went back to America, you’re still in Nicaragua, working for the disadvantaged. Things are better in that country now, and life is much more comfortable for most people. Which makes it feel to you oddly empty, much like life in the United States. You gave up your life in the U.S., and lost your husband and your once-strong religious faith, but you never abandoned your mission.
And is that a good thing?
This is the question Larissa MacFarquhar considers in this unorthodox book, which profiles people she calls “do-gooders,” with all the ambivalence that term implies. The title refers to a dilemma posed by the utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer: If you walk past a shallow pond and see a child drowning, would you save the child? Most people would answer “yes”, of course. Singer’s response was that since children (and adults, and animals) are dying all the time, how is it morally defensible to not respond to them? How many mosquito nets could you buy with what you’d spend for a single meal at a fancy restaurant? And is there any reason to believe that your family members deserve preferential treatment over total strangers? MacFarquhar raises the question of just how far that line of reasoning can remove one from what most people think of as being human. As she puts it, “For do-gooders, it is always wartime.” The people she profiles have done a wide variety of things in their pursuit of extreme altruism, often with unanticipated results. One couple adopted twenty-two children, including many handicapped or troubled children. All of the girls eventually got pregnant, despite the couple’s efforts at sex education and contraception. Another man donated a kidney to a complete stranger, a woman a good deal older than himself. He didn’t want to meet her because he knew she might feel compelled to respond to him in a maternal manner afterwards. Which she did, in a far more positive way than his own drug-addicted mother ever had.
MacFarquhar discusses how these “extreme altruists” have been thought of—often pejoratively–in both mental health and literary fields. These side discussions are interesting but are a bit afield from the subject profiles, some of which appeared in the New Yorker. I found these stories to be both gripping and deeply strange. A thought-provoking book, for certain.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
The school psychologists honored members’ contributions while at their 35th Annual Convention held last month, November 11–13, at the Hilton in Lafayette. According to LSPA Secretary, Dr. Katherine Wickstrom, the group honored seven Louisiana School Psychological Association members with awards for their service and achievements. The Will Bergeron Memorial Scholarship Recipient was awarded to Sean Duncan, from Nicholls State. Jackie Landry of St. Tammany Parish was named School Psychologist of the Year.
Dr. Carmen Broussard, Professor of Psychology at Nicholls State was honored with the Presidential Distinguished Service Award. And, Candice Dozier of St. Tammany Parish of also honored with the Presidential Distinguished Service Award.
Regional awards were named to Geri Futch, at Jefferson Davis School Board, and Kayla LaFosse, from Acadia Parish School Board. Dr. Debra Duhe was honored for Lifetime Achievement. And, Keever Hoffman, for Plaquemines Parish, was named Member of the Year. The Convention, theme “Promoting Accessible and Sustainable School Mental Health Services,” was well attended by 181 people. Keynote speaker, Dr. Jermone Sattler’s workshop was one of the many high points of the conference, said Nancy Alleman, organizer and Treasurer for the association.
Other high points of the convention included Dr. Howie Knoff and Jeanne Carriere’s workshop and also the annual favorite, the presentation by Dr. Wayne Steward.
Two workshops, one Prepare II, with Dr. Stacy Overstreet, and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Sechdule-2, Toddler Video Training Program Upgrade, presented by Dr. Debra Duhe, were particularly appreciated by attendees, said Alleman.
Dr. Chavez Phelps (L), president of the Louisiana School Psychological Association, helps Dr. Jerome Sattler with his audio-visual equipment for a presentation at the association’s conference last month.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 15.
The Gardener of Baghdad by Ahmad Ardalan
I am currently reading The Gardener of Baghdad which is by Ahmad Ardalan. This book tells the story of a man, Adnan, who owns a bookshop in war-torn Baghdad. Tired of the dangerous bombings and relentless political unrest in his city, he considers selling his shop to move to a different place. As Adnan is sorting through some of the books in his shop, he comes across a book which contains a memoir which was written years before by a man known as Ali. Ali's memoir tells a story of resiliency as Ali was orphaned in childhood but, through hard work and determination, he became the Gardener of Baghdad. Through Ali's fame as a gardener, he meets a young British woman who is living in the city with her father, a British general. Much of Ali's story centers around his relationship with Mary which is challenged by the fact that they come from different cultures and religions. As Adnan reads the story of Ali and Mary, he is deeply moved and can hardly put the book down as he is so captured by the story. I have had the same reaction when reading this lovely book. I am in the middle of the book and cannot wait to finish it. This book touches my love of books and a good story as well as my love of gardening.
Reading this book also brought to mind several other books which touch on the power of books and of story telling. As psychologists, we are drawn to the stories told by others as it is a part of our daily work. For those who love a good story, I can also recommend 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. This book has also been made into a movie with Ann Bankroft and Anthony Hopkins. 84 Charing Cross Road tells the story of a friendship which builds over 20 years through a series of letters exchanged between a clerk in an antiquarian book store in London and a woman who has a passion for reading but cannot find the often obscure books she seeks in New York City where she lives. The two parties become long distance friends through their love of literature. The letters they exchange are charming and witty.
Finally, I would recommend The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore by William Joyce. This book was also an Oscar winning short film made in Shreveport. It tells the tale of Morris Lessmore who loses his book collection to a storm reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina. This book has been described as a “book about books” but also as a “deeper story of love, loss and healing.”
The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmoree And one more book–my Christmas Cozy Mystery will be the Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke which I will begin reading after I by William joyce finish the Gardener of Baghdad. Joanne Fluke is a prolific writer of cozy mysteries which feature a woman who owns a cookie shop in a small town in Minnesota. The books also gives cookie recipes. I have only tried one of her recipes, a chocolate chip cookie recipe, but it was a hit!
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
[Editor’s Note: I had the honor of meeting Dr. Addison Sandel the way I meet most psychologists these days, through the Times. She wrote in to thank us for bringing her the news and during our brief back and forth, some of the fascinating story of this Emeritus psychologist’s life began to emerge. Sharp as a tack, Dr. Sandel just celebrated her 89th birthday. I asked if she would allow me to interview her for our “Close-Up” feature, and share some photos, and she graciously agreed.]
Dr. Addison Sandel, who currently resides in Natchitoches, Louisiana, was born October 9, 1926, in the little town of Sandel, just south of Many on highway 171. Born Ella Addison Sandel, she goes by “Addie.”
“… we lived in a very rural area that had once been a thriving little village,” she told a reporter for an oral history program a few years ago. “In fact,” she said, “it’s still on the map and it’s named Sandel, for my father.”
Sandel started as a sawmill town, branched from the railroad. But by the time Addie was born not much of the town remained, she explained. “… we still had the post office where my father was postmaster and we had a store and a service station,” she said. “And the church was also still standing.”
Like most children of that time, Addie and her four sisters worked in whatever ways they could. Each sister took on the post office duties “… as soon as we could see over the counter to make change and sell stamps,” Addie said. “So we got somewhat of an education that way I guess.”
Addie started out in first grade when she was age four. Perhaps not so strangely we’ll find, little Addie could already read by that time. “Now, don’t ask me how I learned to read,” she said, “I don’t know, but my mother thought anybody that could read should be in school.”
She claims to have been a poor student. “I did have one claim to fame,” Addie said. “I was known as having read everything in the school library,” she said. “It didn't matter either the subject matter or the difficulty. I remember reading Wuthering Heights and Lorna Doone in the 5th grade. But, I liked reading history and books about science and art or anything else just as well.”
Addie graduated from high school at 16 and attempted to enlist in the Army. It was 1943 and the middle of World War II. “Of course, I told them I was 18,” she said, “but the recruiting officer didn’t buy it. Apparently, I didn’t even look 16 because he told me to come back in about four years.”
Failing to talk her way into the Army, Addie enrolled in business school. But, having learned from her father –– “Don’t let school get in the way of your education” –– she felt that she had learned enough after only a few months and applied for a job at Fort Polk (called Camp Polk at that time) and was hired on the spot.
“This time I didn’t lie about my age,” Addie said. “But they hired me immediately because they needed typists so desperately. And mostly because I could type 80 words a minute on a manual typewriter.”
Addie remembers her exact salary. “It was thirteen-o-two-thirty-four annually – $1,302.34 a year,” she said. Addie worked in the Quartermaster’s Office and soon, because of her work ethic and effectiveness, she was given supervisory responsibilities and placed in charge of the typing pool. She was also given Officer Clothing Sales, which included accounting for money–hundreds of dollars daily. Addie was still only 17.
In 1943, the country was consumed with the war efforts and so it was not long before Addie decided to transfer to the Quartermaster General’s office in Washington D.C. She became a “Government Girl,” the name given to the over one million young women who went to Washington and took over the government jobs that had been vacated by men deployed overseas, jobs that had previously been reserved exclusively for men.
In D.C. Addie found she had more experience in quartermaster duties than other young women and more than many of the officers. “I remember that when they took me to my boss, the man who was going to supervise me, he was so happy to see me. I thought he was going to kiss me.” They were all happy to have someone who knew the procedures and routines, Addie explained. When she typed a letter without mistakes she thought they would go down on their knees, Addie said.
For a young woman from the rural South, Washington, D.C., offered a variety of new experiences. Addie rode the streetcars, attended the President’s birthday gala at the Capitol Theater, saw actors Allan Ladd and Gale Storm, played softball on the women’s league, watched newsreels about the war, paddled a canoe down the Potomac, and along with others, cheered Roosevelt. She stated that until years later, she knew nothing of the wild parties that were said to be occurring in D.C. at the time.
And she worked– even moonlighted. She was still only 17, and allowed to work only eight of the nine-hour workday, and so had time after her day job. Having seen a fur coat in a shop window, Addie decided she had to have it and took a second job as “soda jerk” in a drugstore. She worked the second job and eventually, paid the astounding price of $167 for the coat.
Addie worked in D.C. until both the war in Europe and the war in the Pacific were over. “I stayed until after the surrender …” she said. “I was there for the celebrations and all the excitement. It was really exciting to be there …” she said.
Then she returned to Fort Polk and went to work for the American Red Cross, and then took a position as secretary to the Post Exchange and General Manager. Shortly after that she was promoted to secretary to General Kreber, the Commanding General of Camp Polk, still with barely a high school education.
This was a fun time in her life. “As a single female in a prestigious position on an army post full of lonely men,” Addie wrote, “I often found myself at the center of attention.” On two occasions, without her knowledge, she was even entered into the Post beauty contest, with one contest being sponsored by Ralph Edward’s Truth or Consequences Radio Program and Republic Pictures.
“I did not know they were taking my picture to enter into a beauty contest until I saw the Post newspaper,” Addie said. “Thank goodness, I didn't win! Mary Ruth won and she was sent to Hollywood to make a movie with Forrest Tucker and Rod Cameron. I would have been terrified! Acting is one of the few things I never tried,” Addie said.
The experiences may have been a little odd at times. Once, when Addie was sent on an assignment to Ft. Hood, Texas, she was “unceremoniously banished” back to Fort Polk, she explained. A statement was made that she was “a distraction to junior officers and even the Deputy Commanding General [ ..] has become affected.” This was all news to Addie, who noted that she was dating only one junior officer at the time. She never learned who the others were that had become so “distracted.”
After a year with General Kreber, Addie decided to visit her sister who lived in Bogota, Colombia. On the flight down, she was seated by an executive for the Madigan-Hyland Corporation that was building a railroad through the jungle. When he learned she was a secretary, he hired her before the plane landed. Since she was on a tourist visa, the company managed somehow to get her a worker's permit and she remained with the company for a year. She spent that year being flown around to construction sites in the jungle in a two-seater Cessna and experiencing many cultural events as an unchaperoned "bella Americana.”
After returning from Colombia, Addie married Captain August “Gus” Baxter and became a military wife, mother of two boys, and a dedicated supporter of her husband and family. Gus served in Saudi Arabia, Washington D.C., Germany (where the family accompanied him), came back to Kansas, then was sent to Vietnam, and after he retired as a Lt. Col., accepted a job in Thailand.
Addie always worked. When she and Gus first married, he was ordered to the Army Language School to study Arabic. She was employed in the Slovenian language department at the school to type the textbooks being developed for the students studying Slovene. She could type as fast in Slovene as in English although, at first, she had no idea of the meaning. Six months later, she still couldn't understand the spoken word, she said, but could read it so well her boss tried to get her promoted to a translator. “Personnel wouldn't buy it”, Addie said, but she earned a Commendation from the school commandant. The only time Addie was without a job was in Germany. “At the time, there were no jobs with the Army for dependent wives,” she said. “So for the first time in my adult life, I was out of a job. I did manage to do some part-time work teaching ball room dancing for a German dance studio and substitute as a typing teacher for some classes on post.”
“Since I wasn't obligated to a full-time job, I was expected to participate in all the activities of the officer's wives,” Addie said. She recalls dancing a hula at a luau for the commanding general of the U.S. troops in Europe and presenting him with a lei flown in from Hawaii. And she was presented with a Fasching medal, the only American woman ever having received one at that time, for entertaining the crowd with an impromptu Cha Cha danced with the Augsburg Prince of Fasching.
But, Addie said, “This was when I found out that having a college degree had some social significance, in addition to finding out that there really were things I did not know about, in the arts, particularly, and I became curious to learn more.”
After Germany, Gus was assigned to the Kansas National Guard, and Addie decided to enroll at Wichita State. But after one semester, Gus was sent to Vietnam and Addie decided to take the boys to live in Natchitoches to be near her parents for more stability. She entered Northwestern State University, and in 1970, Addie graduated 3rd in her class with a major in psychology. In 1971 she applied to Louisiana State University in New Orleans for graduate school and was accepted.
“However, I probably would never have followed up on satisfying my curiosity,” Addie said, “except for my other reason for the decision to enter college.”
Addie’s older son had been having trouble in school since kindergarten and while never a behavior problem, his inclination to be inattentive was a problem. One of his teachers asked Addie to have him evaluated, “because she thought he was retarded,” Addie said. “I didn't think so as the pediatricians had always told me he was very advanced for his age, but I had him evaluated anyway.”
The psychologist’s evaluation placed the youngster at the 99.9th percentile, saying to Addie, “There is no place for him in public school because the teachers would always be trying to get him to act like the other children.”
Addie decided to have her younger son tested and he also scored at the 99.9th percentile. “You think you have problems with that one [the older son], just wait until this one hits the school system!” the psychologist told Addie. “I asked him where I could get some guidance on raising kids who were so much brighter than either me or their father,” Addie explained, “but he wasn't very helpful. That's when I really started thinking about college.”
While juggling school, part-time jobs, a military husband’s career, and caring for the boys, the marriage faltered and eventually ended after Addie went away to graduate school. She had underestimated Gus’ ability to withstand the demands of her absences, she said, even though she had weathered his so often.
But Addie went on to obtain her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1979, completing her internship at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in New Orleans. And so at the age of 53, Addie became Dr. Addison Sandel, and a person who wanted to know everything she could about the gifted and talented who were not reaching their potential.
She began her career in psychology serving as psychologist at the Mental Health Center in Shreveport. Between 1980 and 1998 she worked in various positions providing evaluations, including Pupil Appraisal Services for multiple parishes in north Louisiana.
Dr. Sandel served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at Northwestern State University and as Director of Gifted Education and Supervising School Psychologist for ten parish school systems in the northern part of the state.
In the late 80s, Dr. Sandel was the consulting/supervising psychologist to the Association for Gifted and Talented Students in New Orleans and to the school boards for Sabine, DeSoto, Red River, LaSalle, Grant, and Washington parishes.
She published regularly in the Gifted/Talented Digest, and co-authored a program designed for gifted youngsters. She presented at the Louisiana Psychological Association, at the National Council for Exceptional Children, at the Louisiana Special Education Conference, and at the Gifted and Talented Institute of Texas. She earned the Leadership Award from the Association of Gifted and Talented Students in 1987 and the Professional Advocacy Award in 1991 from the Advocacy Center for the Elderly and Disabled for her work on behalf of children with disabilities.
Dr. Sandel presented her work internationally. In 1985 she presented "Accelerated laboratory for pupils of high ability (ALPHA),” at the Sixth World Conference on Gifted and Talented Children, in Hamburg, Germany.
In 1991 she presented at the World Conference on Gifted and Talented Children, at The Hague in the Netherlands, on “Modeling the social competency of gifted children.”
She also presented “Toward a theory of creativity,” with co-authors, at the World Conference in the Netherlands. And in 1993 she presented her work at the World Conference on Gifted and Talented Children, Canada, on “Symptom patterns of attention-deficit disorder in underachieving gifted children.”
But years working to move things along took its toll. “I was also on the Board of the National Association for Gifted Children for years before I gave up,” Addie said. “I guess you could say the main reason I got out was because of the heartbreak involved.”
“I had fought so long and so hard for the rights of gifted kids, had so many battles with school people, and felt there had been very little or any improvement. In fact, in many cases things seemed worse,” she said. “The state kept reducing funding and the schools kept watering down the programs to the point where most did not begin to resemble what they really needed. Maybe things have improved since I left,” she said. “I certainly hope so.”
Dr. Sandel worked in private practice at her clinic, RiverNorth Psychological Services, in Leesville, Louisiana, until 1993 when she returned to Fort Polk where she served as psychologist for the Department of Psychiatry, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital before retiring from Federal Civil Service in 1998. During these five years she received eight Exceptional Performance awards.
Currently, she contracts with the Louisiana Rehabilitation Services for Leesville, Alexandria, and Natchitoches offices, and also with Central Louisiana Intertribal Vocational Rehabilitation Programs for Vernon and Sabine parishes. (She is of Choctaw Indian ancestry.) She also currently contracts with the Disability Determination services to provide evaluations for those in Sabine, Natchitoches, DeSoto, Winn and Vernon parishes.
“… It is hard to believe I'm in my 90th year and still working for the State part time!” she said.
After getting to know her, even just a little, it is not hard to believe at all.
It easy to see how Dr. Addision Sandel could be doing most anything she sets her mind to – at four, at 17, or at 105.
Addison Sandel in Washington D.C. during the war years. She was a “Government Girl” and took one of the jobs vacated by men deployed overseas. She was 17 when she first started with the Quartermasters Office in Washington. A photo of Addie that wound up in the Fort Polk (called Camp Polk at that time) newspaper. “I did not know they were taking my picture to enter into a beauty contest until I saw the Post newspaper,” Addie said. She was entered into the Camp Beauty Contest twice without her knowledge. “Thank goodness I didn’t win,” she said. Addie and Gus wearing robes that were gifts from one of the two Saudi Princes, either Faisal or Khalid. Gus worked with both. Dr. Sandel at her final international presentation: “Symptom Patterns of Attention-deficit Disorder in Underachieving Gifted Children.” She presented at the Tenth World Conference on Gifted and Talented Children, help in Toronto, Canada, August 1993. Dr. Sandel at age 65 when working on Gifted and Talented issues for the psychology community.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 15.
The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
This novel by James Lee Burke offered some pertinent reflections on such issues as resilience, addiction, impact of environment, psychological impairment, spirituality and religion. For those who are familiar with the books of James Lee Burke, you are aware of his gift of prose and human understanding which include the basic primal struggles of the human condition. His main character, Detective Robicheaux embodies all of the elements mentioned above. For those of us in south Louisiana, the setting of The Tin Roof Blowdown is very familiar. Written in 2007, the story takes place with the experiences of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Being from New Iberia, Detective Robicheaux deals with the human and systemic situation in the wake of these storms and has some relevant reflections on the various characters and situations in New Orleans and the New Iberia area. It is a quick read which is packed with insights and understanding of people and societal factors.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 2.
Christmas Present from Our Backyard Chickens by J. Nelson
Archimedes brought home two backyard chickens and while at first highly skeptical, I’ve become a believer and fully support his comment that there are two things he’s found that are “a lot more fun and a lot less work than expected –– our grandchildren and backyard chickens.”
On the other hand, for an untreated over-functioner like myself, the power dynamics between our two chickens pose an emotional challenge.
“Red,” our unimaginatively named Rhode Island Red hen is a sweet, calm, friendly bird. Hawk, also named with the least amount of effort, is more neurotic, a little paranoid, and termed “skittish” by bird people.
But Hawk is not timid when it comes to cheating––stealing to be precise. If Red obtains a bug (a chicken’s idea of rib-eye steak) Hawk immediately zooms in, snatches the delicacy right out of Red’s beak, and dashes away.
Red (and Archimedes) appear generally unperturbed by this, while I, a rigid moralist with Irish-Catholic upbringing, find it nearly intolerable.
So, I work to help the down-trodden, and to “protect the public,” so to speak. One solution I’ve found is to feed the two together, a food source of dried mealworms. While expensive and not as good as a nearly alive bug––I’m pretty sure these worms are dead––they are too numerous and too small to motivate robbery.
However, invariably a bug enters my environment and I feel obligated to recycle. Since I’ve decided that Hawk is “unfair,” I’m now reliably intervening to level out our backyard social system. Having discovered a very large Palmetto bug (I call it that so I don’t have to call it a roach because if it were a roach, it would be the biggest, most disgusting creature ever and I wouldn’t be able to come any where near it), I plan an intervention to deliver it to Red.
I review the terrain, knowing that Red will come closer to me. I also take a broom handle to wave at Hawk in an emergency. I toss the bug at Red, but it snags on the paper towel I have it wrapped in, and falls short. Hawk lunges. I quickly wave the broom, which has the unintended consequence of frightening both birds. To compensate, I wave my hands, which seems to keep Hawk back. Red steps forward and grasps the bug in her beak.
Seeing Red in possession of the bug apparently triggers neural pathways in Hawk and she launches a renewed attack to Red’s right side, then left, then right––Red is barely able to dodge Hawk and hold on to the bug.
I see the thing falling apart before my eyes and shout, “Hawk! Stop it!” Both birds freeze and look at me, and Red drops the bug. Hawk grabs the bug and speeds away.
Having surely co-evolved with humans, Red looks at me wide-eyed, as if to ask, “Do you have another bug for me?”
I’m subject, like most of us, to develop finer and finer interventions, some probably quite innovative, maybe some even effective, which could make life seem more fair, more perfect, more moral. I could spend time micromanaging our backyard chickens.
Or, for this Christmas and New Year, I could just let things be.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 15.
The Last Frontier by Julia Assante, PhD
Julia Assante, PhD has written a book about transforming our fear of death titled The Last Frontier. It should have been titled Everything You Would Want to Know about Death and the Afterlife.Dr. Assante provides an interesting perspective to her work. She has a PhD from Columbia University and has studied the death traditions of the ancient world as well as being an internationally known medium. I found the book interesting and intriguing. I particularly enjoyed the section on the ancient death traditions. The information in the book is all about stripping away the fear surrounding death: a goal both she and I share. I have seen the change in people when they find out about deathbed visions or near death experiences. It can be an amazing transformation for someone who is experiencing utter despair and hopelessness to having a sense of relief, peace and hopefulness about their death or a loved ones.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 3.
Federal Judge Sides With John Roseman In Lawsuit Against Kentucky Psych Bd
U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove found that the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology was “unconstitutional” when they issued a restraining order against newspaper columnist, John Roseman, because he was not licensed in Kentucky. Roseman has a master’s degree in psychology and is licensed as a psychological associate in North Carolina. Roseman writes a national column on parenting.
The Lexington Herald Leader reported that Rosemond filed a federal lawsuit against the Kentucky Psychology board after the board tried to block his publications with a restraining order. According to the Leader, Rosemond and his attorneys said that the psychology board violated Rosemond’s First Amendment right to free speech.
"Rosemond is entitled to express his views, and the fact that he is not a Kentucky-licensed psychologist does not change that fact," Van Tatenhove wrote in his ruling. "If the facts were different, had Rosemond represented himself to be a Kentucky-licensed psychologist or had he actually entered into a client- patient relationship in Kentucky, the outcome might be different,” said the judge, according to the report in the Herald Leader.
“To permit the state to halt this lawful expression would result in a harm far more concrete and damaging to society than the speculative harm which the state purportedly seeks to avoid, and perhaps that is the 'wake up' call best drawn from the facts of this case,” said Van Tatenhove, as quoted in the Herald Leader.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 16.
Dr. Lisa Settles to Speak Tulane’s Brain and Behavior 2015: Neuropsychiatry Across the Lifespan on Dec 11 – 12 in N.O.
The Tulane University School of Medicine will hold its 2015 Brain & Behavior conference with this year’s theme, “Neuropsychiatry Across the Lifespan.” The two-day conference is on December 11 – 12 at Westin Canal Place in New Orleans.
Among this year’s presenters is Dr. Lisa Settles, who will present on “The Complexities and Controversies of Autism” and also offer a workshop, “Autism through the Lifespan.”
Dr. Settles is Clinical Psychologist, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Tulane University School of Medicine. She is Director of the Tulane Center for Autism and Related Disorders (TCARD).
For her presentations, Dr. Settles will present on “Complexities and Controversies of Autism,” focusing on the history of Autism and authors Steve Siberman, Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger. She will describe how different theorists may have affected our understanding of autism and contributed to many of the controversies that surround the diagnosis. Settles will look at some of the issues, “Refrigerator mothers, biological interventions, and vaccines,” for example, that have impacted the course of understanding autism, and where we go from here.
In the afternoon session, she will present, “Autism Through the Lifespan.” Examining Kanner’s work with the first cases of autism in the 40s, Dr. Settles will review how diagnostic criteria have focused on early childhood, and only in recent times begun to address the behavioral characteristics of autism in infancy. She will review the new area of exploration, that of autism diagnosis in adulthood, and symptom expression across all major developmental levels.
The conference will also feature topics on “Concussion in Sports,” “Spirituality and Hypnosis in Mind Medicine,” with Dabney Ewin, MD, and “The STEP Program” by Vinod Srihari, MD.
Josepha Cheong, MD, will present, “Subcortical vs. Cortical Dementia: Clinical Diagnosis and Management.”
Stacy Drury, MD, PhD, will present, “The Importance of Being a Monther: Transgenerational Effects of Early Life Adversity from Biology, to Behavior, to Policy.”
And Heather Van Mater, MD, will present on “Autoimmune Encephalopathy: How an Antibody Changed It All.”
Dr. Settles received her PsyD from the University of Indianapolis in 2003 and used her experiences of working in a multidisciplinary developmental clinic from her postdoctoral work at Tulane, to help guide the development of TCARD, linking the Tulane system, Greater New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast areas. Dr. Settles has trained many of the state employed therapists in the Early Childhood Supports and Services program clinics on the Parent Child Interaction Therapy model.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 3.
LSBEP Discusses Concerns at Nov Meeting
The Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists met on November 19 for their annual Long Range Planning Meeting, held this year at the Louisiana Municipal Association Building on N. 10th Street in Baton Rouge.
Attending the meeting were board members Dr. Koren Boggs, Dr. Phillip Griffin, Dr. Marc Zimmermann, Dr. Darla Burnett, Dr. Jesse Lambert, and Executive Director Ms. Jaime Monic.
Members of the public attending were Dr. Lacy Seymour, Dr. Kim VanGeffen, Dr. Greg Gormanous, and Times publisher Dr. Julie Nelson.
Discussion included general matters such as finances, examinations, elections, and legal matters
Dr. Burnett led a lengthy review of the current rules for “Continuing Professional Development,” pointing out corrections and clarifications that will need to be made in these rules in the next few months.
Self-nominations for the upcoming election were opened and read, and two qualified, Dr. Leah Crouch and Dr. Amy Henke.
Also, applicants for the Complaints Coordinator position were noted: Drs. Erica Meyers, Chris Gardner, and Jill Hayes.
The board also discussed the board’s need for a legislative affairs attorney. Led by Chair Dr. Zimmermann, the members said they needed a legislative consultant to monitor bills. Nelson asked if the board had any plans for submitting legislation for 2016 and the Chair indicated that while there may be a need, there was no specific plan at this time.
Dr. Zimmermann led a discussion about possible changes that would differentiate the health care service psychologists from the non-health care service psychologists. The idea of a task team to look into this was suggested.
The disciplinary process, including the time limit issue that appears to have been being incorrectly applied by the investigations group at the board, was discussed.
Dr. Van Geffen, representative for professional affairs for the Louisiana Psychological Assn, told the Times, “I think that they will probably set up a Task Force to address this issue.”
The board discussed extending the present time frame from one-year to five years. Van Geffen noted that she voiced opposition to a five-year period, which she said seemed excessive. Members also discussed how the time frame is measured, and when the time is viewed to begin.
“Because there appears to be a lot of confusion about the process of what the Board does when it receives a complaint, LSBEP and LPA are looking at holding a workshop at the spring convention on the Complaints process,” VanGeffen said.
Later in the afternoon, the representatives from Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA), President Dr. Lacy Seymour and Director, Dr. VanGeffen, asked if the Board had made a decision regarding LPA's request to have a joint task force to discuss the LSBEP election procedures.
The board members said that no decision had been made and appeared inclined to leave it at that, according to VanGeffen. However, Seymour asked when they would be making the decision and this opened up further discussion. Finally, Dr. Griffin, who is the LSBEP liaison to Professional Organizations agreed to meet with LPA representatives to discuss the issue of elections.
Dr. Jesse Lambert, one of the newest board members on the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP), listens along with Ms. Jaime Monic, Executive Director, at the recent Long Range Planning Meeting held in Baton Rouge.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 16.
Dr. Overstreet, Colleagues to be Featured Speakers National School Psychological Assn to Meet in New Orleans, Feb 2016
The National Association of School Psychologists will hold it Annual Convention in New Orleans, February 10 -13, 2016.
Dr. Stacy Overstreet and colleagues will be one of the featured sessions, and presenting on “Partnerships to Create Trauma-Informed Schools.” Dr. Overstreet is the Chair of the Tulane Psychology Departments. Co- presenters are Chris Gunther, from the New Orleans Health Department, Laura Danna, for Project Fleur-de-lis, Paulette Carter, from the Children’s Bureau of New Orleans, and Patrick Bell, from KIPP Believe Primary School in New Orleans.
The group will share the “whys and hows of a city-led, multiagency partnership to advance trauma- informed approaches in schools.” They will also examine why a universal approach is needed to help make evidence-based treatments more effective. They will focus also on collaborative methods.
Other featured speakers include Marc Brackett, speaking on Emotional Intelligence, and Susan Swearer speaking on Bullying.
Certified School Psychologists from Morgan City, Robin Cohenour, Pamela Smith, Rayne Adams, and Carey Day, attending the Louisiana School Psychological Association last month. The National School Psychology Association will hold its convention in New Orleans in 2016.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 12. Source pages: 4.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington brought a lawsuit against the two Air Force psychologists, James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who helped design “enhanced interrogation techniques” for the CIA during the aftermath of 9/11. The suit was filed October 13.
The suit was filed by the ACLU on behalf of three individuals where were interrogated by the CIA in Afghanistan, and one who died by in custody, reportedly of hypothermia.
The ACLU complaint states that the two psychologists, “… conspired with the CIA in violating these international law norms, or committed those violations as part of a joint criminal enterprise with the Agency, and aided and abetted the CIA in their commission.”
The ACLU authors claim that Mitchell and Jessen were “experimenting” on prisoners because the interrogation methods were not proven to be effective. Mitchell and Jessen designed methods based on their survival training for U.S. military personnel who might themselves be interrogated.
Aggressive interrogation techniques such as sleep deprivation were added and justified by “The Torture Memos” that said that terrorists were not protected under the Geneva Convention because they hid among and targeted civilians.
The two Air Force members and military psychologists have been at the center of a storm of issues for the American Psychological Association that prompted a study to be commissioned called the Hoffman Report. Chicago attorney David Hoffman found what he believed to be “collusion” between APA staff and the Department of Defense.
On August 14, 2015, the APA Council of Representatives voted to ban psychologists from participating in national security interrogations. Votes were reported in the APA Monitor. Several Louisiana psychologists participated in that vote.
Dr. Darlyne Nemeth, APA Council Representative and member of the Louisiana Psychological Association, voted yes to the ban.
Dr. Charles Figley, representing Division 56 (Trauma Psychology) voted yes.
And Dr. Corwin Boake, representing Division 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology) voted yes.
Dr. Larry James, who is a military psychologist and who remains licensed in Louisiana, and who represented Division 19 (Military Psychology) for this matter, voted No. He was the only no vote.
Specifically the resolution directed: “psychologists shall not conduct, supervise, be in the presence of, or otherwise assist any national security interrogations for any military or intelligence entities, including private contractors working on their behalf, nor advise on conditions of confinement insofar as these might facilitate such an interrogation.”
The primary finding of Hoffman Report centered around a 2005 task force that Hoffman and others felt was top-heavy with military psychologists and biased. The report led to the ethics director, Stephen Behnke, being fired.
A report by James Bradshaw in The National Psychologist said that the report may trigger lawsuits. Bradshaw sited a comment by Louis Freeh, in The Guardian, that Freeh, an associate of Behnke, has threatened some type of legal response on Behnke’s behalf.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.