Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 15. Source pages: 5.
The Advisory Committee for medical psychology met Friday, October 10 at the NeuroMedical Center Offices, at 10101 Park Rowe Avenue in Baton Rouge.
The agenda was published on October 8 and listed general topics of old business and applications for advanced practice.
The group was also scheduled to discuss Rules regarding Acts 136 and 137. Act 136 provided for the licensure of the specialist in school psychology by the psychology board. Act 137 is the new law allowing for the provisional licensure of psychologists under the psychology board.
The Committee also was scheduled to discuss Act 442, which is the Louisiana Telehealth Access Act.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 15. Source pages: 5.
The Psychology Times publisher, Dr. Julie Nelson, contributed to the November-December issue of the National Psychologist, describing the course of events in Louisiana revolving around prescription privileges. The article, “Be Careful What You Ask For: RxP and Psychology in Louisiana,” is a review of some of the events and group dynamics in the psychology community.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Dr. Sean Ransom, Louisiana Medical Psychologist from the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center of New Orleans and faculty associate at Tulane University School of Medicine, provides a candid and down-to-earth view about being a prescriber in Louisiana for the recent issue of the Behavior Therapist. His article was one of a select group for a Special Issue of the publication for the prestigious Association for Cognitive and Behavior Therapies.
“I can testify that RxP offers important, sometimes shockingly positive advantages for patients and for a psychologist’s ability to care for them,” Ransom writes in “The RxP Conundrum: How Prescriptive Authority Makes (Some of) My Patients Better and My Practice Worse.”
But he writes, “… despite these positives and despite my own early enthusiasm for the opportunity to become a prescriber, I have found that RxP has an inescapable dark side for psychologists individually, for our profession, and for some patients as well.”
In an intriguing account of his own career path he writes about his training, what it feels like to work collaboratively with physicians, and the conflicting issues that can arise with psychiatrists. He talks about the benefits of working with primary care physicians and provides a sobering anecdote about braving it out without medical support when something goes awry with one of his medically treated patient.
“This article is written in the hope,” says Dr. Ransom, “that my experience may help inform the broader population of psychologists who are forming their views of what the direction our field should take and perhaps to provide an additional perspective for those who are considering the lengthy pathway to making RxP a part of their own practice,” he writes.
Ransom explains that he decided to obtain his prescribing certificate while running a psycho-onology program in a New Orleans medical center where the lack of psychiatric coverage was a “gaping hole.” The oncologists welcomed him and considered his training in psychopharmacology stronger than their own.
“From the onset,” Ransom says, “this appeared to be a fulfillment of what RxP advocates claim as a prime motivator––to open up access to care for a population without easy access.”
Unlike New Mexico and now Illinois, Louisiana does not require a practicum. “So with the postdoctoral master’s degree and the PEP passed,” he explains, “you’re ready to roll. If you become a Louisiana prescribing psychologist, it is perfectly within the realm of possibility that your first experience evaluating a patient for a medication is when you, by yourself, unsupervised, sit down with your very own patient and prepare to write your first live prescription.”
Ransom writes that the online training was conducive to learning, invigorating, and the faculty was well-informed. “I was impressed that the program was strongly invested in creating a model of prescribing that stayed true to the role and mission of the clinical psychologist,” he writes. “Time after time, faculty would emphasize that the gold- standard treatment for various disorders was psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy.
He was less impressed with the exams. “Exams universally consisted of a few dozen multiple-choice questions, open- book, open-note, unproctored, untimed,” he said.
As he moved from the oncology clinic and the luxury of a “tightly integrated medical setting with strong medical oversight,” things became more complicated after he opened a stand-alone, specialized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy clinic.
Ransom explains the process of deciding when to prescribe and when to refer to a psychiatrist, linking up with the primary care physicians, and experiencing some very successful cases where his patients benefited greatly from medicine and evidence-based psychotherapy.
“But these experiences are exceptional for a reason,” he writes. “Most cases have less clear-cut successes and there are regular treatment failures. Collaborating primary care physicians who are amenable to initiating a patient on a medication can become squeamish when they are asked to approve yet another augmentation strategy, or medication switch, or dosage adjustment.”
He describes the difficulties of navigating relationships with psychiatrists, who sometimes stopped referring when they discovered he was a prescriber, and the frustrations with insurers reimbursing for his psychopharmacology add-on codes.
However, he notes the benefits with primary care physicians. “… becoming a prescriber has pushed me to create a series of highly collaborative relationships with nonpsychiatrist physicians (particularly PCPs) as I work with them to develop treatment plans for our joint patients.”
“The benefit ends, however, not necessarily at the end of your expertise but at the end of the expertise of the physician you collaborate with,” he say, “who, it must be eternally emphasized, is not a psychiatrist and will sometimes not know as much as you, which is chilling because you won’t know much yourself.”
He tells about a nerve-wracking incident when a patient developed a rash, in this case a potentially serious side effect. He was without full medical support because of Mardi Gras. While his decisions were right, it was still sobering. A psychiatrist colleague said he would have handled the situation the same way, but added, “The only difference is that if something goes wrong, I have the whole American Medical Association behind me.”
“RxP gives us a tool to use for patient care, and it’s a good one,” Dr. Sean Ransom says. However, for those who want to stay focused on psychotherapy, the “cost of that tool is too high…” Among his reasons––the loss of professional autonomy, the time needed to become a competent prescriber takes time away from other competencies, and the lower quality of work life. Also he notes the loss of genuine collaboration with the most skillful psychopharmacologists, the highly competent psychiatrists.
Instead, “We should have found better ways to build better bridges between our field and the medical community, including the psychiatric community,” he says. “We should have formed alliances to ensure that the work of psychologists is honored and that a well-defined, well- coordinated collaboration between individuals across disciplines is promoted as the standard of mental health care.”
Dr. Ransom launched the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center of New Orleans and works with colleagues Drs. Urmi Jani, Missy Bonell, Laura Niditch, Lisa-Ann Cuccurullo and Ms. Carly LeBlanc, LCSW. Their website is http://cbtnola.com
The Behavior Therapist is available at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies website, at http://www.abct.org/Journals/?m= mJournal&fa=TBT
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
The National Notary Association is embracing research from Louisiana State University Assistant Psychology Professor, Dr. Megan Papesh, to help it’s members develop their understanding of a key scientific finding: checking photo IDs is very difficult.
Dr. Papesh teamed up with the National Notary Association (NNA) to develop an ID matching quiz that notaries were able to take online.
More than 2,900 NNA members took the quiz with some surprising results. The Notaries did not do as well as test subjects.
In “The Notary Challenge: Matching Faces To ID Harder Than You Think,” published in September by NAA in Notary News, Michael Lewis said that about 32 percent of notaries who took the online quiz failed to identify the imposter. And also, about 31 percent of the time they failed to identify a correct match.
“That’s really surprising,” Dr. Papesh told Lewis about the quiz results. The NNA’s quiz was designed to be similar to the group of Papesh’s subjects who were shown a high percentage of fakes. This research group got it wrong 20 percent of the time.
But, “It’s incredibly difficult to match a face to a photo ID,” said Papesh.
Papesh and co-author Dr. Stephen Goldinger from the University of Arizona have found that error rates for catching a face to photo ID mismatch could go as high as 40 percent under certain conditions. Their work is published in Attention, Perception and Psychophysics.
The researchers examined the ability of people to match face photos to IDs under conditions where the observer expects to encounter a fake ID only rarely, compared to when the observer expects to encounter a high number of fake IDs. When the observer expected a high number of faked IDs, the error rates were about 20 percent.
However, during trials where the frequency of faked IDs were less regular and frequent, the error rates jumped to over 40 percent misses.
Lewis noted that it can be very hard for notaries to tell if an ID is correct where a signer’s ID photo could be a decade old or more. Papesh also told Lewis that cross- cultural differences complicate matters because people have a hard time identifying people from a different race or culture.
As imperfect as matching faces to ID photos is, there isn’t a better way to identify people at present because reliable facial recognition technology is not available, Papesh said.
“We’re currently working on research designed to reveal individual differences in people who are/are not good at that task,” Dr. Papesh told the Times, “and that information will be used to inform possible training decisions. We’re using eye-tracking to see if there are key features that people rely more/less on for accurate performance,” she said.
The NNA recommends to its members to look for suspicious circumstances, such as a person who is trying to rush the notary. Papesh explained to the NNA, that notaries should take their time. “Most of the time when people make a really critical error in checking someone’s ID, it’s because they inconvenience the person whose ID they are checking,” she told Lewis. “They let something go. So it’s important to take more time.”
Papesh will be continuing her work with the NNA. “I’m going to speak at their 2015 conference,” she said, “and have some of their members run through a battery of face matching tasks and any possible training regimens that we are able to devise …”
Readers can take the NNA Quiz for themselves at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LQ TRNY9).
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 15. Source pages: 9.
Dr. Ruscher in Observer Storytelling Helps Communicate the Value of Psychology
In “Storytellling From a Three- Legged Stool,” Dr. Janet Ruscher, Tulane Dean and previous Chair of the Tulane Psychology Department, writes for the Association for Psychological Science Observer about how to communicate science with storytelling techniques.
In this column, “Speaking of Science,” she describes communicating psychology to diverse audiences such as teachers, community leaders, and the media, and ways psychological scientists and psychologists can put complex issues into clear, under- standable, and interesting ways for people outside the discipline.
In her current article Ruscher describes capturing and communicating what psychology has to offer by using literary devices. She gathered ideas from experts Dacher Keltner (BBC series The Human Face) and Lera Boroditsky (National Geographic series Brain Games) and suggests focusing on meaning, coherence, and memorability.
“… assume the role of storyteller,” she says, “drawing our audience into tales of the human condition, of the scientist’s journey, of the bizarre coincidences of psychological science.”
In storytelling it helps to think of meaningfulness, coherence, and memorability as the three legs of a stool, Ruscher explains. Establishing meaningfulness should be a straightforward task. “… psychological researchers hold the enviable advantage of a ready and invested audience,” writes Ruscher.
Good stories have a structure, and the predictable structure is already part of human experience, she explains. Good stories also are easy to remember, they stay with us, she writes. Audiences can be drawn into the stories of psychological science because it describes the universal experiences that define us all.
“So relish opportunities to share a science that lends itself naturally to storytelling,” says Ruscher. “And tell your stories often, widely, and well.”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
November 5–7 School Psychologists & School Specialists Gather at Conference this Week in Lafayette
School psychologists and school specialists will convene this week in Lafayette to learn from national and Louisiana experts about new applied sciences and techn- ologies to help youngsters and the school systems that serve them.
The conference will be held November 5 to 7 at the Lafayette Hilton in Lafayette.
This year’s theme is “Advocate. Lead. Serve.” Dr. Nathaniel von der Embse will present the keynote address on Thursday, titled, “Leadership Through Everyday Advocacy.”
A “Round Table about the Licensed Specialist in School Psychology, the new credential offered under the state psychology board, is to be held on Thursday at 4:30 pm.
Also, a School Psychology Trainers Forum will take place, also on Thursday, beginning at 3:30 pm. Association members are invited to attend the Executive Council meeting, also on Thursday, at 6:30 pm and aconcurrent networking session.
National expert on executive skills in children, and past President of the National Association of School Psychologists, and of the International School Psychology Association, Dr. Peg Dawson, will lead the workshop, “Smart but Scattered: Helping Children with Executive Dysfunction at Home and at School.”
Dr. Frank Sansosti will present “Promoting the Educational Outcomes of Students with Higher Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders.”
Dr. Debra Duhe will present, “Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition,” and Dr. Howie Knoff will cover “Behavioral Interventions for Challenging Students.”
School psychology experts from Tulane, Drs. Constance Patterson and Bonnie Nastasi will offer attendees the opportunity to update their knowledge and skills in “Strengths-based Assessment: Understanding the Whole Child,” and “PREPaRE I.”
Also, among others included in this year’s program will be Dr. John Simoneaux, presenting on the topic of “Sexual Behavior in Children,” and Dr. Samuel MacMaster on, “Preventing Fetal Alcohol Exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.”
Dr. John Simoneaux at a previous Louisiana School Psychological Association Convention. He is a forensic psychologist and regular presenter at the school psychology conference.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Who’s Writing What? Integrating Clinical Hypnosis and CBT Treating Depression, Anxiety, and Fears
Robin A. Chapman, PsyD, ABPP Springer, 2014
“My initial fascination with hypnosis began as a child watching movies,” explained Dr. Robin Chapman, “I vividly recall Bella Lugosi’s eyes as he mesmerizes others throughout the movie Dracula. I wondered if that could really happen. Like many, my first impressions of hypnosis were based on movies and books.”
Dr. Robin Chapman, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and Director of Behavioral Health at St. Thomas Community Health Center in New Orleans. Somewhat new to Louisiana, he has been an instructor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is board certified in cognitive and behavioral psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.
Chapman’s early interests in hypnosis stayed with him, and early in his career he attended a beginners’ workshop at the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. There he linked up with trainer Mark Oster who suggested he develop a model for integrating hypnosis and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Chapman took up the challenge.
“I tracked people down who were doing it,” he told the Times. They were not easy to find, he explained, because the field was so young. But eventually he found a group of expert practitioners in both hypnosis and CBT. From this he produced his 2006 edited text, The Clinical Use of Hypnosis and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Practitioners Casebook.
“The first book presented the ‘why,’” Chapman said. He presented the work at conferences, where it was well received, and discovered something else. “I found that people were interested in how to do it, and less interested in the theoretical,” he said. Clinicians needed a practical guide on how to integrate the two modalities, he explained, and this led him to write Integrating Clinical Hypnosis and CBT.
Much smaller and more user friendly this work is more of a manual, he explained. “I had to reduce chapters and also reduce the theoretical parts. It was meant for both audiences, people who had clinical hypnosis background and those with CBT,” he said.
“It was an interesting tight rope to walk. I wanted to be true to CBT, but not totally reliant on it. I wanted to give the hypnosis people enough also,” he said. “Both of these fields have enough within their areas to keep them busy. I’d be with the CBT people who were not interested in clinical hypnosis and then I’d be with those in hypnosis, who were largely from a psychodynamic orientation,” he said. “I had to work to make both groups comfortable with the other and develop a guide for both.
Integrating provides that guide, in a clear, structured, and detailed approach that walks the reader solidly through the practical steps and stages of how these two approaches can be combined to help clients with the specific challenges of depression and anxiety.
The text will be of benefit to both the experienced and the new clinician, designed in workbook style with step-by-step methods and exercises. It is straightforward and easy to use and understand, as well as rich with examples, explanations, exercises, and handouts that can be shared with the client. All this in a compact and easy to digest 135 pages.
Chapman divides the book into three parts, beginning with “Foundations,” and an introductory chapter on “Clinical Hypnosis and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.” He covers a brief background and how to use the book with conclusions and future direction. He reminds readers that hypnosis has been part of human history for thousands of years with one of the earliest examples found in an Egyptian papyrus over 3000 years old. He also reminds readers that CBT emerges from learning theory and clinical practice, and that initially the behavioral approach relied on observation of behaviors without significant attention to thoughts and feelings.
In Chapter 2 the author discusses common questions that clients have about hypnosis and he outlines information helpful to the therapeutic relationship. He discusses the common concerns of some about whether the hypnotist has power over the person; whether hypnosis is like sleep; if it is related to mysticism or magic; and what is hypnosis. He also outlines CBT, background of classical and operant conditioning, acceptance and commitment approach, and connection to relational frame theory. “It provides a shift from earlier problem-solving of cognitive therapy to mindful appreciation,” Chapman writes.
In Chapter 3 he sets out information useful to the reader about the assessment for integrated treatment. He provides several ways of gathering clinical information linking with subsequent chapters and specific techniques. He covers behavioral assessment, cognitive assessment, mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral assessment, clinical scales, and the assessment of hypnotizability. He points out that practitioners may choose among several assessment models to formulate a case and that this is a critical component of the treatment approach.
Part II is “Cognitive Behavior and Hypnotic Strategies.” In this section Chapman lays out the majority of the methods and techniques, blending the two methods, the clinical picture, and the ways that various techniques can be helpful.
Chapter 4 provides an “Introduction to Mood Check, Relaxation, and Imagery.” Chapman explains the Subjective Units of Discomfort Scale (SUDS) and outlines methods for relaxation training. This is followed by “Cognitive Strategies,” with a review of the Daily Thought Record and how it can be used with hypnosis. He also describes the use of metaphors, and how stories, fairy tales, and analogies are uses for values, and insights.
Chapter 6 and 7 continue with, “Relaxation Training,” including history, applications, and a step-by-step review of progressive muscle relaxation. This leads into a chapter on “Imagery,” and a discussion of the impact of imagery on emotion as well as use of coping imagery.
Suggestion and suggestibility are discussed in Chapter 8, “Suggestion for Change.” Chapman reviews the background about the use of suggestions and hypnosis providing specific examples, which is followed by “Self- Hypnosis and Imagery.” Here he discusses a method or script for self-hypnosis and also employing cognitive strategies.
Part III provides extensive case studies, in “Clinical Cases Integrating CBT and Hypnosis,” and chapters on “Depression Case Study,” “Anxiety (Panic Disorder) Case Study,” and “Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias Case Study.”
Chapman provides ample client handouts used throughout the text and grouped in the appendix. These include informational handouts on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Clinical Hypnosis, and on Mood Check. He provides a Mood Monitoring Sheet, Daily Thought Record, Self- Instruction Sheet, handout on Meditation, Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise, Relaxation Tracking Form, Imagery Practice Tracking Form, Self-Hypnosis Protocol, and Self-Hypnosis Practice Tracking Form.
He concludes with a chapter on “Thoughts About the Future of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Hypnosis,” where he suggests that the third wave of CBT may well begin to include clinical hypnosis.
What was the writing and publishing process like for Dr. Chapman? “On the positive side,” he explained. “I’ve done both these books with Springer.” But his first proposal was rejected and there was a lot of editing from there. “The initial idea was a lot more global and diffuse,” he said but, “While there was some pain, the editor has been very helpful. She really helped refine and delineate the ideas.”
Dr. Chapman said he enjoys the process of writing, even though he often feels his own work to be lacking. If not for deadlines, he might still be working on these two texts, he said.
Dr. Robin Chapman moved to Louisiana a few years ago from Boston. “I always thought I’d return to the South, growing up in Kentucky,” he said. Proximity to family, work, and warmer weather were his reasons to relocate. “And frankly,” he said, “I don’t miss the Boston winters, or getting up 1-1/2 to 2 hours early to shovel snow.”
Integrating Clinical Hypnosis and CBT is available from Springer and also from major booksellers.
Dr. Robin Chapman, author of Integrating Clinical Hypnosis and CBT. He is a clinical psychologist and Director of Behavioral Health at St. Thomas Community Health Center in New Orleans. (Courtesy photo)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
A record number of adults age 25 and older have never married, according to a September report by Pew Research. This is a continuing trend. In 1960, only 9 percent of adults in 1960 fell into the never-married category but by 2012 this number has grown to 20 percent, says Pew.
The gender gap has also widened. In 1960, 10 percent of men and 8 percent of women were never-married. But by 2012 that had risen to 23 percent for men and 17 percent for women.
Dr. Matt Morris is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and President–Elect for the Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He told the Times that delaying marriage is a persisting trend.
“Age of marriage, particularly later age of marriage often correlates with reduced likelihood for divorce,” Dr. Morris said to the Times. “People who choose to marry later are likely more educated and financially established, which also correlate to reduced divorce rates – something marriage proponents should be promoting,” he said.
“Though more people are choosing not to marry, that does not necessarily mean that they are single and not in a committed relationship. More people are questioning the philosophical justification for marriage as an institution, and choosing not to participate in that institution, though they’re committed to their partner and family,” Morris said.
The Pew study noted that while attitudes about marriage are dramatically changing in younger age group, a majority of Americans, 68 percent, continue to believe marriage is an important and worthy institution. And, of those never-married, 53 percent say they would like to marry eventually.
Dr. Morris points to one of the problems. “The report shows that a majority of single adults would like to marry someday. Finding a partner that one can commit to in marriage requires time to date, court, and possibly cohabitate,” he said, “all of which takes significant time and energy. Working adults regularly report that they’re simply too busy to date. And when one relationship falls through, the process starts over again,” Morris said. “In some ways, dating hasn’t gotten easier; it’s more complicated.”
Previously married adults show less interest in marriage than do never-married adults, according to Pew. Only 21 percent say they would like to marry again, while 45 percent say they do not want to get married again and another 31 percent are unsure. And, there is a large gender difference. Only 15 percent of women reported wanting to try again, compared to 29 percent of the men.
Dr. Morris, who is also Associate Professor of Counseling at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in New Orleans and an approved LMFT and LPC Supervisor, said there is lot needed for people to feel that relationships can be positive and stable.
“Most people want to be in a stable, loving relationship, whether legally married or not,” he said. “And stable relationships are good for society.” But stable relationships must be supported, he explained. “… first by teaching kids and adolescents the components of healthy relationships, including good communication skills, conflict resolution skills, etc.,” Morris said. Good premarital counseling that fosters connection and realistic expectations and also services and information to support families through challenging times, might be needed, he noted.
Pew researchers noted that few never-married adults, both men and women, place priority on finding a partner who shares their moral and religious beliefs, has a similar educational level, or comes from the same racial or ethnic background.
However, the researchers also point out that of those never- married who want to eventually wed, 30 percent say it is because they have not found what they are looking for in a spouse. Almost as many say they are not financially prepared for marriage.
“When you put these two statements together, does it really surprise you?” said Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Mark Reynaund, previously chair of the LMFT Advisory Committee . “This is not to say that what makes a healthy relationship is couples sharing exactly the same values/beliefs and traditions. However, spouses need to be able to trust that their partner is going to honor their life's dreams,” Reynaud said.
“The question I pose here is how financial security is defined?” said Reynaud. He wonders about the priorities of modern couples. “It is important to balance the emotional needs of the relationship with the demand of earning a livable income and maintaining a standard of living,” he said. “Unfortunately, what the research is showing is that more and more, people are valuing wealth over emotional connection. My personal belief is that people are attempting to console themselves with wealth due to the pain of lack of emotional connection.”
Reynaud asks what happens in our society where parents chase financial security and where children are given “things” as a substitute for real connections. “Additionally, children see their parents as unhappy and divorcing because of a lack of connection in the marriage. Couples are not connecting with each other because this is not what they are choosing to spend their time on,” he said.
“As a result, despite what I believe is the drive in all of us to have that emotional bond with others, the younger generation neglects this and believes to some extent that a satisfying marriage is a myth,” Reynaud said.
Another theme emerging from the Pew data has to do with men, jobs, and what women want in a spouse. Of women in the never-married group, 78 percent say the most important characteristic for a potential mate is to have a steady job.
This relates to another issue, the dropping labor participation rate of men. From 1960 to 2012, the number of men working, per 100 women, dropped from 139 to 91.
Dr. Molly Govener, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist from West Monroe, told the Times this is one of the themes she sees in her practice.
Dr. Governer feels that one reason for the decline in marriage is the increasing lack of security that males provide to females. “… traditionally females desire the financial security that is found in a ‘good provider.’” she said. “However, fewer young males are employed now than ever, and beyond that, even when they are, it seems they approach their family life and career with less of a sense of ‘responsibility.’”
“I have an increasing number of couples in my office, with the female complaining that her husband is either lax in his approach to work, is currently not working, or when he is not at work, is completely unhelpful in the maintenance home, financial management, and with their children,” Governer said. “… a lot of women are seeing it as much easier to just do it alone.”
While the rates of never- married increased in all racial and ethics groupings, the increase was most dramatic for Blacks, going from 9 percent in 1960 to 36 percent in 2012. Black men and women are about equal with 36 percent of Black men and 35 percent of Black women falling in the never-married category.
The Times spoke with Ms. Heather Doss, current chair of the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family, which was created in 2008 by Governor Jindal to provide guidance to decision-makers in the state.
In the commission’s annual report, Doss noted that 49 percent of the children born in Louisiana are disadvantaged from growing up in a household without both parents. This is 68 percent in Orleans Parish. She noted that due to the marriage rate, divorce, and the other factors such as the cohabitation rate in Louisiana of 58 percent, only one-third of American children are growing up in a stable, two-parent, married households.
“The commission will be working in the early part of the 2015 to look further at these goals,” Doss explained to the Times, “and specially to look at the purposes of the executive order.
Dr. Molly Govener said, “I see a decline in the value of marriage as a society at large,” pointing to many young people who feel they are being “progressive” to refuse the “archaic notion” of marriage.
She explained that there has been a decline “… in the moral foundation that marriage is based on, specifically a traditional Christian ideal.” In the past, many embraced the Judeo- Christian model, where intercourse outside of marriage was viewed as sinful.
“In current times,” she said, “this trend is completely reversed, with the unmarried couples ‘waiting until marriage’ being seen as strange, and abstaining singles are generally suspected to have some kind of an issue that accounts for this other than a strong moral conviction.” She also observes that it is more acceptable for unmarried couples to raise children together.
“With the shift in these societal expectations, the motivation to be married is much less,” Dr. Governer said.
And, “I fully expect these trends to continue in the direction they're moving.”
Graphs from “FRED Economic Data” showing the labor participation rates of men and women over the last half century.
Dr. Matt Morris is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and President–Elect for the Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He told the Times that delaying marriage is a persisting trend. (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 5, No. 15. Source pages: 12.
Department of Psychology, Northwestern State University has an opening for an Assistant/Associate Professor or Full Professor
Position: Assistant/Associate Professor or Full Professor – tenure track: Earned doctorate in Psychology (Preferred Clinical Psychology) Salary: $54,000 to $57,000. Experience the culture and relaxed living in Louisiana’s oldest city.
Responsibilities: Responsibilities include teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, graduate thesis research and paper-in-lieu, advising, university and department service, and research/publication endeavors.
Start Date: Open until filled
Application: Send vita, transcripts, and 3 letters of recommendation: Northwestern State University Department of Psychology Dr. Susan Thorson-Barnett, Chairperson ATTN: Search Committee 311 Bienvenu Hall Natchitoches, LA 71497. Review of application will begin immediately and will continue until position is filled.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
[Editor’s Note: Times’ columnist Dr. Andrews just returned from a trip to see what Darwin saw, celebrating the 155 year anniversary of Origin of Species and his voyage to the Galapagos Islands. A bucket list event for her, she shares with us for our November Gone Fishing feature. Photos and text by Dr. Andrews .]
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” –– Charles Darwin
This year is the 155-year anniversary of Darwin’s Origin of Species, which was published in 1859, 24 years after he spent only 7 days on one of the Galapagos Islands in 1835. And, yet, he claimed that the samples of species that he collected in his brief visit and the observations he made were seminal to his later work, particularly the Darwin Finches. More than anyone else, Darwin brought the world’s attention to the Galapagos, now declared a World Heritage Site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The above quotation from Darwin holds much wisdom for psychologists. Change is one of the most stressful things in the life of humans. At this moment in time, humans face more rapid change than at any time in our evolution on this planet. Thus, in some ways, we have much in common with the Red Footed Booby. Change is stressful for us and only those that can be adaptable to change will thrive.
A visit to the Galapagos Islands has been on my ‘Bucket List’ for many years. The Galapagos is a living library of adaptation and evolutionary changes. The majority of the species of birds, land and ocean animals found on the Galapagos Islands are unique in the world and can only be found there.
The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, on both sides of the Equator, some 926 km west of Ecuador. The islands were formed by one of only three volcanic hot spots on the ocean’s floor. The youngest islands are not much more than inhospitable lava flows without fresh water; the older islands have developed trees, even forests.
Because of the isolation and harsh conditions, the birds, fish and animals that found themselves there had to adapt in order to survive. Most of the life forms reached the islands by accident and all have had to struggle. Some are found only on one or two islands in the chain and are not found even on a neighboring island that can be seen from the shore.
Not only are these species unique, they are remarkably unafraid of humans. This makes it easy to photograph them. The photos shared here represent some of the special trademark Galapagos life forms, such as Blue and Red-Footed Boobies, the Giant Galapagos Tortoise, and the Marine Iguana.
As change affects the environment of these unusual birds and animals, they are becoming endangered even in the isolated and protected environment of Galapagos.
Even today, a visit to the Galapagos may offer insights into life, change, and the challenge of living.
Blue-Footed Boobies are in danger of becoming extinct. They nest in the sea cliffs above. The population is now estimated at 20,000 pairs. They are colorful and capable of diving like a torpedo into the water for food. The Red-Footed Booby (large photo) is also dwindling. They live and breed mostly on Genovesa or Tower Island. The population is estimated at 15,000 pairs (including 9,000 pairs on Genovesa.) This booby nests in trees; the other boobies nest on the ground and cliffs. Their feet turn red when they are ready to mate. Courtship includes lifting their feet and waving them in the air to attract the female. The Nazca or masked Booby also nests on Genovesa on the ground. The babies are almost all white fluff and quite comical. They often stand in the middle of the pathway and block your progress. (Top right is a booby sitting on an egg; top left is a booby baby; bottom left is a Blue-Footed Booby diving into water.)
Once the iconic Giant Tortoises were plentiful in the islands. Now, they exist mainly in a reserve on Santa Cruz. Pirates used to stop at the Galapagos and carry these gentle giants into their hold for food where they could live up to a year without food or water until killed and cooked. (Below) Particularly well adapted to their environment, Marine Iguanas have to dive into the ocean for the algea they eat. They excrete the excess salt through their noses once back on land. The Sea Lions and Fur Seals are cute and playful and people think their life is one of ease, playing in the water and sleeping on the beaches. Naturalists tell us, however, that they have to work hard to feed their young and that they are often hunted themselves.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 15. Source pages: 2.
After declining all requests to be interviewed, the psychology board says it is going to “create policies and procedures for responses to media requests.” They seem to mean business because they’ve assigned Dr. Joe Comaty and Dr. Marc Zimmermann to the job.
When the Times staff heard this, we immediately said to one another, “We can help!”
It wasn’t easy however. We brained-stormed for hours! We scoured all the great minds who have written on the topic; from the classical Greek and Roman philosophers, all the way to Locke, Kant, and Adam Smith. We wracked our brains for the most valuable, practical and profound ideas we could think of that should be included. We studied Marx, Darwin, Freud, Levin, Trivers, the Bible, Constitutional scholars, APA, APS, and the Boy Scouts of America. We were all over the map.
We worked for days and days and days, all on a volunteer basis mind you, and we’ve produced a manual that we think can save the board huge time and effort. We’re pretty sure that this guide can be used by not only the psychology board but all sorts of government bodies––boards, commissions, advisory committees, individual officials and agencies that appear also to be struggling with similar issues, like the IRS.
We’re honored to provide this professional, comprehensive work, titled Procedure Manual for Dealing with the Media, absolutely free to the psychology board.
For only $199.99 we can include 499 pages of introductory materials, with current government regulations, grant requests, background research, self- congratulatory statements and acknowledgements where we thank ourselves, our friends, our business associates and all of our family members and distant relatives. We even provided a course outline for 20 hours of continuing education with the purchase of the manual.
But the truly amazing thing is that the instructional section is only one page! Key decisions are outlined in a flow chart and the main instruction is wrapped up in wording that most, or at least many, will find readily interpretable––Answer the question and tell the truth. Problem solved.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 15. Source pages: 15.
The Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy will host award- winning author and science writer, Robert Whitaker at its Annual Conference, February 19- 21, 2015.
Whitaker will speak on “Psychotherapeutic Alternatives to Medications,” at the event to be held in Baton Rouge at the Renaissance Hotel.
Whitaker is a journalist who has specialized in reporting on medical science. He has won the George Polk Award and a National Association of Science writers’ Award for his work reporting on psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry.
He has written about abuses in psychiatric research and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. He is author of four books, including Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America, and also, Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill.
For more information, visit the LAMFT website.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 15. Source pages: 3.
Governor Jindal issued an Executive Order on October 20 to help victims of sexual assault. He directed higher education institutions to establish better protections for sexual assault victims on college campuses, and directed the Board of Regents to coordinate policies and best practices for the prevention of such crimes, and the medical and mental health care needed for these victims.
The order also directs the Crime Victims Reparations Board to immediately revise administrative rules and practices that could or do give rise to the idea that the victim bears some measure of responsibility for the crime.
DHH also issued a news release outlining ways they would streamline funding for medical services for victims, including not requiring victims to file a police report in order to be reimbursed for care.
These announcements followed a September Times Picayune story about victims and the medical challenges they face, titled “Billing for Rape.”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 15. Source pages: 15.
Xavier University in New Orleans will host a lecture/concert about Louis Armstrong, November 6, at 7:00 pm in the University Center McCaffrey Ballroom.
Professor and musician Dr. Michael White will discuss the cultural and musical importance of the New Orleans born legend and his career from 1923 to 1960s.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.