Sunday, September 29, 2019

Female sex offending



From The Conversation on 09/24/19:

The majority of sex offenders are male. Research suggests that between 1% and 9% of those who offend sexually worldwide are women, depending on the source of data. Most estimates settle on 5%.
In surveys of people who have been victims of sexual abuse or assault, 3% of female victims and 21% of male victims report that the perpetrator was female.
However, official data of arrest and conviction rates may underrepresent the number of female sex offenders, as those who have been assaulted by a woman are less likely to report the abuse. Female offenders are also less likely to be arrested and convicted. If they are convicted, they receive shorter sentences than male offenders.
For more click here.
Editor's note: In my practice and experience, women are often what are called "co-offenders," meaning that they often don't act alone but in concert with another person. The article above describes this phenomenon.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Making a plan makes it more likely that personal goals will be achieved.


Planfulness leads to success. In other words, people who makes plans to achieve their goals are more likely to be successful. Seems like common sense doesn't it?

The old saying, "Plan your work and work you plan," is validated by social psychological research.

For more click here.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Suicide rates vary widely by state in the United States with twice the rate in red states as in blue states.

From the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on suicide rates by state in the United States in 2017.



In 2017, the U.S. age-adjusted suicide rate was 14.0 per 100,000 population, but rates varied by state. The five states with the highest rates were Montana (28.9 deaths per 100,000 population), Alaska (27.0), Wyoming (26.9), New Mexico (23.3), and Idaho (23.2). The five with the lowest rates were the District of Columbia (6.6), New York (8.1), New Jersey (8.3), Massachusetts (9.5), and Maryland (9.8).

Editor's note: Suicide rates are twice the rate in red states the five highest as compared the the suicide rates in the lowest which are blue states. Makes one speculate how political ideology is correlated with suicide.

The states with high suicide rates also tend to be big gun states has compared to states with low rates that have lower gun ownership rates and tougher gun control laws.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Pscyhotherapeutic fads


Question: When it comes to psychotherapy why do some therapists seem drawn to techniques which are fads that come and go?
Answer: Having been in the field 50 years now I have watched so many fads come and go with all kinds of trainings and certifications and egotistical claims that my type of therapy is better than yours because I have learned this recent technique and have been certified to deploy it.
The belief in magic is alive and well in our psychotherapeutic field among practitioners who have forgotten what Helen Harris Perlman taught us back in the 50s that good “casework” as it was called by Social Workers way back then is all about the “helping relationship.”
I have been reading Stephen Bacon’s book about Practicing Psychotherapy In Contructed Reality in which he suggests that the therapeutic variable might be the therapist’s “charisma.” Using Bacon’s idea, I suppose that if a therapist thinks his or her certification in the lastest therapeutic fad gives him/her more confidence and “charisma” and it fits for the client, then maybe the certification is an advantage, but I suspect that this misfounded belief in a magical technique just as often, or even more often, undermines a therapeutic connection especially if the technique is not perceived by the client as all that relevant.
I had a client tell me last week that she left her therapist because all the therapist wanted to do to her was EMDR and she didn’t see the point. The therapist, she said, didn’t seem to want to listen to her so she sought help elsewhere.
I got a PESI brochure last week for a workshop leading to certification in “tapping”. Wow! I guess if EMDR doesn’t work, there is always “tapping.” It seems odd that professionals with at least a Master’s degree and sometimes a Doctorate are enamored with this snake oil.
It is difficult to find good psychotherapy, sometimes, in the psychobabble hurricane which surrounds us.
What works in psychotherapy is not techniques, but the attentiveness and listening skills of the therapist. Does the therapist want to hear your story and ask you questions to further clarify the events, experiences, and meanings in your life? Does the therapist ask about and seem interested in helping you develop a preferred story in which you envision your better self and your better life? This exploration of your existeing life story and preferred story takes time and attentive listening. In this process, therapist and client, couple, family, group join together to pursue a better life free from egotistical concerns that can frighten, sadden, and anger. Good psychotherapy should result in peace and joy and a significant reduction in chronic anxiety and tension levels.