Monroe County, NY jail offers treatment for opioid addiction

From WHEC NBC Channel 10 news on 01/17/19

 

For more click here.

American Psychiatric Association denounces Supreme Court decision to ban the service of transgendered people in U.S. military

From the Psychatric News Alert of 01/24/19:

"APA has denounced a Supreme Court decision handed down earlier this week that gave a green light to the U.S. military to restrict service by individuals who are transgender.

A sharply divided high court handed the Trump administration the victory for its policy banning transgender military service by a vote of 5-4, without discussing the merits of the case. In response, APA issued a statementcalling for the protection of transgender individuals’ civil rights and expressing great disappointment in the decision to lift the injunctions on the transgender service ban imposed by a lower courts.

After President Donald Trump signed the ban last March to disqualify individuals who are transgender from military service except under certain limited circumstances, four federal courts issued preliminary injunctions to block it. The Supreme Court decision lifts the injunctions and allows the ban to take effect while the cases challenging the policy continue to wind their way through the courts."

For more click here.

What does the devastation of the opioid epidemic look like on the ground?

Jan Rader is the fire chief, first responder, and a nurse in Huntington, West Virginia who describes her community's reponse to the opiod epidemic.

Huntington is a county of 95,000 people which, in 2017, experienced 1831 overdoses, and 183 deaths.

Rader describes some innovative programming in her community to deal with substance use disorder which as reached epidemic proportions not only in her county but across the U.S.

 

Editor's note:
I was the executive director of GCASA, the Genesee Council on Alcoholism and Subtance abuse in Genesee and Orleans Counties in Western New York state from 2000 - 2011. I continue to consult with counselors at GCASA who are obtaining psychotherapy superivision hours for their licensure.

The opioid crisis has hit Western New York hard as it has in Huntington. As Chief Rader describes, the deaths and crisis nature of the phenomenon are very difficult for people suffering from substance use disorder as well as their families, friends, and communities.

The opioid epidemic in 2018 created more deaths in the U.S. than car fatalities. It takes a whole community working together with people from multiple sectors to restore our communities back to an acceptable level of public health.

Tomorrow, January 26, is National Spouses Day

Celebrated annually on January 26th, National Spouses Day is an unofficial holiday which encourages couples to celebrate each other on this day. On this day, people are supposed to take time out of their busy schedule to show just how important their spouse is to them. After all, the love that isn’t tended is most likely the one that doesn’t thrive. This holiday shouldn’t be confused with Military Spouses Day – a holiday which falls on May 12th.

Interesting facts about marriage:

• The average married couple has sex once a week
• 20% of married couples have a sex-less marriage
• Over 300 couples marry in Las Vegas every single day
• Every hour, there are a 100 divorces in the United States. Couples who seriously dated at least two years or more before marriage have much lower divorce rates.
• The divorce rates for second marriages is higher than for first marriages. 
• The symtoms of marriage becoming toxic and breaking up are hurtful criticism, and the expression of contempt and disdain.
• Interracial marriage was banned in the U.S up until 1967. The number of mixed racial marriages has been rising since then.
• Gamophobia is the fear of commitment
• Wedding rings go back to Ancient Egypt
• Marriages and families are happier when there is at least a 5:1 ratio of compliments to criticisms.
• There are five love languages: physical touch, words of affirmation, spending quality time, acts of service, recieving gifts
• Most important thing people want from marriage is to know that their partner is going to be there for them.
• The best kind of marriage is one characterized by unconditional love. This kind of relationship is holy.

For more click here.

What are cognitive distortions in CBT( Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is one of the strategies of psychotherapy which is often studied and sometimes referred to as "research based."

In general, when psychotherapy outcomes are studied, psychotherapy which applies some of the ideas of cognitive behavioral therapy, it is found that CBT gets good results usually as good, if not better, than psychotropic medications.

One of the significant ideas of CBT is what are called "cognitive distortions." Cognitive distortions are very common and often are engaged in unconsciously. The person is thinking in certain ways that interfere with the person's good functioning.

In the short video below, five cogitive distortions are identified:

1. Emotional reasoning
2. Disqualifying the positive
3. Mind reading
4. All or nothing thinking
5. Catastrophizing

As I am fond of reminding my clients, "If you can't name it, you can't manage it." If you can't name the problem, you are doomed to be influenced by emotional and cognitive forces which you are not consciously aware of. Once you can "see it" and name it, you can think of ways to manage it.

Most people are not aware of how their psyche works and consciousness, knowledge, is power.

A skilled psychotherapist can help a person identify the cognitive distortions which are operating in the person's thought system. Once identified, the person has the power, then, of deciding how they can be managed and changed for the better.

Movie - On The Basis Of Sex

On The Basis of Sex is a movie about Ruth Bader Ginsberg's early life and career establishing her expertise in  advocating for women's rights in the U.S. in the later half of the twentieth century.

It is a five out of five on the MBH movie scale and is highly recommended.




Editor's note:
This is not only a biographical story about RBG but a good example of how social change is made in an intentional and deliberate way.

The norms, attitudes, beliefs, practices of a society are highly influenced in a democracy by the "rule of law." The impact of the changes in women's rights in a patriarchal society made by Ruth Bader Ginsberg's and others efforts are enormous. What is taken for granted today and "just the way things are" has not always been the case, and the recipients in todays society of the changes made by those who came before us deserve recognition, acknowledgement, and support.

This movie is informative on multiple levels and inspirational. It filled me with gratitude for the work that has been done to improve the lives of people in our society by what are called in Unitarian Universalism, "Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love."

How have your handled burnout in your career?

From "Burnout and Self Care: A Process In Helping" by David Papia, LCSW in The New Social Worker, Fall 2014

"Our social work profession is noble. This is a very special career path. We get to participate in important matters in people’s lives. We learn about ourselves, about others, and about humanity. We engage in giving and receiving, and we engage in relationships that further who we are and further those to whom we attend. However, our profession comes with many significant challenges and occupational hazards that threaten to weaken our profession and the resolve of the professional social worker.  

    We know that our profession has become deeply entrenched in managed care practices, bureaucracies and governing bodies determining our daily work conditions, very high caseloads, low salaries, and a profound amount of accountability expectations.  These realities and conditions can and sometimes do weigh very heavily. It is easy to recognize the feelings and sentiment of doubt and questioning: Should I continue in this profession? Am I enjoying my job? How can I sustain? We might even wonder if someone should consider entering our profession. As a father whose daughter has recently gone off to college and has an interest in social work, I notice myself being “on the fence” about her interest in our field."

Editor's note

This past October 31, 2018 I celebrated 50 years in the field of Psychiatric Social Work. It has been a very satisfying and fulfilling career because I have never seen it merely as a job. It has been a calling and something that I believe I have been called to do.

The money is terrible. The benefits are awful. The working conditions difficult and sometimes dangerous. The thanks and appreciation for efforts and skills expended meager. So why would anyone want a career and profession like this?

Because the human dilemna is fascinating. No two days or even hours in the day are alike. There is always something to learn and the problem solving activity is extremely creative as every person is special and unique. The overall faith that somehow the world is becoming a better place one person at a time is paramount and it is this faith that dispels burnout.

Dr. Susan McDaniel, the best mentor and teacher I ever had, told me one time after watching a family interview I conducted in front of a one-way mirror (with the family's permission), "Dave, If you aren't having fun you aren't doing it right," was the best feedback I have ever received about my clinical interviewing work.

So, whenever I am feeling stressed and burned out, I remind myself to lighten up. Am I trying too hard? How can I have a little fun and enjoy my interaction with this client(s)? And I smile and silently thank Dr. McDaniel for her wise encouragement.