Does Professional Responsibility Include a Duty to Warn?

Please share this recording:  (https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fyale.app.box.com%2Fs%2F4ea72yjfyvndvj63u8llvapjnamsnlhr) 
if you are concerned about the mental health and safety of our nation in the new political era. 

Silence in World War II Germany led to a holocaust. Hear from Robert J Lifton who studied physicians who helped the Nazis and studied survivors of Hiroshima and other world renowned professionals.

The Town Hall was held last Thursday at Yale University School of Medicine
Harkness Auditorium

11-12:30 Town Hall on Town Hall:
Does Professional Responsibility include a Duty to Warn?

It included a series of papers and open discussion--Robert J Lifton, Judith Herman, Lance Dodes, Bandy Lee and John Gartner speaking on Trump and The Goldwater Principle

This is an important discussion for psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, physicians, parents, teachers and any professional concerned about the mental and physical health of our nation and leaders.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Need Help? Be Careful When You Put Your Future Into Someone Else's Hands

Thought for the Day: Today is Wednesday which means it's time for Words of Wisdom. People often ask how to choose a therapist. There are multiple options available; however, they are not all equal. LCSWs, Psychologists and Psychiatrists are bound to legal, ethical and legal standards that coaches, fortune tellers, and unlicensed therapists are not. As the image above states, you could put a message in a bottle and send out an SOS. Then you would simply take the advice of whomever picked up the bottle at the beach. You could go to a fortune teller or tarot card reader and hear what they see in your future. They might make some accurate educated guesses based on what you look like and how you respond to their comments. You could hire a coach who could cheer you on, tell you what to do based on their life experiences which might be similar to your own. It might help or it might not. Or you could contact a trained professional therapist. Here's what I think...

Thursday's Psychology Trivia: T or F Life Coaching Is Equal or Better Than Psychotherapy

Thought for the Day: When I prepare Thursday's Psychology Trivia posts, I find a topic and look for research that supports the answer. I have been thinking about today's post for some time, but had trouble doing the research. Here's the question and I will explain why I went ahead and posted it:

True or False: Life Coaching Is Equal or Better Than Psychotherapy

5 of the Top 10 Wednesday's Words of Wisdom Posts 2013

Thought for the Day: I am enjoying reviewing the posts from last year' blog. Taking note of which posts had the most page views will help me continue to find and share quotes that will be of interest to you! It is a great way to celebrate our 2nd anniversary! Thank you for over 80,000 page views!! Here are half of your picks of the best words of wisdom posts:

#10 Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz on Creating One's Self 5/15/13

#9 Karen Horney on Pride provides an interesting quote by one of the early feminists what was a male dominated field of mental health.  4/3/13

#8 Dr. Barbara Lavi: To Do Over or Do Nothing, That Is the Question 10/2/13

#7 Steve Jobs on Time, Money & Free Offers Here's a little know quote by Steve Jobs. 7/10/13

We had a tie on views for #6 this year.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Thought for the Day: Today's Words of Wisdom come from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M.D. She was born in 1926 in Zurich Switzerland.  She graduated from medical school in Switzerland in 1957 & specialized in psychiatry in United States. As a medical student she was disturbed by the treatment of dying patients. in her groundbreaking book, On Death and Dying (1969), she first discussed her theory of the five stages of grief.<sup>[1]

The above quote, "I'm not Ok, you're not Ok & that's Ok." reflects her belief that when we are grieving we should not have to pretend to be "Ok." By accepting that part of the process of grief is to be depressed, people are better able to get support of others & work through the stages of grief. All too often, modern society expects mourners to act as if they are OK. Her work helped teach therapists, ministers & other caregivers ways to help people deal with the normal process of grieving. Kubler-Ross passed away in 2004.</sup>

 

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz on Finding or Creating One's Self

 Thought for the Day: Today I am reposting a quote from Wednesday's Words of Wisdom a year ago. I created a new image to go with it:

  “People often say this or that person has not yet found himself.  But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates.” Thomas Stephen Szasz

     What are your thoughts? Are you trying to find a profession or a job in order to "find" yourself? Or are you creating yourself by exploring your interests, finding your passion & then pursuing a profession?

Dr. Thomas Stephen Szasz*

Thomas Stephen Szasz (1900 -2012), was  a controversial psychiatrist. He was "a well-known social critic of the moral & scientific foundations of psychiatry, & of the social control aims of medicine in modern society, as well as of scientism. His books The Myth of Mental Illness (1960) & The Manufacture of Madness (1970) set out some of the arguments with which he is most associated." (Wikipedia)

    

I hope you will come back tomorrow t=for the answer to Thursday's Psychotherapy Trivia.

Photos: 

* Dr. Thomas Stephen Szasz JennyPhotos.com from Wikipedia Commons

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Karen Horney on Pride

Thought for the Day: On Monday, I shared how to parent difficult children & overcome self doubt.  Tuesday's Psychological Trivia question addresses self confidence. Today, I chose a quote about building self esteem by one of the pioneers of feminine psychiatry, Karen Horney. Horney was born in 1885 in Germany & was one of the first female psychiatrists. She dared to challenge Freud's theories of personality & sexuality. Many of her theories were ahead of their time. The Horney Clinic in NYC still honors her contribution to the field & offers affordable psychotherapy. When thinking about building self confidence in ourselves & our children, her simple words make sense: "If you want to be proud of yourself, then do things in which you can take pride." In a time when women rarely went to medical school or worked after having children, she forged a path in the field of psychoanalysis. Horney was able to accomplish a great deal despite (or perhaps because of) her own struggles with depression.  She continues to be a role model for women today. Looking at her accomplishments including the books authored by Horney (see below), she practiced what she preached. She would surely be proud of the part she played in women's progress over the years. I hope you will come back tomorrow for the answer to Tuesday's Psychological Trivia Question & on Friday for #FF Friday's Fabulous Finds.

To read more about the life & work of Karen Horney click here.
Books by Karen Horney:

Neurosis and human growth

Feminine psychology

Final Lectures

The Unknown Karen Ho...

The therapeutic process

#FF Friday's Fabulous Finds

Thought for the Day: Instead of writing a post today, I decided to start a new type of article on the blog. Every week, on Fridays, I'd like to bring you some of the best articles I have found this week on current topics. I read a wide variety of articles every week. Therefore, my #FF Friday's Fabulous Finds will be a mixed bag and may range from psychology, self-help, social media, & inspirational articles. The articles will be connected to things that interest me or which I may have written about in the past. I hope you will find them helpful & informative. Please feel free to forward & share them with others. Let me know your thoughts & comments on this approach & on the articles which I bring to you.

#FF Friday's Fabulous Finds:
1) The first find: Three Ways to Help 'Loners' and Improve School Safety,

Schools must support isolated students, was Published on January 16, 2013 by Nancy Rappaport, M.D. in We Are Only Human. Rappaport is a psychiatrist whose posts tend to be down to earth & informative. She presents some great simple suggestions for schools to promote safety. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/we-are-only-human/201301/three-ways-help-loners-and-improve-school-safety

2) Would Gandhi Use Social Media? is my second find by Nipun Mehta, a UC Berkeley graduate, left Silicon Valley and founded a non-profit that builds free websites for nonprofits. His offers an interesting analysis of social media & how it can lead to social change. Since I have been using social media for social change, I find his perspective to be interesting & enlightening.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/pay-it-forward/201301/would-gandhi-use-social-media

3) My third find is by a colleague who is also one of my facebook fans Dr. Craig Malkin.
Dr. Craig Malkin is an author, clinical psychologist, and Instructor of Psychology for Harvard Medical School (HMS) who writes for the Huffington Post. This article presents a very interesting question: Can Acting in Love Help You Stay in Love? His findings may help couples who have found that their relationships have lost some of their luster.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-craig-malkin/attraction-body-language_b_2451526.html

 

Have a wonderful weekend!